Daejeon: KT Wiz rookie Ahn Hyun-min and LG Twins veteran outfielder Kim Hyun-soo are among the notable reserves for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) All-Star Game, as announced Monday. The All-Star Game will feature 26 reserves who will showcase their talents alongside the starting lineup at the event set for July 12 at the Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the annual KBO All-Star Game divides representatives from the 10 KBO clubs into "Nanum" and "Dream" teams. Players from Hanwha Eagles, LG Twins, Kia Tigers, NC Dinos, and Kiwoom Heroes will form the Nanum squad. Meanwhile, Samsung Lions, Lotte Giants, SSG Landers, KT Wiz, and Doosan Bears will comprise the Dream team.
This year's game will be hosted at the Eagles' new home stadium, located around 140 kilometers south of Seoul. The starting lineup, selected by fans and fellow players, was unveiled last week. The positions include starting pitcher, middle reliever, closer, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfield positions, and designated hitter (DH).
Lee Bum-ho, manager of the defending champions Tigers, will lead the Nanum All-Stars. Park Jin-man, whose Lions were runners-up in the 2024 Korean Series, will manage the Dream All-Stars. Each manager selected 13 reserves comprising seven pitchers, two catchers, two infielders, and two outfielders.
KT Wiz's Ahn Hyun-min, although not in the starting lineup, stood out in the DH category. He led in player voting but lacked sufficient fan votes. The 21-year-old has hit 13 home runs and 46 RBIs in 51 games this season, boasting a batting average of .333/.436/.618. His on-base plus slugging of 1.054 would make him a league leader if he had enough at-bats.
Joining Ahn as a reserve is fellow Wiz outfielder Bae Jung-dae. The Dream team reserve pitchers include Lee Ho-sung from the Lions, Kim Taek-yeon and Choi Seung-yon from the Bears, Park Yeong-hyun and Woo Kyu-min from the Wiz, and Lee Ro-un and Jo Byeong-hyeon from the Landers. The Dream catchers are Jang Sung-woo from the Wiz and Cho Hyeong-woo from the Landers, with infield spots filled by Oh Myeong-jin from the Bears and Kwon Dong-jin from the Wiz.
Veteran Kim Hyun-soo, 37, marks his 16th All-Star selection, surpassing Lions catcher Kang Min-ho and former Lions player Yang Joon-hyuk. Kim is maintaining a .300 batting average this season, placing him among the six players achieving a .300 average in 2025. Nanum's outfield also features Moon Hyun-bin from the Eagles.
Nanum's reserve pitchers include Adam Oller and Choi Ji-min from the Tigers, Kim Young-woo and Park Myung-geun from the Twins, Bae Jae-whan from the Dinos, and Ju Seung-woo and Ha Yeong-min from the Heroes. Catcher positions are held by Kim Tae-gun from the Tigers and Kim Hyung-jun from the Dinos, with infielders Lee Do-yun from the Eagles and Kim Ju-won from the Dinos.
Injuries have led to changes in the starting lineup. On the Nanum side, Tigers third baseman Kim Do-yeong will be replaced by Heroes' Song Sung-mun, and Eagles outfielder Estevan Florial will be replaced by Heroes' Lee Ju-hyoung. For the Dream team, Lions outfielder Kim Ji-chan will fill in for Giants outfielder Yoon Dong-hee.
The Lions have the most All-Star representatives with seven players, followed by the Twins and Wiz with six each.