By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Manager Kim Kyung-moon has completed selecting his South Korean national baseball team by choosing the final 24 members to play in the upcoming Beijing Olympics qualifying tournament.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and Korea Baseball Association (KBA) announced the team's final roster, headlined by power hitters Lee Seung-yeop of the Yomiuri Giants, Lee Dae-ho of the Lotte Giants and Kim Dong-joo of the Doosan Bears, on Wednesday morning.
The two baseball governing bodies excluded eight players from the original registry.
Along with the trio of power hitters, seasoned players such as former U.S. Major Leaguer Kim Sun-woo, who signed with the Bears in January; Hanwha Eagles lefty Ryu Hyun-jin, who combined for 35 wins the last two seasons; and Lotte Giants veteran right-hander Son Min-han, who has recorded 85 victories in his 10-year KBO career, remain on the national team, which has been training in Taiwan.
However, manager Kim's penchant for experience over base running removed Jung Keun-woo of the SK Wyverns, Min Byung-hyun of the Bears and Lee Dae-hyun of the LG Twins, who combined for 107 stolen bases in the KBO last season, from the roster.
In addition, the quartet of the Bears' Lim Tae-hoon, the Woori Heroes' Cho Yong-hoon, the Lotte Giants' Jang Won-joon and the Eagles' Ahn Young-myung, who were expected to be used as relief pitchers, also failed to make the national team, which reached the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) two years ago.
Giants catcher Kang Min-ho was also left off the roster.
Korea will play its first game of the qualifier against South Africa at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Taiwan. The tournament will feature eight teams, vying for three slots in the Beijing Games.