Doosan, which dreams of reviving the dynasty, is preparing for the 2023 season in earnest. The success or failure of the season can depend on the field training led by coach Lee Seung-yeop for the first time.
The Doosan team will begin training in Blacktown, Sydney, Australia from the 1st. This is the first overseas training session since coach Lee Seung-yeop took office.
Doosan, which fell to ninth place last season, has a lot of work to do in this training session. A new stream of water must be supplied to ‘Hwasubun Baseball’, where the water vein is drying up. Seniors are also required to exert themselves. You have to catch the ‘two rabbits’ to expect good results this season.
Doosan is in a transition period of generational change. In the pitching staff, the 1999 duo of Kwak Bin and Jeong Cheol-won has already emerged as the main axis. There is interest in whether Lee Byung-hun (20), who is in his second year, and others can continue their activities.
Young blood is desperately needed in the field camp. Ahn Jae-seok (21) and Lee Yu-chan (25) are competing for the position of successor to the oldest Kim Jae-ho. When the shortstop falters, the entire defense falters. 메이저놀이터
In the outfield, expectations are gathering for the growth of Kim Dae-han (23). He joined after receiving the first nomination in 2019, but has yet to produce clear results. Beast players such as Kim In-tae (29), Jo Su-haeng (30), and Ahn Kwon-soo (30), who have entered their prime years, are evaluated as having to produce results now.
Expectations for veterans are still there. Young players grow only when seniors hold the center. Coach Lee Seung-yeop emphasized at the departure conference on the 29th that players who play an active role as left-handed pitcher and shortstop should appear. This is where Jang Won-joon (38) and Kim Jae-ho (38), who are the most senior members of the team, are located. Director Lee said of Jang Won-joon, “Now is the time to gradually prepare for a breakup with baseball, but I don’t want to see him like that. It would be nice to see Jang Won-joon in the 1st team in any role, starting or midway.” Even with the shortstop competition, Lee predicted that “it would be very interesting” if Lee Yu-chan and Ahn Jae-seok grew up with Kim Jae-ho as the axis.
Unlike most KBO clubs that chose the United States as their training ground, Doosan settled in Sydney. Samsung and Doosan, which chose Okinawa, Japan, are a team of ‘Uee’ heading to a place other than the United States.
For coach Jeon Hoon-ji, Sydney is also the ‘promised land’ where memories of the Olympics 23 years ago remain. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, coach Lee, who served as the national team’s center hitter, played a big role, hitting a final double in the bronze medal game.
Coach Lee said, “I think the Doosan players will feel great regret for finishing ninth last year.” At the same time, he expressed his aspirations, saying, “I will do my best to complete the team again so that many fans will think that the players made mistakes last year.” Director Lee said, “It’s about 40 days of field training, but I’ll come back feeling satisfied enough to think I’ve trained for 50 or 60 days.” It is a determination to reap maximum results through compact training.