[SPOTVNEWS = Reporter Kim Tae-woo] An Woo-jin (24‧ Kiwoom), who became a hot topic enough to pay attention not only to Korea but also to Japan and other international stages, was not selected for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team. While the atmosphere of falling out of the substitute candidate is clear, the process and future that Ahn Woo-jin will have to face in the future are also attracting attention.
The KBO Technical Committee held a WBC national team entry-related meeting at the KBO Hall in Dogok-dong on the 4th and confirmed the final entry of 30 players to participate in the tournament. It was evaluated that all the players who deserved to be picked were selected, but in terms of skills, the biggest exception was Ahn Woo-jin's elimination. It did not change from the previous expectation that “the KBO, feeling this and that pressure, will eventually give up the An Woo-jin card.”
Considering his performance, skills, and current need for the national team, Ahn Woo-jin was probably the first player to be listed in the 30-man entry. Ahn Woo-jin threw 196 innings in 30 games this year, leaving a monstrous record of 15 wins, 8 losses, an ERA of 2.11, and 224 strikeouts, standing tall as the best pitcher in the KBO League recognized by others. Even the ace seniors of the national team, Kim Gwang-hyeon (SSG) and Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA), rated Ahn Woo-jin’s performance as the best.
However, the experience of being disciplined for school violence in high school has been holding back his ankles for a long time. An Woo-jin received a 3-year suspension of qualifications from the Korea Baseball Softball Association, the governing body, for the incident at the time. There was no problem with the KBO League draft and joining, but the problem was the national team. There is a provision that players who have been disciplined for more than three years are permanently selected to participate in international competitions organized by the Korea Olympic Committee, such as the Olympics and Asian Games. As a result, An Woo-jin cannot participate in the Olympics, Asian Games, or even the Premier 12.
However, the WBC, hosted by the Major League Secretariat and supervised by the KBO, had nothing to do with it. Ahn Woo-jin's side also apologized for the past ahead of the WBC and claimed that they had been forgiven by the victims. In the baseball world, this move is evaluated as “showing a strong desire to participate in the WBC national team.” However, in the end, the national team turned away from Ahn Woo-jin. It is a nuance that is virtually excluded from the candidate for substitute players.
Even if there is no legal problem, the selection of the national team has some conflicting aspects with the decision of the Korea Sports Council, which disallowed the Taegeuk mark in international competitions. It also seems to have taken into account the situation in which the controversy surrounding Ahn Woo-jin has not yet been completely resolved. It is interpreted that it was a burdensome decision for the KBO anyway. Technical Committee Chairman Beom-Hyun Cho also explained in a circumstantial way, “The criteria for selecting players were based on various factors, such as the symbolic meaning of being a national representative representing me, responsibility, and pride, along with the player’s skills.”
This decision could have a significant impact on An Woo-jin's future. Ahn Woo-jin, who is receiving attention from the major leagues, has two obstacles in front of his bright future: the current military service and the number of days he is registered as a free agent. The Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou, China in September, cannot participate due to disciplinary reasons, but it is the view that it was necessary to participate in this tournament to turn public opinion and catch the slightest possibility. However, this opportunity seems to be blown away, and there are no more competitions where you can legally receive military service benefits. There is a growing possibility that the time to advance to the major leagues or acquire a free agency will be delayed for another two years.
Even if he faithfully completes his military service, he missed the opportunity to fill the FA registration days. An Woo-jin, who was nominated for the first time in 2018, has never been able to fill the 145 days recognized as the number of registration days for a season until last year. 2018 has 97 days, 2019 has 107 days, 2020 has 130 days, and 2021 has 139 days. If you participate in the WBC, the number of registration days starts with 10 days, 30 days if you go to the semifinals, and 60 days if you win the championship.
In other words, even if he only participated in this WBC, he was able to fill the one season lacking in registration days and pull the FA qualification for one more year. As this is closely related to the timing of posting and obtaining FA qualification, it also affects the timing of entering the major leagues. And that point naturally leads to a different evaluation of the ransom. Ahn Woo-jin cannot attend all the Asian Games, Olympics, and Premier 12, where the number of registration days is given. The WBC was the only way. Those who have a crooked view of Ahn Woo-jin evaluate that there is a practical part as well as the restoration of honor and image in the national team.
However, the KBO also took on the burden. Amid criticism that the national team mound was rather loose, the best pitcher, Ahn Woo-jin, was not selected. If there is a problem with the mound in the tournament, the word 'Ahn Woo-jin' is bound to be summoned again. There is a possibility that public opinion will fluctuate again. Even if it is unavoidable because the disciplinary action has been confirmed in the Asian Games, there is still public opinion that it is harsh not to participate in the WBC, which has nothing to do with the disciplinary action.
Controversy over fairness is also expected to arise in that players who have been disciplined in the KBO League have been sneaking into the national team before. If the public criticizes that he was only harsh with Ahn Woo-jin, the KBO's struggles will inevitably deepen. The WBC is still there after 4 years, and it is not desirable that the An Woo-jin controversy continues until then.