Korea names natl. baseball coaches for offseason tournament

South Korea on Thursday announced the national baseball team coaches for an inaugural offseason tournament this fall.

The Korea Baseball Organization brought six coaches on board for manager Sun Dong-yol at the Nov. 16-19 Asia Professional Baseball Championship in Tokyo. The tournament will feature pros from the KBO, Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan and the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Chinese Taipei.

Lee Kang-chul, former KBO star pitcher currently managing Doosan Bears' minor league team, will be one of two pitching coaches. He'll be joined by another ex-KBO hurler, Jeong Min-chul, who will be the other pitching coach.

Four other former KBO All-Stars will be on the staff. Lee Jong-beom, the 1994 league MVP, will be the coach handling base running and outfield defense. LG Twins coach Ryu Ji-hyun, the 1994 Rookie of the Year as a shortstop, will be the infield coach on the national team.

Ryu's former LG teammate, Kim Jae-hyun, will be the hitting coach. Former Samsung Lions catcher Jin Kab-yong, currently coaching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, will be the battery coach.

Sun, the first full-time manager for the national team, will hold his first meeting with the staff on Aug. 28 and announce a provisional entry of 42 players.

The new tournament is open to players under the age of 24 -- born on or after Jan. 1, 1993 -- or those with less than three years of professional experience. Teams can each select up to three players over the age or experience limit as "wild cards." The KBO's provisional roster will not include three wild cards. (Yonhap)