About 11 months later, in November 2023, Asian baseball prospects gather in one place and compete fiercely. In the first competition, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan competed against each other, but this time, it was bigger with Australia participating. This is the story of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), which will return six years after 2017.
APBC is for prospects under the age of 24 or under 3 years of professional experience. Regardless of age, three wild cards are given, but at the 2017 APBC, Korea competed without a wild card. At that time, Kim Ha-seong, Lee Jeong-hoo, and Park Min-woo played a central role in the batting line, and Jang Hyun-sik, Lim Ki-young, and Park Se-woong started as starting pitchers. The finishing pitcher was Jang Pil-joon, who was 29 years old but was in his 3rd year as a pro.
As long as six years have passed, the 2023 APBC is expected to be completely filled with new faces. Lee Jung-hoo, who was 19 years old at the time of 2017 APBC, will be 25 years old. It may be selected as a wild card, but if you advance to the major leagues (MLB), participation in the 2023 APBC can act as a burden. There is no Lee Jeong-hoo, but there is a high possibility that KT Kang Baek-ho, Lotte Han Dong-hee, LG Moon Bo-kyung, Hanwha Noh Si-hwan, Jung Eun-won, and NC Kim Joo-won will play a key role in the young national team’s batting lineup.
What stands out is the mound. The depth of pitching staff under the age of 24 is better than six years ago. Right-handed pitchers include Samsung Won Tae-in, KT So-Jun Sohn, Doosan Kwak Bin and Jeong Cheol-won, LG Jung Woo-young and Lee Min-ho, KIA Jung Hae-young, and Lotte Lotte Choi Jun-yong. As for left-handed pitchers, Lee Eui-ri of KIA, Kim Yun-shik of LG, and Oh Won-seok of SSG stand out. All of them play a key role in their team. Moon Dong-ju, a rookie of this year, and Kim Seo-hyun, a 2023 rookie of the Hanwha Eagles, are in the top ranks in terms of pitch.
There are still ups and downs, but there are many pitchers with great potential. Kiwoom Jang Jae-young, Lotte Kim Jin-wook, Samsung Heo Yun-dong, and SSG Cho Yo-han can also wear the Taegeuk mark depending on their appearance in the 2023 season. In addition to Kim Seo-hyun, the door to the national team is open to KIA Yoon Young-cheol and NC Shin Young-woo, who were highly nominated in the 2023 rookie draft. 토토사이트
The weak position is again the catcher. In 2017 APBC, there were many concerns about catchers. Han Seung-taek and Jang Seung-hyun were selected, but the drought of young catchers in the KBO League is currently ongoing. There is also the possibility of selecting a catcher as a wild card.
Even without military service benefits, it is a clear international competition. KBO also grants registration day benefits to players participating in APBC. In the case of the Korea-Japan match, as always, it receives great attention, and the eyes of major league scouts are also fixed. The goal of the 10th club prospects in the 2023 season will also be APBC participation after the season.
On the other hand, APBC is held by the professional league associations of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia. As the tournament is not hosted by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), Kiwoom Ace Ahn Woo-jin can also participate. Ahn Woo-jin is 24 years old at the time of the tournament.