Hanwha was not selected for the Korean national team for the 5th World Baseball Classic (WBC) to be held in March. It is the only one among the 10 KBO league teams to have 0 players. This is the reality that Hanwha is facing.
It is not the first time that Hanwha’s national team has zero members. There was no Hanwha player among the 28 members of the WBSC Premier 12 national team in 2019. At that time, it was the only ‘0’ among 10 clubs. After 4 years, I faced the humiliation of 0 people again.
Looking at recent international competitions, infielder Kim Tae-gyun and outfielder Lee Yong-gyu competed at the 2017 WBC, pitcher Jung Woo-ram at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, and Kim Min-woo at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As a result, Kim Min-woo became the last player to wear the Taegeuk mark for Hanwha.
On the list of 50 players announced last year, there were players from Hanwha. There were pitchers Kim Bum-soo and Moon Dong-ju, and infielders Noh Si-hwan and Chae Eun-seong, but no one boarded.
In particular, Noh Si-hwan received a chance as a third baseman and had a dream of becoming a Taegeuk mark, but had to postpone it to a later date.
The performance last season was not good. With 115 games, he made the most appearances since his debut, but only had a batting average of 0.281, 6 homers and 59 RBIs. His batting average rose, but his home runs plummeted. OPS also fell to 0.737.
Noh Si-hwan blamed himself, saying, “(Moon) Dong-ju was able to go… but it’s unfortunate that not one member of the team could go. In reality, it’s because of us lacking, including me.”
However, the players can only be stimulated by this failure to board. It is expected to act as a great motivator.
Noh Si-hwan said, “(Jung) Eun-won was really sorry. I am also the same. I have been biting my teeth even more. I will do well this year so that I can go to many international competitions that will be held in the future. I will make further progress.” .
The atmosphere of Hanwha this season is different. Hanwha, which recorded 46 wins, 2 draws and 96 losses last year, and was at the bottom of the league for three consecutive years, announced a massive reinforcement this offseason and produced results. 메이저놀이터
He signed a contract with Chae Eun-seong for up to 9 billion won for 6 years, and also succeeded in renewing a contract with internal free agent Jang Si-hwan for up to 930 million won for 3 years.
Here is not the end. In 2020, Lee Tae-yang, who had been sent to SK (now SSG) through a trade, was brought back for 4 years and 2.5 billion won. Then, like Lee Tae-tae, he embraced Oh Seon-jin, who played for Hanwha and was traded to Samsung in 2021, and filled all three of the external FA recruiting caps.
In particular, Lee Tae-yang and Oh Seon-jin are familiar players to Hanwha fans. Although they left the team for a while, they are those who have played for a long time at Hanwha. Moreover, it is expected that he will have a positive impact on the team as he has new experiences and came to Hanwha.
Noh Si-hwan said, “The team belonged to the younger side. Since the seniors came, I think we can rely on them a little. I want to learn and grow more through the seniors.” I want to hear what kind of culture the team has and what kind of atmosphere it was in. So I hope that we will develop a good team culture as well. I will follow the seniors. I am looking forward to this season even more in that respect. “he said.
On the 29th, Hanwha will depart for Arizona, USA, the spring camp site. After finishing the first camp, he plans to move to Okinawa, Japan, and play a practice match before returning.
Noh Si-hwan said, “I made a good body this winter. I will try to run full-time this season without getting hurt at camp.”