Starting shortstop Kim Joo-won, so if a pinch hitter is used in Kim Joo-won's plate appearance, who would enter at shortstop?
The final 30-man roster for Korea for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was released.
MLB Network on the 6th (Korean time) morning published final rosters for the 20 participating countries, and manager Ryu Ji-hyun held a press conference on the WBC roster at the Korea Process Center in Seoul on the 6th.
The WBC roster includes 15 pitchers, 2 catchers, 7 infielders and 6 outfielders. Four Korea-descended foreign players were selected (2 pitchers, 2 position players).
# Pitchers= Ryu Hyun-jin, Jeong Woo-joo (both Hanwha), Son Ju-yeong, Song Seung-gi (both LG), Kwak Bin (Doosan), Won Tae-in (Samsung), Go Young-pyo, So Hyung-jun, Park Young-hyun (all KT), Cho Byung-hyun, Roh Kyung-eun (both SSG), Kim Young-gyu (NC), Go Woo-seok (Detroit), Riley O'Brien (St. Louis), Dain Dunning (Seattle)
# Catchers= Park Dong-won (LG), Choi Jae-hun (Hanwha)
# Infielders= Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers), Moon Bo-gyeong, Shin Min-jae (both LG), Kim Do-young (KIA), Roh Si-hwan (Hanwha), Kim Joo-won (NC), Sei Whitemcom (Houston),
# Outfielders= Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco), Park Hae-min (LG), An Hyun-min (KT), Koo Ja-wook (Samsung), Moon Hyun-bin (Hanwha), Jermy Jones (Detroit)
Kim Ha-sung (Atlanta) and Song Seong-mun (San Diego) suffered offseason injuries and could not be selected for the roster. In particular, the loss of Kim Ha-sung, who was earmarked as the starting shortstop, due to a ruptured finger tendon is a major loss on both offense and defense. It had been expected that shortstops such as Park Seong-han (SGG) and Oh Ji-hwan (LG), who did not participate in the first team camp held in Saipan in January, would be additionally called up. However, manager Ryu Ji-hyun did not add any infielders. Utility player Sei Whitemcom (Houston) joined as a Korea-descended player.
Manager Ryu Ji-hyun explained, "The best scenario was the arrival of Kim Ha-sung and Song Seong-mun. We were not only thinking about plan A but also planning B and C. In that sense, we composed the infield with players who were prepared," explaining the choice to select seven infielders without adding a shortstop.
There is only one specialized shortstop, Kim Joo-won. Manager Ryu Ji-hyun said, "We think of Kim Joo-won as the starting shortstop. Depending on the situation, we judged that Whitemcom could play the shortstop position. It will likely change according to the game situation."
He added, "In September last year, I went on a trip to the U.S. and met with overseas-based players. At that time Whitemcom expressed active intentions. We also talked about shortstop appearances. When there was a variable, we were thinking about and preparing Whitemcom," he explained.
Whitemcom is a utility player. He debuted in Major League Baseball in 2024 and appeared in 20 games, and last year he appeared in 20 games for Houston, playing 35 innings at second base, 25 innings at third base and 2 innings in left field.
In the minor leagues through 2023 he most frequently appeared as a shortstop, but from 2024 he moved to third base and second base, reducing his shortstop appearances. Last year in Triple-A he played third base (238 2/3 innings), second base (167 innings) and later appeared at shortstop for seven games and 62 2/3 innings.
Whitemcom led Triple-A with 35 home runs in the 2023 season. He hit 25 home runs in Triple-A in both 2024 and 2025. If Whitemcom, who plays third base, is moved to shortstop when Kim Joo-won comes to bat and a pinch hitter is used, he would have to change positions to shortstop.
On the other hand, six outfielders were selected. Captain Lee Jung-hoo, Jermy Jones and An Hyun-min are likely the three starting outfielders. Koo Ja-wook, Moon Hyun-bin and Park Hae-min are backup resources. There are three backups solely for the outfield. If Kim Do-young, who suffered three hamstring injuries last year, and Triple-A home run king Whitemcom split appearances between third base and designated hitter, three outfielders would have to sit on the bench.
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