The second Lee Jeong-hoo and Kim Hye-seong
just won't appear... Shock of last place, hell training for heroes?
Last updated
just won't appear... Shock of last place, hell training for heroes?
Last updated
Kiwoom Heroes (58 wins, 83 losses, 3 draws) eventually suffered the humiliation of being at the bottom for the first time since its founding. The Hanwha Eagles confirmed their 10th place by taking on the Daejeon Lotte Giants on the 14th. In a system of 144 games for 10 teams, they are the last team with a winning percentage of .400 (0.411) 5 years after the NC Dinos in 2018. However, considering that the team was aiming for the first presidential championship before the season, it was a very disappointing year.
When Lee Jeong-hoo went out of the season early in the second half of the season, the team suddenly turned to rebuilding. Lee Joo-hyung, recruited from LG, has established himself as the next-generation central hitter. At the end of the season, Park Soo-jong and Lim Ji-yeol stood out. Kim Hwi-jip and Song Seong-moon are also core forces in the long term. On the mound, Seok-won Yoon, Young-gun Cho, and Jong-min Lee received attention.
However, their average is unclear. After coach Hong Won-ki took office, the team consistently actively recruited players in their early to mid-20s, but there are painful external evaluations that say many of the players' growth has stagnated internally. In this situation, the team collapsed helplessly due to a series of injuries to domestic players, foreign players, batters, and pitchers, and the collective performance of external free agents.
Kiwoom will ultimately conduct a one-month round-up training in Wonju starting on the 22nd to discover more players and for each individual to improve their survivability through internal competition. We finished the season with the Incheon SSG match on the 13th, so we rested for exactly 8 days and started training right away. Rookies are also expected to join in November. Since we have selected two players in the first to third rounds of the 2024 draft, we plan to use them as a driving force for the future.
Coach Hong Won-ki predicted ‘hell training’ ahead of the Gwangju KIA game on the 11th. The team, which traditionally pursued efficiency rather than quantity of training, chose a drastic change in course. Baseball is not all about relaxation and image training. In order to develop skills, it is necessary to repeat training as much as the body allows.
Coach Hong Won-ki said, “It is encouraging that players who have received new opportunities have stood out. It is meaningful that we started the new competitive system quickly. The Wonju camp will be a more intense training than any other year. Emphasis was placed on discovering new players. We are planning to conduct skill check and practical training. “We will take the players who stand out there to next year’s spring camp, and we will have to select players who will be plus alpha for next year’s operation.”
Lee Jeong-hoo and Kim Hye-seong are self-proclaimed ‘hard-working geniuses.’ However, not everyone can be a genius, and there are players who are close to genius but put in less effort. One genius who works hard has already been confirmed to advance to the major leagues, and there is a possibility that the remaining one will not be able to leave in the near future.
Ultimately, Kiwoom must develop the next Lee Jeong-hoo and the next Kim Hye-seong and make them the pillars of the team. It may take quite some time. Since this has already happened, we need to do it right. If underperforming outside free agents revive this year and a few young hitters develop, the rebuilding or retooling time may be shortened.