(LEAD) Reigning KBO MVP joined by top high school prospect on Asian Games baseball roster

▲ Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes hits a triple against the LG Twins during the bottom of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from May 25, 2023, Lotte Giants starter Park Se-woong pitches against the NC Dinos during the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ Ryu Joong-il, manager for the South Korean national baseball team at the 2023 Asian Games, speaks at a press conference announcing his 24-man roster at the Korea Baseball Organization headquarters in Seoul on June 9, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Cho Kye-hyeon, head of the South Korean national baseball competitiveness enhancement committee, speaks at a press conference announcing the 24-man roster for the 2023 Asian Games at the Korea Baseball Organization headquarters in Seoul on June 9, 2023. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) baseball-Asian Games

(LEAD) Reigning KBO MVP joined by top high school prospect on Asian Games baseball roster

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By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jung-hoo, the reigning MVP in the top South Korean baseball league, will lead the country's bid for its fourth consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games this fall, joined by a hot-shot high school prospect.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the national governing body of professional baseball, on Friday announced the 24-man roster for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Lee, the 2022 MVP in the KBO and the two-time defending batting champion for the Kiwoom Heroes, will be one of three outfielders for manager Ryu Joong-il.

Also making the team as the lone amateur was Masan Yongma High School pitcher Jang Hyun-seok, considered the likely No. 1 pick in this year's KBO draft.

Jang, 19, is naturally the youngest player on the team, though only by about four months. Heroes rookie catcher Kim Dong-heon, who turns 20 in July, was named as one of two backstops. Kim Hyung-jun of the NC Dinos is the other catcher.

The Asian Games run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, having been postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a break from past Asian Games, the KBO's regular season will not go on a hiatus during the Hangzhou tournament.

This will be the first international competition for South Korea since its first-round exit at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March this year.

South Korea has won every baseball gold medal since 2010. In light of a controversial gold medal in 2018, when the national team featured players whom the coaching staff ostensibly selected to help them earn military exemption, the KBO decided to put a self-imposed age limit for the 2023 competition.

Of the 24 players, 21 were born in 1998 or later, or have four years or less of professional experience. The remaining three players were selected regardless of their age or experience.

According to the KBO, the average age for the team is 23.2 years old, the second youngest since South Korea began sending professionals to the Asian Games in 1998.

At a press conference announcing the roster, manager Ryu said the Hangzhou tournament will be an opportunity for South Korean baseball to usher in a new generation of stars.

"This will help lay the foundation for the 2026 WBC," Ryu said. "I can't wait to see just how much these players will grow five, 10 years from now. Our goal is to win the gold medal."

As for lack of international experience for many of the players, he said, "I think the Asian Games will give them the stage where they can take the next step. This will be a great opportunity for our young players."

The three overage players are: Lotte Giants pitcher Park Se-woong, 27; Dinos pitcher Koo Chang-mo, 26; and Kia Tigers outfielder Choi Won-jun, 26, who is currently fulfilling his military service with the Army club Sangmu.

Koo, an oft-injured southpaw who has been a dominant starter when healthy, is currently sidelined with a left forearm injury. After Koo left his most recent start last Friday, doctors recommended about three weeks of rehab.

Cho Kye-hyeon, the national team technical director in charge of assembling the squad, said he felt confident Koo would recover well in advance of the Asian Games.

"We should be able to make a last-minute change in case of injuries," Cho said. "But we have determined that his injury is not serious and he should be healthy for the competition, which is more than three months away."

Each of the 10 KBO clubs will send at least one player, with the Heroes, the Dinos and the LG Twins represented by a maximum three each.

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