Taiwan becomes the land of promise for Futures League

The greatest change in Korea’s pro baseball in 2015 will be the participation of the 10th team KT in the Korean Professional Baseball league and the subsequent increase in the number of games. Up until 2014, each baseball team played 128 matches per season but from next year it will increase to 144.

As a result, depth of talent in the teams is certain to act as a decisive variable to success. Just as much as the top-tier Korean Professional Baseball League, the talent pool in the second-tier Futures League will become important.

Although more Futures League teams had spring camp overseas from a few years ago, overseas training for the Futures League has become more important from next year given its impact on team performance.

Against this backdrop, Taiwan is the place the most teams have decided as their land of promise. Six teams out of the 10 teams will have spring camps for their Futures League players in Taiwan.

Doosan and Nexen will hold Future League spring camps in Kaohsiung and Tainan, respectively since last year. KIA will also have spring camp for its second consecutive year in Taitung. SK, whose spring camp for the second tier team was held in Guangzhou, China, last year, has shifted to Taichung. In Chiayi, near Taichung, the Futures League players of LG and Lotte will bunk down, while the latter will have the first overseas spring camp ever.

Taiwan has been sought after as a spring camp site for 2nd tier teams thanks to its mild weather. Despite some regional differences, Taiwan has warm weather, with temperatures of approximately 20 degrees Celsius even in midwinter. In addition, it is geographically close to Korea and costs less than the U.S. or Japan, where spring camps for professional league players are held. In addition, multiple teams gather in Taiwan, making it not difficult to find those who will play in practice matches.

Samsung, which had Korea`s first spring camp for the Futures League players in Guam in 2012, will also hold the team camp in Guam next year. Samsung`s pro team players will hold spring camp in Guam through early February and will move to its second camp place in Okinawa, Japan.

Hanwha, which held its B team spring camp in Okinawa, Japan, last year, will hold its spring camp in Seosan Baseball Training Center this year. This is not due to cost cuts but due to the fact that promising players in the Futures League will all accompany the A team players. This is a change that occurred after manager Kim Sung-keun took the helm.

NC, led by manager Kim Kyung-Moon, will take far more players than last year to its spring camp to be held in Arizona, the U.S., while holding the B team spring camp in Korea. The new team KT plans to include as many players as possible in the top tier spring camp. The remaining players will train in Suwon KT Wiz Park