In 2023, South Korean baseball entered a period of generational change after a period of stagnation. The two tournaments that marked the beginning of the change have been met with successful results. Now, it’s likely that the new generation of Korean baseball players will take the game all the way to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier 12 in 2024. The key players of the generational change are now at the forefront of a new renaissance in Korean baseball.
The WBSC announced the 12 nations that will compete in the 2024 Premier12 on its official website on Tuesday (Feb. 20). The WBSC rankings were released the previous day (Nov. 19), and the top 12 nations in the rankings will participate.
Japan, which has held the top spot since January 2015, is ranked first, followed by Mexico at second, the United States at third, and South Korea at fourth. Taiwan, Venezuela, 온라인카지노 the Netherlands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Australia and Puerto Rico round out the top 12.
“Japan Mexico USA Korea Taiwan Venezuela Netherlands Cuba Dominican Republic Puerto Rico will be participating in their third consecutive tournament, Australia will be making their second consecutive appearance and Panama will be making their first appearance in the Premier12,” the WBSC said.
The tournament will take place from November 10-24.
The six nations will be divided into two groups. The Americas will play in Group A from Nov. 10-14. Group B will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, from Nov. 14-18. The official opening match will take place on November 13 in Nagoya, Japan. The top three teams in each group will then host the Super Round from Nov. 21-23 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The final is Nov. 24.
South Korea won the tournament in 2015 and finished runner-up in 2019. However, the country’s baseball team suffered a medal defeat at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and a disastrous World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March this year. Regardless of the Premier 12 results, the team was eliminated in the first round of three consecutive WBCs. With a roster that looks no different than it did a decade ago, Korea has reaffirmed that it is going backwards alone. The need for generational change was no longer an option, but a necessity.
As a result, starting with the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Korean baseball program began a generational change. Players under the age of 25 and in their fourth year of professional baseball, including three wild cards, made up the Asian Games squad. They weren’t the best, but they were the stars of the future of Korean baseball. Although they lost to Chinese Taipei in the group stage, they went on to win the gold medal in the final.
Moon Dong-joo, Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha), Park Young-hyun, Kang Baek-ho (KT), Kim Joo-won, Kim Young-gyu (NC), Park Se-woong, Na Kyun-an, Yoon Dong-hee (Lotte), Ko Woo-seok, Jung Woo-young, Moon Bo-kyung (LG), Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom), Choi Ji-min (KIA), Kwak Bin (Doosan), Won Tae-in (Samsung), and other promising players who will represent Korea’s baseball team gained valuable experience in international competitions and received military service benefits.
The Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), held in November, was an extension of the Asian Games.
The team was missing some of its Asian Games roster due to the Korean Series, but new youngsters like Lee Yi-ri, Kim Do-young (KIA), Son Sung-bin, Na Seung-yup (Lotte), Shin Min-hyuk (NC) and Choi Seung-yong (Doosan) wore the Korean flag. Although they finished as runners-up once again, losing a close game to Japan, they showed great determination and brightened the future of Korean baseball.
The generational change was announced in a big way. Now it’s time to cruise. The first gateway is the Premier12. While there will be some veterans, the younger players who participated in the Asian Games and APBC are likely to be the mainstays of the Premier12.
The team had a brief renaissance after winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but members of that renaissance remained with the national team until this year. 토토사이트 추천 But now the baton is being passed to new faces. Can the leaders of the generational change usher in a new renaissance in Korean baseball through the 2024 Premier12 tournament?