“We’re hosting the All-Star Game to help develop amateur baseball.”

The Hanwha Eagles have stepped up to the plate to help develop amateur baseball. The inaugural High School-College All-Star Game was held on June 6 at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon. Hanwha organized the all-star game to encourage public interest in amateur baseball and motivate players. “We hope that the All-Star Game will serve as an opportunity for many players to get noticed,” said Jeong Min-hyuk, head of the scouting team that organized the event.

The crisis in amateur baseball is not new, but it has recently become more severe, according to those involved in the field. Not only has it become difficult to recruit players due to the declining population, but the sport has also shrunk in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a scout, I often visit amateur baseball sites. Recently, the number of players in elementary school baseball teams has decreased significantly. I think that in a few years, it will eventually affect professional baseball, so I thought that we should do something to develop amateur baseball from now on. The club has been very supportive, so we were able to organize the All-Star Game.”

Hanwha also gave their full support. It covered all the costs of the event. They actively communicated with the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) to ensure the players’ convenience. “The team was very supportive,” says Jung. They told us to make sure the players didn’t feel shortchanged. The players and association officials were also very satisfied,” he smiles.

He also expressed his hope that the All-Star Game would be a dream come true for the players. “The reality is that only one or two high school players get the spotlight. Other players are also working hard and achieving good results. I hope that the players who came to the All-Star Game will be able to make their names known to many people. I also hope that the elementary and middle school players who watch the All-Star Game will have dreams,” he said.

The event was also attended by scouts from various clubs. Team managers also collaborated in the player selection process. Pitchers were selected based on records such as ERA and batters based on OPS (on-base percentage + batting average), and the rest of the roster was filled with players recommended by the scouts. “The other teams were very supportive, so we were able to select good players,” says Chung.

Hanwha plans to continue organizing all-star games in the future. “It’s a good initiative, and we’ll discuss it with the association,” said Chung.메이저사이트

Meanwhile, the inaugural Hanwha Eagles Baseball High School-College All-Star Game ended in a 6-6 tie after 10 extra innings. The MVP was Jeon Damin of Gangneung Youngdong University, who went 1-for-4 with a triple, two walks, one RBI and two stolen bases. Lee Seung-min of Whimungo won the honorary award, Park Ki-ho of Cheongju University won the high school pitcher award, Park Ji-hwan of Seadoo University won the high school hitter award, Jeong Hyun-soo of Songwon University won the college pitcher award, Go Dae-dae of Chungang University won the college hitter award, and Bae Kang of Gwangju Ilgo won the home run race.