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| Manager Ryu Ji-hyun / Photo: GettyImages |
On March 13 (Korean time), MLB.com published a ranking assessing only the playing careers of the eight managers who reached the 2026 WBC quarterfinals.
As a result, Ryu placed seventh.
The outlet noted Ryu spent his entire playing career with the KBO’s LG Twins and said his peak season actually came as a rookie.
That year he hit .305, a mark tied for the best of his career. He also slugged a career-high 15 home runs and drove in 51 runs, his third-highest RBI total, but he never again matched that level of production.
The only manager MLB.com ranked lower than Ryu was Venezuela’s Omar Lopez.
MLB.com pointed out that Lopez spent only three seasons in the minor leagues and suggested the list would look very different if Venezuela’s hitting coach, Miguel Cabrera, had been the manager.
Topping the list was Albert Pujols, manager of the Dominican Republic, who will meet Korea in the quarterfinals.
Pujols played 22 Major League seasons, hit 703 career home runs, won three National League MVP awards and collected two World Series rings.
The outlet called him one of the greatest players in MLB history and said he has more than enough credentials for unanimous Hall of Fame induction.
Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina — widely regarded as MLB’s top defensive catcher — ranked second, while Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata, who compiled 1,912 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, came in third.
Canada’s Ernie Whitt, Italy’s Francisco Cervelli and the United States’ Mark DeRosa rounded out fourth through sixth, respectively.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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