Half-Korean big leaguer Tommy Edman eager to showcase versatility in WBC debut

Half-Korean big leaguer Tommy Edman eager to showcase versatility in WBC debut: Baseball / 유지호 / 2023-03-01 09:09:57

baseball player-tournament

▲ South Korea infielder Tommy Edman speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on March 1, 2023, before joining the national baseball team for the World Baseball Classic. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korea infielder Tommy Edman poses for photos at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on March 1, 2023, before joining the national baseball team for the World Baseball Classic. (Yonhap)

▲ In this USA Today photo via Reuters, Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals takes a swing during live batting practice at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball player-tournament

Half-Korean big leaguer Tommy Edman eager to showcase versatility in WBC debut

By Yoo Jee-ho

INCHEON, March 1 (Yonhap) -- St. Louis Cardinals star Tommy Edman will make his World Baseball Classic (WBC) debut next week for South Korea, the country of his mother's birth, an opportunity he calls "a huge blessing and honor."

After landing in South Korea early Wednesday, Edman said the WBC will also be an opportunity to show baseball fans outside the United States what his game is all about.

"That's the great thing about the World Baseball Classic. It's an opportunity for everyone around the world to watch baseball and for baseball to be kind of exposed to a lot more countries," Edman told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.

"So hopefully, a lot of people around the world will get to see myself and Team Korea play who haven't seen us before. And I think it'll just be a great opportunity to show how versatile I am on the field, with defense and baserunning and hitting. Hopefully, just bring a lot of energy to the team and be an exciting player just like I know a lot of the Korean players already are," he said.

Edman, a Michigan native, is the first half-Korean player to compete on the national baseball team. Under the WBC's loose set of eligibility rules, players are allowed to represent a country of one of their parents' birth, even if they themselves aren't from that country.

South Korea reached out to a few other U.S.-born major leaguers of Korean descent, but due to personal and health reasons, Edman was the only one available for the March tournament.

He will bring plenty to the table for South Korea. Edman won the National League (NL) Gold Glove at second base in 2021 and was a finalist in the position last year too. He has stolen 62 bases the past two years, more than any other player in the NL.

He and San Diego Padres shortstop Kim Ha-seong, a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop last year, are the only two Major League Baseball (MLB) players for South Korea. They will form one of the best defensive double play combos at the WBC.

"I'm really excited to play with Ha-seong after seeing him play with the Padres the past couple of years," Edman said. "He's such a good player, and I'm really excited to learn from him and just bounce some ideas off of each other and play up the middle with him."

As the only switch hitter for South Korea, Edman is expected to bat at or near the top of the lineup.

"I'm not sure where I'll be hitting in the lineup yet but hopefully, I get to hit at the top where I can get on base for those big homerun hitters in the middle of the lineup," Edman said. "I'm just hoping to help the team out any way I can. And for me, that just means playing good defense and getting on base a lot. So I know we have some great hitters in the middle of the lineup, guys who have had a lot of success both in MLB and in the KBO so I'm just hoping to be a good contributor to the team."

South Korea just wrapped up a two-week training camp in Tucson, Arizona, while both Edman and Kim were in spring training with their respective clubs. Edman had five at-bats in two spring training games with the Cardinals in Florida before traveling to South Korea.

South Korea's first WBC game is next Thursday against Australia at Tokyo Dome. Before that, the team will play two exhibition games against Japanese clubs, the Orix Buffaloes and the Hanshin Tigers, in Osaka on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

They will be the only live game opportunities for Edman before the tournament rolls in, but he said he will be "ready to go."

"I am feeling good, and I am feeling ready to play," said Edman, who added he saw plenty of live pitching before spring training games. "I think that's the biggest thing you need to get ready for: just seeing live pitching again. So I think a week to practice with this team and learn all the players and learn about the team and the way that Korea plays is going to be sufficient."

After facing Australia, South Korea will take on world No. 1 Japan, a two-time WBC champion and a title favorite again this year. Edman said he has developed a better understanding of the South Korea-Japan baseball rivalry since he was named to the national team earlier this year.

"Just about everyone has asked about the rivalry and from hearing that and how excited everybody is, I can get a good sense of how intense those games can be," Edman said. "And just from watching the past World Baseball Classics, you can see how high the energy is in the stadium when Korea and Japan are playing against each other. But I'm sure I won't fully be able to appreciate that until we're actually playing the game at Tokyo Dome."

For Edman, the Korea-Japan showdown will also have a personal touch. One of his St. Louis teammates, Lars Nootbaar, will play for Japan, where his mother was born. Edman said he was looking forward to "a good competition" against one of his close friends on the Cardinals.

"I hope we win because then whoever wins will have bragging rights for the rest of the year in the Cardinals clubhouse," Edman said with a smile.

As for his half-Japanese wife, Kristen, Edman said, "I had to make sure to tell her that you have to root for Korea, and you can't root for Japan in this one."

Edman said he has been trying to learn basic Korean phrases, with some help from his mother.

"She has helped me out with a couple of the Korean culture aspects that I wouldn't necessarily be familiar with, primarily making sure I'm bowing plenty, especially with people who are older than me," Edman said. "Hopefully, I get used to it pretty quickly. And I had a couple of Korean meals on the flight, and they were both delicious. So I'm really excited for the Korean food that I get to have out here."

Edman is scheduled to join the rest of the national team for his first workout Thursday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

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