I don’t think I’ve been scratching anything from the outside, but last year, the first team player couldn’t guarantee the opening entry. KIA’s fielders, who are selected as the dark horses of this year’s championship, were full. Except for certain key players who have priority, all remaining seats are competition. It’s cruel for the players and the coaching staff will worry about it, but it’s a time when fans can’t help but hide their expectations.
KIA is fiercely competing with both pitchers and batters for the opening entry this year. In the opening game, some additional players may be on board because they did not register a starting pitcher for the opening series, but anyway, a week later, they have to go to a normal 28-man system. The mound is also facing a fierce bullpen war for the last three to four seats, and it is the fielders who have seen their competition soar even more. Even the players who spent quite a lot of time in the first division last year cannot guarantee the opening entry this year.
For now, there are exceptions for certain key players. There are a few who can be classified as such players. In the outfield, Choi Won-jun, who is expected to play as a starting pitcher this year, including Na Sung-bum, the captain, and Socrates Brito, a foreign player. Choi Hyung-woo, who is expected to play mostly as a designated hitter, has four spots for sure.
As long as about four players in the infield are not injured, they are highly likely to be on board the opening entry. Kim Sun-bin (second baseman) and Park Chan-ho (shortstop), who were expected to be on the starting lineup last year as well as this year’s starting lineup, are confirmed. On top of that, Kim Do-young (third baseman), who was late to prepare for this season due to finger injury, has become the most likely to be on board the opening lineup, filling in areas lacking in performance, and Lee Woo-sung, who will play multiple positions this year, is aiming to become the first baseman. As of now, four pitchers have been confirmed. As for the catcher, Kim Tae-gun has secured one spot. There are a total of nine players so far. If 15 fielders are included, there are six more seats left.
Literally, it’s a war. As a coaching staff, you’d like to take everything, but the entry is limited. As for the catcher, Han Seung-taek’s Joo Hyo-sang is aiming to make the final turnaround with Han Jun-su being evaluated as going ahead. One spot has not been confirmed yet. It may vary depending on the internal and outdoor composition, but considering that Lee Woo-sung can see the outfield in an emergency, the competition is also fierce, assuming that there are six outfielders and seven infielders.
In the outfield, Ko Jong-wook, Kim Ho-ryeong, Park Jung-woo and Lee Chang-jin will compete for two places. Kim Ho-ryeong has advantages in defense, Park Jung-woo in utilization in the second half of the game, and Ko Jong-wook and Lee Chang-jin in attack. Lee Chang-jin and Ko Jong-wook played a significant role in the first team last year, but they are also left open to the possibility of being eliminated in the worst case scenario depending on their performance in exhibition games. We have to be very nervous.
Yoon Do-hyeon, Park Min, Byun Woo-hyuk, Hwangdae, Kim Kyu-sung, and Seo Geon-chang will compete for the remaining three spots in the infield. Currently, they need one right-handed pinch hitter who can play first baseman, and two players who can back up infield utility or run as pinch runner in the second half of a game. Byun Woo-hyuk and Hwang Dae-in are in fierce competition for first base backup. The two players competed for the starting lineup last year, but this year, they will fight for one spot in the entry list. Calculations show that there is not much room for both players to get on board. 유흥알바
In the case of utilities, Yoon Do-hyun was most likely to be on board, but his recovery was interrupted for a while due to minor injuries. As he has strengths in attack and confidence in defense, Yoon’s recovery can also have a big impact on his entry. The rest of the players are targeting to board the opening entry with their own strengths. Park puts defense ahead, Seo Geon-chang puts offense ahead, and Kim Gyu-seong puts forward various defense uses. Byun Woo-hyuk and Hwangdae Kim Gyu-seong also had a long registration period in the first division last year, but they cannot guarantee their place this year.
Veteran hitters with extensive experience in the first division, Ko Jong-wook and Seo Geon-chang, also have overlapping duties to some extent, so it is unclear whether both players will survive. They say that they should not simply distinguish between infield and outfield, but should be viewed from an overall framework. In addition, the last one or two digits are not based on their overall ability, but rather choose a specialist in a specific field such as defense or base running, which is expected to deepen coach Lee Bum-ho’s agony until the end. Of course, considering last year when they suffered from injuries to their main players, the more talented fielders, the better.