(LEAD) Ex-MLB outfielder Kim Hyun-soo to captain S. Korea at Olympic baseball qualifying tourney

All News 16:37 October 16, 2019

(ATTN: ADDS details at bottom, photos)

SUWON, South Korea, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- Former major league outfielder Kim Hyun-soo has been named captain of the South Korean national baseball team at the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament.

South Korea manager Kim Kyung-moon made the announcement on Wednesday before team practice at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul.

South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo (C) takes part in practice with the national team ahead of the Premier12 tournament at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2019. (Yonhap)

South Korea has selected 28 players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, which will double as the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Seoul will host Group C games involving South Korea, Australia, Canada and Cuba at Gocheok Sky Dome, starting on Nov. 6.

The manager said Kim Hyun-soo, 31, was the perfect man for captaincy given his wealth of international experience and success at major tournaments.

Kim was one of the youngest players when South Korea, also managed by Kim Kyung-moon, won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Kim has represented the country at seven competitions and helped South Korea to three consecutive Asian Games gold medals starting in 2010. Kim was also the South Korean captain at the 2018 Asian Games.

Kim is a veteran of 12 seasons in the KBO and split his 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies.

With the KBO postseason still ongoing, Kim Kyung-moon opened training camp last Friday with players from non-playoff clubs.

Barring rainouts, the postseason will end no later than Oct. 30. South Korea's first game at the Premier12 is against Australia on Nov. 6, and will face Canada the next day and then Cuba on Nov. 8.

Kim Kyung-moon, manager of the South Korean national baseball team, looks out to the field at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, during his team's practice ahead of the Premier12 tournament on Oct. 16, 2019. (Yonhap)

The Premier12 is open to the top 12 nations in the world rankings, and South Korea is the highest-ranked team in Group C at No. 3, followed by Cuba (No. 5), Australia (No. 7) and Canada (No. 10).

Group A teams are No. 2 USA, No. 6 Mexico, No. 8 Netherlands and No. 12 Dominican Republic. Their games will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In Group B, world No. 1 and Olympic host Japan will face Chinese Taipei (No. 4), Venezuela (No. 9) and Puerto Rico (No. 11) in Taichung, Chinese Taipei.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Round, to be played in Japan starting on Nov. 11.

The top finisher from the Americas and the top country from the Asia/Oceania region that make it to the Super Round at the Premier12 will earn direct entries into Tokyo 2020.

Japan is already in the Olympics as the host nation. This means South Korea has to qualify for the Super Round and finish ahead of Australia and Chinese Taipei at the Premier12 to qualify for the Olympics.

South Korea will play Puerto Rico in back-to-back tuneup games at Gocheok Sky Dome on Nov. 1 and 2.