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The 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster will be announced soon.
The Korean Baseball Board (KBO) will announce the final WBC roster at the Korea Press Center at 10 a.m. on the 6th. Representative team coach Ryu Ji-hyun and KBO combat effectiveness enhancement committee chairman Jo Kye-hyun will attend and explain their reasons.
The members have been decided. Based on Korean time, the submission was completed on February 4. However, according to the requirements of the WBC, the announcement of the participating countries was postponed. As the host countries, the United States and Japan made announcements in advance in order to improve their country’s publicity effect. The world will announce the list of players from all participating countries on MLB NETWORK at 9 a.m. on the 6th.
What attracts the most attention is the number of players from the defending champion LG. In the first round of Saipan training camp, which is considered to be a sign of finalists, 8 people have participated, the largest number. Three pitchers including Ryu Young-chan, Son Ju-young, and Song Seung-ki, and five outfielders including Park Dong-won, Moon Bo-kyung, Shin Min-jae, Hong Chang-ki, and Park Hae-min are all core members of the championship.
Among them, LG’s center line consisting of catcher Park Dong-won, center fielder Park Hae-min, and second baseman Shin Min-jae is expected to occupy a central position in the national team. Park Dong-won is the main catcher who combines attack, defense and growth. Kim Hyung-jun (NC Dinos), who is considered the main force, completed his recovery after undergoing finger surgery in October last year, but was unable to participate in the Saipan training camp.
Park Hae-min, who has the best defensive backbone in the league, is also indispensable. As the national team’s “corner outfield” players are expected to select offensive players such as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) and Ahn Hyun-min (KT Wiz), the need for midfielders with a wide defensive range has further increased.
KBO Golden Glove second baseman Shin Min-jae is more likely to start as current members are injured one after another. In the past, he was highly anticipated as a practical resource that could back up outfielders, but now he has become an indispensable player. Major League Baseball Gold Glove second baseman Tommy Edmund (Los Angeles Dodgers) injured his ankle, Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta Braves) suffered a ruptured tendon in his finger, and Song Sung-moon (San Diego Padres) injured his inner abdominal muscle, leading to infielders leaving the team.
Left-handed pitcher Son Ju-young, third baseman Moon Bo-kyung, and outfielder Hong Chang-ki are also likely to be promoted, so LG is expected to promote up to six people. But there are also practical worries. Since the LG team won the Korean round-robin last year, it has had to worry about the risk of injuries to its players due to less rest time and off-season training time. In addition, batters improve their batting cycles according to major competitions, and it may take some time to improve their batting cycles again during the regular season.
But the coach thought differently. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to gain the international competition experience that helps players grow and the pride that comes with having players representing many countries. LG head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said at the LG New Year greetings held last month, “I am the one who hopes to have more national teams in our team more than anyone else. Having more national representatives in our team means that our team has become stronger. There is no harm in that.”
He also said: “Except for (veteran) Park Hae-min, the national team experience is a positive for the players on our team.” “Korean players such as Moon Bo-kyung, Shin Min-jae, and Hong Chang-ki may have a difficult time this season. But from the perspective of the future of LG and individual players, participating in the WBC is of higher value.”
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