Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who returned to the field a year after taking charge of Doosan and started a new season as Lotte’s head coach, was able to win the Korean Series by finishing third in the regular season in his first season as head coach in 2015, largely because he maximized the various variables of the team and league at the time. It was thanks to using it as a .
First of all, Samsung, which was first in the Korean Series, was unable to include three key pitchers due to the overseas gambling scandal that broke out just before the fall baseball season, and virtually went on stage with half-strength. With the expectation that the winner of the playoffs that year would likely become the champion, NC, which was in second place in the regular season, also failed to shake off its reputation as a new first-team team in its third year of existence in the postseason.
Coach Kim Tae-hyung promoted left-handed free agent Jang Won-jun, who was installed as a gift for taking office, as the main driving force in the regular season, and then used him to his full potential in the fall baseball season. Jang Won-jun pitched in 4 fall baseball games that year and won 3 times. In addition, foreign pitcher Dustin Nippert, who was unable to play his part due to injury in the regular season, returned as a special ace in the postseason.
However, behind the scenes, a greater driving force was growing that would push the team forward in the mid to long term. It was a season in which the young fielders who were the envy of all other clubs, the ‘three-time striker’ of offense, defense, and defense, began to bloom. Among the trio of Heo Gyeong-min, Su-bin Jeong, and Geon-woo Park, who were born in 1990 and were 25 years old that year, Soo-bin Jeong had 145 hits and Gyeong-min Heo had 128 hits in the season. Park Geon-woo had relatively few opportunities to play due to the presence of Kim Hyun-soo (born in 1988) and Min Byeong-hun (born in 1987), but he started to wiggle around with a batting average of 0.342, 54 hits, and an OPS of 0.912. Also, while other ’20s undercover resources’ such as Kim Jae-hwan (born in 1988) and Choi Joo-hwan (born in 1988) were waiting for their turn, shortstop Kim Jae-ho and second baseman Oh Jae-won, both born in 1985 and now 30 years old, were guarding the infield center line. Coach Kim Tae-hyung’s unique strong drive, the ‘energy of the universe’ focused on Doosan, and the soil established by the club were the starting point for proper synergy. Doosan continued its golden era for 5 to 6 years based on the foundation created that year.
Now, the next focus is on Lotte for the 2024 season. Like Doosan in 2015, Lotte’s player composition and Coach Kim’s team management style are expected to be points to watch. The domestic starting lineup, centered on Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an, does not seem to be any worse compared to the 2015 Doosan domestic starting lineup. The success or failure of the new Lotte is expected to depend on Manager Kim’s performance in managing the field, but the names that stand out are Dong-hee Yoon, born in 2003, and Min-seok Kim, born in 2004. Yoon Dong-hee has already established himself as a first-team player with 111 hits and Kim Min-seok has 102 hits this season. In addition, Ko Seung-min, who was born in 2000 and is a ‘military fielder’ who makes power batting, is also a resource that will be at the center of Director Kim’s field of vision. Born in 1999, Han Dong-hee, who has been called ‘post-Lee Dae-ho’, is in a situation where he needs to make a choice to complete his military service after failing to make the national team for this year’s Hangzhou Asian Games.
Lotte has several experienced fielders who can be counted, such as Noh Jin-hyuk, born in 1989, who were recruited ahead of this season due to the renewal of contracts with Jeon Jun-woo and Ahn Chi-hong, who qualified for free agency for the second time. However, dramatic changes in a team’s strategy often result from the movements of young players. The same was true for coach Kim Tae-hyung’s seasons after 2015.토토사이트
In coach Kim Tae-hyung’s career as a head coach, Doosan in 2015 and Lotte in 2024 look similar but different, and they also look different but similar. It seems likely that the key to Lotte’s change in the next season or two will be summarized in the growth rate of young fielders.
Even before the opening of this season, Lotte was considered a ‘top five candidate’ according to experts’ perspectives. Until last May, we fought for the lead. There is a ‘field’ prepared to create something and grow it big.