Choo is unavailable for Korean National Team to WBC

Choo is unavailable for Korean National Team to WBC. January. 19, 2017 07:07. by Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com. Major League right fielder Choo Shin-soo may not be able to wear the national team uniform to play for World Baseball Classic (WBC) 2017, due to objections from his team Texas Rangers.

According to the roster for WBC announced by Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels on Wednesday, Choo was not on the list where the names of eight players including three pitchers and five fielders were written. Japanese starting pitcher Yu Darvish and Venezuelan shortstop Elvis Andrus also failed to place their name on the list.

The decision came as a special measure on high-income players with injury history. Choo who signed a 130-million-dollar contract for seven years with Rangers was included in the disabled list for four times after he suffered last season.

In principle, the club cannot unilaterally stop their players from playing for WBC held by the Baseball Operations. However, their qualifications will be decided through discussions at the WBC Injury Review Committee upon the request from the club. Therefore, the Korean National Team will make a decision to change its entry according to the committee results to be announced on Friday.

Korean national team manager Kim In-shik also forecasted that it will be up to the Rangers to decide Choo’s future. When Choo fails to list his name on the roster, a replacement will be chosen among the pre-entry list including outfielders Na Seong-beom (NC Dynos), Yoo Han-joon (KT Wiz), Park Geon-woo (Doosan Bears), and Park Hae-min (Samsung Lions). Once they replace Choo, Oh Seung-hwan of St. Louis Cardinals will be left on the final entry as the sole Korean Major Leaguer.