New manager Choi Won-ho (50), who briefly led the team as an acting manager in 2020 and took the helm of the Hanwha Eagles as a full-time manager in three years, held the first official press conference with manager Carlos Subero (51). declared a breakup with baseball.
Immediately after the Daejeon Samsung Lions game on the 11th, former coach Subero was sacked, and coach Choi, who took over as captain as his successor, correctly pointed out that “the part to be corrected is shift.”
Coach Choi said, ahead of the visiting game against SSG Landers, which will be held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 12th, “Until now, if I had shifted without the pitcher’s consent, now I’m going to do it with the pitcher’s consent.” I didn’t want to,” he explained.
Former coach Subero, who took office as Hanwha coach in 2021, operated the team with an active defensive shift.
However, unlike in the United States, it did not have a great effect in the KBO League, and Hanwha ranked last in 2021 and 2022.
As this season continued experimental game management, the Hanwha team retrieved the baton from coach Subero and handed it over to coach Choi, even at the beginning of the season.
Director Choi said, “The club ordered, ‘Next year, we must play winning baseball from the beginning of the season.’
Coach Choi, who was active as a pitcher for Hyundai Unicorns and LG Twins, started his leadership career at LG in 2011.
In June 2020, he served the remainder of the season as an acting manager in place of former coach Han Yong-deok, who had resigned voluntarily, and this time, he officially signed a three-year contract for a total of 1.4 billion won (down payment of 200 million won, annual salary of 300 million won, and option of 300 million won).
The following is a Q&A with Director Choi.
— How do you feel about your inauguration?
▲ It happened suddenly, so I’m in a state of confusion yesterday and today. We have to play from today. I asked the senior staff not to upset the players as much as possible. We try to operate stably so that a good atmosphere continues.
— In 2020, I led the team as an acting agent.
▲ The biggest difference was that I went up during my 14 consecutive losses at the time, and the atmosphere was really bad. The club also wanted a big change because the atmosphere was not good. Right now, I think it would be more appropriate to start with minimal changes rather than big changes since I have recently been in a situation where my performance is good.
— I was given winning baseball as an assignment. What is winning baseball?
▲ The club said, ‘From next year, we have to play winning baseball from the beginning of the season. To do that, we need to prepare to win to some extent this year.” This year, he asked if he could set up a fielder and pitcher.
It means the selection of a position that can maximize the advantages, the fixed appearance of a player with good hitting, the boundary between the starting and backup, and the composition of a winning team of at least three people, including a finishing pitcher. I didn’t know who was the winning team and who was the chasing team, so I kept going back and forth, so (the club) asked for those parts.
Of course, it is true that coach Subero gave me various experiences in various positions, which helped me to understand the players. At the club, I hoped that what coach Subero had done well would be succeeded. Management of young players and active running are the (positive) changes brought about by coach Subero.
The part to fix is the shift. Until now, if you have shifted without the pitcher’s consent, now you are going to shift with the pitcher’s consent. Pitchers said, ‘I want it only for left-handed sluggers’, so I try to make an extreme shift only at this time. Pitchers don’t want shifts for runners on third base, situations aiming for double play, and right-handed hitters.
The key to defense is to help the pitcher make good pitches. Otherwise, it hurts the pitcher’s planting and leads to a decline in performance. (The shifts I’ve done so far) are shifts for defense, not shifts for pitchers.
–How to use foreign typing.
▲ (Son Hyuk) I’m sorry, Captain. (Butch) Smith is going right away, and Brian O’Grady is also sluggish. When O’Grady first came to the second team, the balance was not good. He couldn’t shift his weight on his front leg, so his pelvis dislocated and he wound the bat and deflected the ball. He came up (to the 1st team) in the process of making amends with the 2nd team hitting coach. He improved in practice, but not as much in games. He’s gotten a little better, but I think he needs to get a lot better. He should be better than he is now. O’Grady is trying to determine when to put in after seeing his condition.
— If there is anything you have said to the players.
▲ We talked about teamwork. If each of us recognizes the area we are in charge of and does our best, it comes together and becomes teamwork. Teamwork is not possible when there are people who care too much about things that are not their own. I thought that good teamwork would come about if each of us did our best in our work, so we decided to work hard.
And the weak players have a lot of negative thoughts. You have to find a way to think positively. Many who think negatively look for excuses. If you are looking for an excuse for a positive or negative person, I told you to change it. If you find a way and move forward, the results will come. With that in mind, I asked them to do it season by season.
— Is O’Grady a substitute for the time being?
▲ There is a moment when you really feel the blow. I will discuss it every day with the hitting coach in charge of my area of expertise. First of all, I won’t be starting today. From the point of view of the batting part, the players are in good condition now, but there is no need to force OGrady. The last few games have been in a good mood, so I will discuss with the batting team every day and decide.
— How did you draw the outline of Pil Seung-jo’s mound?
▲ Pitching coach Park Seung-min, pitching coach Lee Dong-geol, and head coach Lee Dae-jin talked, and Park Sang-won finished as it was, and Jae-min Kang and Seo-hyun Kim in front of them are thinking of them as a winning group. Kang Jae-min and Park Sang-won had two consecutive fights, so today’s game is excluded. When it comes to save situations, I try to use Kim Seo-hyun.
— What do you think about your relationship with General Manager Son Hyuk? (Director Choi Won-ho, who is married to Han Hee-jin, the cousin of professional golfer Han Hee-won, is a cousin of Sohn Hyuk.) ▲
I sufficiently appealed to the general manager about the operation I was going to do. I said that I would not operate on my own, but would focus on the opinions of part experts. If I go to my own operation, the part I’m concerned about (the relationship between the leader and relatives) can become a reality. I think to give authority to each part coach and respect the coach’s judgment and reflect it in game management 메이저놀이터.
— What are your goals and focus for this year?
▲ We need to operate a little more aggressively within the guidelines to minimize player injuries. I worry about how to operate when leading and how to operate when being led. If the part that is left to the players is 90%, think about the operation where the bench intervenes 10 to 20%.
— What is your relationship with director Kim Won-hyung?
▲ Director Kim Won-hyung congratulated us while saying, ‘Why did you end up like this when you were with us?’ He told me a story about his two-year coaching career. He is the coach of the winning team. He gave good advice, albeit briefly.
— Moon Dong-ju is keeping the starting rotation. Where did you improve and what are your plans for the future?
▲ Moon Dong-ju is a fast-throwing pitcher, so there is definitely a risk of injury. For now, he tries to refrain from pitching after taking four days off. When he starts on Tuesday, he’ll try to take a turn off and rest. He plans to listen to the doctor’s opinion through a checkup sooner or later and follow-up and manage what has changed from the pre-season test. I think we need to talk about details, innings, or pitches.