Natl'l baseball team manager expects big things out of hot-hitting rookie

South Korean outfielder Ahn Hyun-min, right, participates in a practice session with the national baseball team at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

When putting together the starting lineup for his first game as manager of the South Korean national baseball team Saturday, Ryu Ji-hyun looked into a number of advanced metrics.

With South Korea hosting the Czech Republic at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the one statistic that Ryu prioritized was weighted runs created plus, or wRC+. It's an all-encompassing hitting stat that measures a player's total offensive value and adjusts performance based on the ballpark and league average.

A 100 wRC+ is the league average, and every point above or below 100 represents one percentage point better or worse than the average.

Ryu has the luxury of having the reigning South Korean league leader in that category, KT Wiz outfielder Ahn Hyun-min.

The 22-year-old had a sensational rookie season in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), leading all freshmen with a .334 batting average, a .448 on-base percentage and a .570 slugging percentage, along with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs. He led all KBO players with a 172.5 wRC+.

Ahn mostly batted third in the Wiz's lineup, but Ryu explained that he wanted to have Ahn's threat closer to the top of the lineup.

"Having Ahn Hyun-min in the No. 2 spot is the key point of our lineup," Ryu said in his pregame media availability at the dome. "Of many statistics, we gave the most weight to wRC+. Based on his performance in the KBO this year, we felt he can help with our run production the best if he bats higher in the lineup."

This will be Ryu's managerial debut for the national team. He had been on the coaching staff for the past three years before getting promoted to the top job in January this year.

Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the South Korean baseball team, chats with a member of his staff during a practice session at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

"I felt the most pressure when I was first appointed," Ryu recalled. "Now, I am a lot more relaxed, knowing that these players have worked so hard to get ready for these games."

South Korea will play the Czechs again Sunday and then will travel to Tokyo for two games against Japan next weekend. These games are part of South Korea's preparations for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Before the start of Saturday's practice, Ryu said he thanked his players for the work they'd put in for the upcoming set of games, especially considering they went back to the grind so soon after the end of their KBO campaigns.

"I told them that they are the best baseball players in this country, and they should be proud of that," Ryu added. "I understand we will have a packed stadium the next two days, and I told the guys they should try to put on a good show for our fans."