ethernetacademy.net“There are a lot of players that excite me.”
It’s no longer SSG Landers, but Samsung Lions hitting coach Lee Jin-young. The ‘national right fielder’ is headed to Daegu.
Lee, a “legend” with a career batting average of 3-for-5 and 2125 hits, began his coaching career as the hitting coach for his hometown SK Wyverns in the 2020 season. For the 2021 season, SK will wear SSG’s new uniforms. SSG was already known for its home runs and hard-hitting image, but with Lee’s coaching, the team showed off a stronger batting performance and won the overall title in the 2022 season. In 2021, he led the team in home runs, RBI, OPS, and WAR. In 2022, he led the team in home runs and RBIs.
However, his batting slump in the middle of the 2023 season led to his demotion to the second team. After the season, Lee tendered his resignation to SSG as the Kim Won-hyung coaching regime came to an end.
“I got a call from Samsung, and the new head coach, Lee Jong-yeol, asked me to join them. Although he was a little worried about being away from his family, the baseball player decided to go to Daegu because he wanted to put on a uniform and stand on the field.
“I’m now a goose dad,” the coach said, laughing. “Coach Lee Jong-yeol contacted me. There was no reason not to. Samsung was an attractive team for me as a player and as a coach.”
The coach has a lot on his shoulders. Samsung finished eighth this season. They ranked sixth in team batting average, eighth in team home runs, and seventh in team on-base percentage. Outside of Guzauk, they don’t have a lot of hitters that can be counted on. The lack of success from the center fielders, such as Pirela and Oh Jae-il, was painful. Kang Min-ho, who is approaching 40 years old and can’t play catcher, was batting fourth. 무지개토토 주소
But the coach was more optimistic about Samsung’s chances with its younger players. “Koo Ja-rook has already reached his peak, and there are many other young and promising left-handed hitters such as Kim Ji-chan, Kim Sung-yoon, Kim Hyun-joon, and Kim Dong-jin. I come from a left-handed batting background, so I’m excited to meet these players. Of course, I will also pay attention to the right-handers.”
Lee concluded by saying, “At SSG, I tried to play the role of a facilitator, letting the players do their own thing. It’s the same at Samsung. Rather than insisting on my own way of doing things, I will be a coach who can help players maximize their strengths according to their personalities.”