Lee Seung-yeop, a special assistant to the KBO commissioner, was named Doosan’s 11th manager in October of last year for a three-year contract totaling 1.8 billion won. Doosan made the unusual move of not renewing the contract of dynasty manager Kim Tae-hyung and handing the reins to Lee, who has no managerial experience.
With Lee’s appointment, Doosan accelerated the process of assembling a coaching staff to help the novice manager. After retiring from active duty in 2017, Lee served as a KBO ambassador, commentator, and chairman of the Baseball Scholarship Foundation for five years, but had no managerial experience. In response, Doosan prioritized coaches with extensive on-field experience and built an ultra-luxury coaching corps that included Kim Han-soo, as well as Koji Goto, Cho Sung-hwan, Park Jung-bae, Yuji Serizawa, Jung Soo-sung, and Lee Young-soo.
The national batsman went straight to the top without any coaching experience. As soon as Lee took the helm, he opened his ears. Although he became the head of a team, he had no sense of authority. When we met in Changwon on the 13th, he said, “I have no authority since I took over. I am so light that I can be taken off,” he laughed, adding, “I ask the coaches to tell me if I am going in the wrong direction while playing. That way I can go back when I’m wrong. If you can’t say ‘coach’, it’s not a team,” he emphasized.
A prime example of Lee’s abandonment of authority is the move of Lee Yoo-chan from shortstop to second base. Lee had been expected to succeed Kim Jae-ho at shortstop since spring training in Australia, but he was unable to settle into a defensive role until early May. Defensive coach Cho Sung-hwan suggested to Lee Seung-yeop that he move to second base, and Lee made the transition on May 11 against Lotte.
Lee said, “I’m new to coaching, but Coach Cho Sung-hwan has a lot of experience in defense. In fact, no one here has less experience than me,”메이저놀이터 he said, adding, “As a manager, I can’t do whatever I want. Even people who don’t know baseball can give me advice as long as it helps the team. I think that’s what a team is,” he said, showing off his low-key leadership.
“All of our coaches have experience and ability. Coach Cho Sung-hwan is the one who came up with the idea of playing Lee Yoo-chan at second base. It was a decision that saved Lee Yoo-chan and saved the team,” he said, applauding his suggestion.
“It’s true that the distance is shorter after moving to second base, so the burden is less in terms of throwing,” said Lee Yoo-chan, who became the main infielder due to the veteran defense coach’s decision. “Coach Cho Sung-hwan has always said that I move better at second base than at shortstop. He’s been watching me since I was a rookie, so he knows the pros and cons better than anyone. I’m always grateful. I will grow into a good player as much as you expect.”
Lee said, “It’s true that Lee Yoo-chan has found stability by moving to second base, but he needs to go a little further. He still has a long way to go in terms of how to deal with opponents at the plate. Of course, if you look at batting, defense, and baserunning one by one, there is nothing missing. But overall, I don’t think I can compare myself to the stars,” he said. “But I do have the talent to be a star. As he gains experience and develops his ability to read situations, he will become a better player than he is now,” he said.
