KIA announced on the 15th that it will participate in the 2023 spring camp to be held in Tucson, Arizona, USA from February 1st. It is a schedule that continues until March 9, busily going back and forth between Arizona and Okinawa, Japan. It is also the first overseas training in three years since the 2020 Florida Camp.

With a total of 55 players participating, including 19 coaching staff and 36 players, it is noteworthy that some of the players who played a lot in the first team last year were not listed on the camp list. There are players like Jang Hyun-sik who cannot go to the camp because they are on the rehabilitation list, but those who do not have spring camp in Korea.

Ko Jong-wook, who played in 62 games last year and was used as a left-handed pinch hitter, Lee Woo-seong, who played in 80 games and recorded a batting average of 0.292, Park Jun-pyo, who played an active role as the team’s Pil Seung-jo agent in 2019 and 2020, Kim Jae-yeol, who played in 47 games last year, and recruited through trade Kim Jeong-bin and Lim Seok-jin were excluded from the list.

In a situation where local prices in the US skyrocket and the exchange rate is still higher than before, each club is in a situation where their heads hurt over the camp budget. Although there is a difference in degree, all clubs have reduced the number of first-team camp personnel little by little. KIA also took 40 players in previous years, but this year, the list was organized at 36 players. However, if you look at the camp list, you can see the meaning of the coaching staff relatively clearly. It’s a competition.

It seems that players who have not seen many coaching staff of the first team will be put on the camp roster and put to the test. Representative rookies include first-rounder Yoon Young-cheol, who was the only roster included in the Arizona camp roster, Kim Seung-hyun, Lee Tae-gyu, Lee Tae-gyu, and Song Hoo-seop (Lee Sang-yong), Joo Hyo-sang, who was recruited or released through a trade, and Byun Woo-hyuk and Hong Jong-pyo (Lee Sang-soo). 슬롯사이트

As much as they seized the opportunity, it is expected that the enthusiasm of the players who are trying to get the attention of the coaching staff will be hot. You can expect the coaching staff to draw close comparisons with players who played on the first team last year but were left out of Arizona’s camp.

However, there is no need to be disappointed if you can’t go to Arizona. KIA will go to Okinawa, Japan on February 24 after digesting tactical training in Arizona. Okinawa is a relatively close location that can be reached from Korea in about 2 hours and 30 minutes by plane. Athletes who have shown good results or progress in domestic camps can join Okinawa at any time. Conversely, it is expected that Arizona participants who were pushed back in the competition may be excluded from the Okinawa list.

Since the Okinawa camp is focused on actual combat, it is the time when new players start to experiment and compete to enter the opening roster. KIA, which has a solid position of veteran players in its own way, is expected to concentrate on filling the remaining positions by experimenting with as many players as possible from the Okinawa camp to the exhibition game schedule. After all, it is still a competition. You have to win the competition to enter the opening roster.

In fact, KIA’s participation in the first team camp last year did not lead to a guaranteed opportunity in the first team. There are quite a few players who participated in the Hampyeong 1st team spring camp but failed to make it to the 1st team without showing any significant results. On the other hand, there are quite a few cases where some of the players who were in the 2nd team camp silently sharpened their swords and finally won the competition. There is no reason to cheer for going to Arizona, and no reason to be discouraged for staying in Korea.