Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who newly took over the leadership of the Lotte Giants, finished the first meeting with the players held at Sangdong Stadium in Gimhae on the 25th and revealed without hesitation his plans for foreign players for the new season.
Coach Kim assumed that there had been no official conversation with the team yet and evaluated, “(Charlie Barnes and Aaron Wilkerson) are pitchers with control and game management.”메이저사이트
Barnes, who spent his second season at Lotte this year, played in 30 games with 170⅓ innings, 11 wins, 10 losses, and an average ERA of 3.28. He overcame a severe slump at the beginning of the season and pitched steadily in the second half, raising expectations for his performance in the new season.
Wilkerson joined the team as Dan Straley’s replacement and left a strong impression with 7 wins, 2 losses, 79⅔ innings, and an ERA of 2.26 in 13 games. Except for the fact that he is not young, he is a player worthy of being an ace in every detail.
Coach Kim said, “I’ve seen countless foreign players, but no matter how good their records are, there are players who get really bad results if they get the first button wrong. I don’t know if there’s a player who’s much better than these two players, but if not, the only way to go is stable. “It would be nice,” he said, expressing his intention to renew the contract.
Judgment on foreign hitter Nico Goodrum is also over. He showed batting accuracy with a batting average of 0.295, but did not hit a single home run in 50 games and committed 13 errors, which earned him a failing grade.
Coach Kim said, “I think foreign hitters are just a change. I didn’t worry about it. He’s not good at defense, so his utility value is low,” and “I’m considering him as a player with good slugging power.”
In short, he asked the club to ‘renew the contracts of the two foreign pitchers and recruit the foreign batter as a player with slugging power.’
From the club’s perspective, it is easier to get things done if the new manager reveals his intentions early. A Lotte club official said, “Even within the club, foreign players were following the direction the coach said. I think we can just push forward with it.”
Communication between the field and the front office is a prerequisite for good results. It’s just the beginning, but Director Kim’s refreshing remarks and the front office’s cooperation in accepting them are not bad.
Lotte’s next task is to appoint a new general manager. It is known that one former baseball player and one non-baseball player were interviewed.
The Lotte team’s leadership is in the process of selecting a general manager, prioritizing a broad understanding of the players and ability to communicate with the field. Establishing a full-fledged Stove League strategy, including free agents and the second draft, is only possible after the new general manager arrives.
The outline of the ‘Kim Tae-hyung division’ that will assist the new coach is expected to be revealed only when the Korean Series is completely over. Most of the personnel selections have been completed, but some of the first-team coaches who will join Lotte have not finished their team’s postseason. Coaches who have decided to go to Lotte so far include former SSG Landers coach Kim Min-jae and former Lotte coach Joo Hyung-kwang. Coach Kim Min-jae will take on the most important coaching positions in the first team, including the head coach and Joo Hyung-kwang as the pitcher.
Lotte Club is planning to confirm and announce the coaching staff for the 2024 season at once after the postseason is completely over.