Choi Ji-man of the Pittsburgh Pirates expressed strong disappointment over his failure to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

On the 6th (Korean time), Choi Ji-man announced a statement immediately after receiving a notice from the KBO that the Pittsburgh club would not allow him to participate in the WBC due to elbow surgery.

Choi Ji-man said, “My team, Pittsburgh, through the WBC Organizing Committee, recently expressed its intention to oppose participating in the WBC due to a history of elbow surgery.” It is also very large,” he said.

Choi Ji-man has never worn the 스포츠토토 Taegeuk mark since 2010 when he moved to the United States. The reason was his adaptation to the major leagues, injuries, and lack of skill.

However, on the 4th of last month, the KBO Technical Committee announced the list of 30 players for the WBC national team, including infielder Choi Ji-man. Although he underwent elbow surgery in November of last year, it was judged that the rehabilitation was smooth and he was able to play from mid-February.

In particular, Choi Ji-man had a batting average of 0.233, 11 homers, 52 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.729 in 113 games last year, but showed off his strong bat skills at the beginning of the season and kept his first baseman position in the Tampa Bay Rays. Above all, his will to participate was great.

Choi Ji-man said, “I had elbow surgery, which the team was concerned about, but I returned to the United States and was going through a normal rehabilitation process. Recently, there was no problem enough to go live betting. As well as joining the national team scheduled for the middle of this month, the first round schedule in Tokyo I was improving my physical condition according to the schedule, so the disappointment I feel is so big and painful.”

However, the Pittsburgh club must have felt the need to protect Choi Ji-man, who had just finished rehabilitation after elbow surgery. Choi Ji-man, who spent 4 years and 6 months in Tampa Bay, was traded 1:1 for Pittsburgh Minor League pitcher Jack Hartman on November 11 last year and moved the team.

Since the club plans to appoint Choi Ji-man as the main first baseman and designated hitter this season, it seems that he decided that he should not use up his stamina unreasonably even before the start of the season. If Choi Ji-man was a ‘mediocre player’, there would be no reason to dissuade him from participating in the WBC.

Moreover, Choi Ji-eun is facing an annual salary adjustment referee against the club, and he himself charged $5.4 million and the club charged $4.65 million (approximately 5.8 billion won). Even if the team’s proposed amount is adopted, it is not an easy ransom for Pittsburgh.

Choi Ji-man expressed his feelings by using extremely emotional words such as ‘disappointment’, ‘frustration’, and ‘sick’ in his statement. I don’t know if he conveyed these feelings towards the club, but I wonder if he needs to be so discouraged. If Taegeuk mark is his lifelong dream, he just needs to seize the next opportunity by staying healthy and maintaining top-notch skills.

The most important thing right now for the major leaguer is to secure a spot as Pittsburgh’s clear starter. The impact of participating in the WBC on the regular season, such as injury concerns and physical exhaustion, is by no means small. When he finishes this season, he will be the first to get a true free agent qualification to negotiate a ransom. For Choi Ji-man, who will turn 32 in May, becoming a national representative is not so urgent.