Geelong Korea, the first overseas professional baseball team from South Korea, will not be competing in the Australian Baseball League (ABL) next season.
The ABL officially announced on Friday that “Geelong Korea will not be competing in the league for the 2023-2024 season”. The decision came as a result of a “notice” from the league, rather than an agreement between the club and the league.
“While we are sad to see Geelong Korea leave the ABL, after discussions with all parties, we have made this decision,” said ABL Chief Executive Officer Glenn Williams. “This is a decision that is in the best interest of the league, its teams, corporate partners and fans.”
Specifically, after New Zealand-based Auckland Tuatara withdrew from the league, the eight-team league became a seven-team league, leaving the ABL with six teams in Australia, including Geelong Korea.
Founded in October 2018, Geelong Korea played the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons before missing two seasons due to COVID-19, and returned to the league last season, posting a 13-27 (.325) record in 40 games.
Regardless of its performance, Geelong Korea has attracted a lot of attention from domestic teams and players. As the league was played in the winter, which didn’t overlap with the KBO schedule, prospects and players who needed to improve their skills were able to get a feel for the game with Geelong Korea, and after the league ended, they returned to their respective teams for spring training. It was also an opportunity for Korean players in the minor leagues and even some amateur players to make their presence felt.
As a result, several players who attended Geelong Korea surprised everyone with their remarkable growth. These include LG Twins’ Hong Chang-gi, Lee Jae-won, and Baek Seung-hyun, SSG Landers’ Ha Jae-hoon, KIA Tigers’ Choi Ji-min, NC Dinos’ Seo Ho-cheol, Hanwha Eagles’ Lee Jin-young, and Kiwoom Heroes’ Jang Jae-young. SSG’s “veteran pitcher” Noh Kyung-rae could also use the opportunity to rebound with Geelong Korea. 스포츠토토
In particular, Ha Jae-hoon, who has been performing well this season despite major and minor injuries, said, “I played a lot of games in Australia and got a feel for it, and I think I was able to keep it the same,” while SSG coach Kim Won-hyung said, “I think he went to Geelong Korea on his own initiative and found things like his timing.”
Several clubs were considering sending players to Geelong Korea for the 2023-2024 season, which would have increased the size of the squad, but the league’s decision put an end to that.