Korea will compete in the nation’s fourth World Baseball Classic in 2023. Korea’s first appearance in the WBC came in 2006, and they were the runner up in 2009, losing to Japan in the championship. Korea won the gold medal with a win over Cuba at the 2008 Olympics.
The Korea roster will be made up of two current Major League Baseball players, with the rest playing in the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League. St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Tommy Edman and San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will man the infield for Korea. The speedster Edman stole 32 bases last season in 35 attempts, and provided some pop with 13 home runs. Ha-Seong Kim played 150 games in 2022, largely due to the suspension of Padres’ superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was suspended for 80 games. Kim hit .251 and had 11 home runs in 2022 for San Diego.
The team will be managed by Kang-Chul Lee, a premier Korean pitcher in the 1990s. He held the KBO record for strikeouts as a pitcher briefly, until Jin-Woo Sung broke Lee’s record in 2005. Lee was the pitching coach for the 2009 Korean Series Champions, the KIA Tigers.
Korea could be very competitive in what will be an unpredictable Pool B round in Tokyo, Japan. They will face Japan, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic in the first round.
Korea will play their first game of the World Baseball Classic on March 8, at 10 p.m. ET against Australia. All games in Pool B of the World Baseball Classic will be played from March 9-13 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
2023 Korea World Baseball Classic Roster
Pitchers (Team)
Go Woo-Suk (LG Twins)
Gwak Been (Doosan Bears)
Jeong Cheol-Won (Doosan Bears)
Jung Woo-Young (LG Twins)
Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers)
Kim Won-jung (Lotte Giants)
Kim Yung-Sik (LG Twins)
Ko Young-pyo (KT Wiz)
Koo Chang-mo (NC Dinos)
Lee Eui-lee (Kia Tigers)
Lee Yong-Chan (NC Dinos)
Park Se-woong (Lotte Giants)
So Hyeong-jun (KT Wiz)
Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions)
Yang Hyeon-jang (Kia Tigers)
Catchers (Team)
Lee Ji-Young (Kiwoom Heroes)
Yang Eui-Ji (Doosan Bears)
Infielders (Team)
Choi Jeong (SSG Landers)
Tommy Edman (St. Louis Cardinals)
Kang Baek-ho (KT Wiz)
Kim Ha-Seong (San Diego Padres)
Kim Hye-seong (Kiwoom Heroes)
Oh Ji-hwan (LG Twins)
Park Byung- ho (KT Wiz)
Outfielders (Team)
Choi Ji-hoon (SSG Landers)
Kim Hyun-soo (LG Twins)
Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes)
Na Sung-bum (Kia Tigers)
Park Hae-min (LG Twins)
Park Kun-woo (NC Dinos)
Coaching Staff
Kang Chul Lee – Manager
Ki Tai Kim – Hitting Coach
Hyun Wook Jong – Pitching Coach
Min Jae Kim – First Base Coach
Min-Ho Kim – Third Base Coach
Young Soo Bae – Bullpen Coach
Jae-Hak Shim – Quality Control Coach
Kab-Yong Jin – Catching Coach
