Ex-KBO MVP Kim Do-yeong set for Asian Games with baseball roster announced

Kim Do-yeong, the 2024 KBO MVP,  made the national team for the upcoming Asian Games on Thursday.

Kim, who was voted the regular season's best player in 2024 for the Kia Tigers, was one of 24 players picked by manager Ryu Ji-hyun.

The Asian Games will take place around Aichi Prefecture in Japan, with the prefecture's capital, Nagoya, serving as the main host. The competition will run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, with the baseball tournament set for Sept. 21 to 27.

Korea will try to win its fifth straight Asiad gold in baseball.

Male athletes who win Asian Games gold medals receive exemption from the mandatory military service. After years of dealing with criticism that it was picking undeserving older players just to give them a chance to earn military service exemption, the KBO, which governs professional baseball, began selecting younger players at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

For this year, the KBO went with 21 players under 25, plus three "wild card" players in the 25-29 age bracket.

Kim, 22, didn't make the 2023 Asian Games team and will now have a chance to earn his military service exemption.

He had a historic 2024 season, in which he became the youngest player to join the 30-30 club with 38 home runs and 40 steals. After an injury-plagued 2025 season, Kim has bounced back this year by tying for first with 19 home runs and ranking third with 52 RBIs through Wednesday's action.

Cho Kye-hyeon, head of the KBO's national baseball competitiveness enhancement committee, explained that the KBO was forced to assemble the team more than three months ahead of the tournament to honor the deadline to submit the entry, and went ahead with some injured players who are expected to return to action well ahead of the Asian Games.

The KBO regular season will continue during the Asian Games, meaning losing key players during the stretch drive could affect teams' postseason pursuit. The KBO imposed a limit of three players from each of the league's 10 clubs.

National team manager Ryu Ji-hyun thanked the KBO clubs for their cooperation with sending some of their players to Japan at "such a critical point in their season."

"We expect to see an incredibly tight race for postseason berths, and that's why we spent a great deal of time mulling over our picks," Ryu added. "We wanted to achieve the right balance so that no team would be put at a disadvantage over others. It forced us to make some tough decisions."

Kim Do-yeong is one of three Tigers players. The Doosan Bears, the Samsung Lions, the SSG Landers, the KT Wiz and the Lotte Giants are the other clubs with the maximum three players.

The LG Twins and the Hanwha Eagles will send two players each. The NC Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes will each have one representative.

Manager Ryu will take 11 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders.

Among the returnees from the 2023 Asian Games are: Eagles infielder Roh Si-hwan, Dinos shortstop Kim Ju-won, and Giants outfielder Yoon Dong-hee.

There are also a few players who helped take Korea to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March this year — Kim Do-yeong, Twins infielder Moon Bo-gyeong, Landers reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon and Bears starter Gwak Been.

One notable snub is Wiz outfielder Ahn Hyun-min, the 2025 KBO Rookie of the Year. He has been out since mid-April with a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old also played at the WBC.

Unlike three years ago, no amateur was selected this time.

"We looked at some amateur players closely and tried to determine if they were significantly better than pros who were being considered," Cho Kye-hyeon said. "We ultimately concluded that the ones we named today can form the most competitive team."

Yonhap