By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
It's just a couple of days before the Olympic baseball qualifiers, but South Korea skipper Kim Kyung-moon still hasn't found his closer. And has anybody reminded him of the gaping hole in infield defense left by his hobbled star shortstop needing to FedEx his throws to first?
Kim, the resourceful Doosan Bears manager, is leading the South Korean national team in Tawian for an eight-team playoff series staking three spots in the Beijing Summer Olympics tournament.
South Korea opens against South Africa on Friday, then plays Australia on Saturday, Mexico on Sunday, Spain next Monday, Germany on March 12, Canada on the 13th and host Taiwan on the 15th.
Kim, who will reduce his current 32-man roster to 24 ahead of the South Africa game, seems to have decided on his starting rotation, with Hanwha Eagles ace Ryu Hyun-jin starting against Australia and Taiwan, considered the most critical outings in the schedule. Former San Francisco Giant Kim Sun-woo, now with the Bears, and SK Wyverns lefty Kim Kwang-hyun will fill the next slots, with Lotte Giants veteran Son Min-han being another possibility.
However, finding answers for the team's dual worries, bullpen and middle infield defense, is proving to be difficult, lending a reminder of how fragile the team's Olympic chances are.
South Korean success in international tournaments in recent years, most notably the World Baseball Classic in 2006, has been defined by creative pitching matchups, which reflected bullpen depth, and airtight defense.
However, Kim's version of South Korea is shaping up as a polar opposite of previous squads, a bash-happy team that simply needs to outscore its opponents and build a comfortable lead before the late innings.
The lack of bullpen depth is alarming considering the length of the series and that, aside of Ryu and Son, none of Kim's starters have a reputation for working into the late innings. Sun-woo spent the larger part of his career as a reliever and the 20-year-old Kwang-hyun is not even established in the regular rotation of the Wyverns yet.
Kim is struggling to replace Samsung Lions closer Oh Seung-hwan, a mainstay with the national team in the past few years who is unavailable due to an elbow injury. Bears reliever Im Tae-hoon is a candidate, although he might be too much of a gamble as an inexperienced 20-year-old.
Wyverns veteran reliever Chung Dae-hyun could be a better option, but Kim has been concerned about his poor form in the practice matches. Chung, a soft-throwing submariner, has never been known as a strikeout artist, and that could be a problem in the late innings considering the compromised infield defense.
Lions shortstop Park Jin-man, whose range and glove work are irreplaceable, hasn't been able to participate in defensive drills due to a bum shoulder and is questionable for the tournament. Son Si-hun, currently with the Korean army baseball team, is considered as an alternative option.
At least, Kim has few questions about the middle of the lineup, with the bash-happy trio of Lee Seung-yeop, Kim Dong-joo and Lee Dae-ho anchoring what looks to be the country's most explosive lineup ever, at least on paper.