S. Korea to miss major leaguers early in WBC training camp: manager

▲ Lee Kang-chul, manager of the South Korean national baseball team, speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Lee Kang-chul, manager of the South Korean national baseball team, speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Ha-seong, infielder for the South Korean national baseball team for the World Baseball Classic, speaks at a press conference in Seoul, in this Jan. 16, 2023, file photo. (Yonhap)

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S. Korea to miss major leaguers early in WBC training camp: manager

INCHEON, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- Lee Kang-chul, manager of the South Korean national baseball team, said Friday he doesn't expect to have major league players in training camp for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) until a week before the big tournament.

Lee, who also manages the KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), left for Tucson, Arizona, on Friday, the site of spring training for his pro club and also the national team.

Through Feb. 13, Lee will be running the Wiz camp. Then starting Feb. 14, Lee will take over the national team camp ahead of the March 8-21 WBC.

However, South Korea's major league players won't be able to join the team in Arizona because of their club commitments, Lee said. The national team camp overlaps with spring training dates for all major league clubs, either in Arizona or Florida.

Lee named San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong, Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Choi Ji-man and St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman to his 30-man squad earlier this month. Edman, born to a Korean mother and an American father in the United States, is allowed to represent South Korea under WBC's eligibility rules.

South Korea will train and play scrimmages against other KBO clubs preparing for the new season in Arizona. The national team will then return home on March 1 and train in Seoul for a couple more days, before flying to Osaka on March 4.

South Korea is scheduled to play two Nippon Professional Baseball clubs for tuneups: the Orix Buffaloes on March 6 and then the Hanshin Tigers on March 7, both at Osaka Dome.

South Korea's first WBC game is against Australia on March 9.

"Kim Ha-seong will join us in Seoul. We told Edman to report to our camp in Seoul as well," Lee told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.

Choi's status is still up in the air, following the veteran first baseman's offseason elbow surgery. Lee said he will have to wait a while longer to get the final word from the Pirates on Choi's availability.

"If Choi Ji-man can't play for us, we may pick a player who's not a first baseman," Lee said.

The major leaguers will be available for the two tuneup games in Japan before the tournament, but Lee added, "As far as I understand, I don't think major leaguers will be allowed to play in scrimmages against KBO teams."

This means Kim and Edman, who will form a double play combo at shortstop and second base, will only get to play two games together before the WBC, not an ideal situation since the two have never before played on the same team.

Edman won the National League Gold Glove at second base in 2021, and Kim was a finalist for the Gold Glove at shortstop last year.

At the WBC, South Korea will also face Japan, world No. 1 and a tournament favorite, China and the Czech Republic in Pool B action.

The top two nations after the round robin will advance to the quarterfinals, up against the top two teams from Pool A.

The Pool A nations are Cuba, Chinese Taipei, Italy, Panama and the Netherlands.

For Pool B contestants, all opening round and quarterfinal games will be played at Tokyo Dome.

The semifinals and the final will be at LoanDepot Park in Miami, home of the Miami Marlins.

"Our goal is to reach the semifinals. To get past the first round, we should win at least three out of four games in the round robin," Lee said. "We'll go all-in on trying to win the first game against Australia."

Allowing himself to look ahead to the quarterfinals, Lee said: "Cuba will be a strong team with major leaguers, and the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei are also good teams. It won't be an easy game, no matter who we play."

This will be the fifth edition of the WBC but first since 2017, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the delay.

South Korea finished third at the inaugural event in 2006 and was the runner-up to Japan in the next iteration in 2009. However, the country crashed out of the first round in both 2013 and 2017.

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