Nat'l baseball manager to go on scouting trip to Japan

All News 15:18 February 21, 2019

SEOUL, Feb. 21 (Yonhap) -- The manager of the South Korean national baseball team will embark on a weeklong scouting trip to Japan this week.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Thursday skipper Kim Kyung-moon will be accompanied to Okinawa by Kim Pyoung-ho, his analytics coach, and Kim Si-jin, the national team technical director.

Kim Kyung-moon, appointed the national team skipper in January, will travel to Japan on Friday to watch Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) clubs in spring training games during the early part of his trip, before checking in on KBO clubs also training in Okinawa.

South Korea is gearing up for the Nov. 2-17 Premier 12, the first qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

In this file photo from Jan. 28, 2019, Kim Kyung-moon, newly appointed as manager of the South Korean national baseball team, speaks at a press conference at the Korea Baseball Organization headquarters in Seoul. (Yonhap)

At the Premier 12, the top finisher from the Americas and the top country from the Asia/Oceania region, other than Olympic host Japan, will earn direct entries into Tokyo 2020.

South Korea, world No. 3, will host Group C games against Cuba (No. 5), Australia (No. 7) and Canada (No. 10) at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. South Korea won the inaugural Premier 12 in 2015.

The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the Super Round. The No. 1-ranked Japan is in Group B with No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Venezuela and No. 11 Puerto Rico, and is a potential opponent for South Korea in the Super Round.

From Saturday to Tuesday, Kim and his staff will watch five NPB clubs in action: Yomiuri Giants, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

From next Wednesday to Friday, Kim will watch six KBO teams in Okinawa: SK Wyverns, Kia Tigers, Hanwha Eagles, LG Twins, Samsung Lions and Lotte Giants.

Kim Kyung-moon will return home March 1, but coach Kim Pyoung-ho will stay in Japan to scout other Japanese clubs in Miyazaki and Fukuoka, the KBO said.

The manager will fly back to Japan on March 7. He will watch the Yomiuri Giants and the Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on March 8, and then stay in Osaka to see Japan face Mexico for two games at the same venue on March 9 and 10.

During the Osaka trip, Lee Seung-yuop, a member of the national team technical committee and a former NPB slugger, will join the manager.

Baseball will return to the Olympics in the Japanese capital after an eight-year absence. South Korea won the most recent Olympic baseball gold in Beijing in 2008, with Kim Kyung-moon as the manager.

Baseball at Tokyo 2020 will feature six nations. The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) said if no team from Asia or Oceania finishes among the top six of the Premier 12, that Olympic slot will be deferred to the last Olympic qualifier.