The Hanwha Eagles’ abandonment nightmare continues. This is the fourth time in a row. It’s only a short distance from May 12 last year.
It is not a common sight for a coach who signed a three-year contract to resign after only one year. Moreover, the CEO also resigned. It is unprecedented.
It was a relay resignation caused by extreme impatience and stress over performance. In the last 15 years, Hanwha has only won the fall baseball championship once in 2018 and finished last eight times. In the last five years, the team has finished 9-10-10-10-9th. That’s why Hanwha fans are called bodhisattvas. Add to that the fact that they haven’t won a championship since 1999, when Jung Min-cheol, Song Jin-woo, Lee Sang-mok, and Koo Dae-sung were on the team. They have the second longest championship drought after the Lotte Giants.
The team has had many legendary coaches in its history. Kim In-sung, Kim Eung-ryong, and Kim Sung-geun all came through Hanwha. However, they all retired from the KBO after their stints at Hanwha. Carlos Suvero, who took the helm in the 2021 season, was also abruptly fired in May of last year. This was the fourth consecutive managerial dismissal in a row. In particular, Choi Won-ho’s resignation is almost like déjà vu from last year. Although the resignation was voluntary, this is why it cannot be viewed as a purely voluntary resignation.
However, it’s debatable whether Hanwha’s fall this season can be blamed solely on Choi Won-ho. After all, Subero gave him two years and he was fired in the third year. However, Hanwha’s poor performance this season is due to the collective failure of the so-called high-level core players.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who cost a whopping $17 billion to acquire, is performing far below where he was when he returned from injury last year. At this point, there is a sense of crisis that it could be the worst season since his debut. It’s an embarrassing report card for Hanwha, who thought Ryu was a guaranteed check for the top five and waited patiently for the salary cap to clear.
Chae Eun-sung, a 6-year, 90 billion hitter, went to the Futures with a serious batting slump. Her .217 average and three home runs were not 토토 worthy of her name. Ahn Chi-hong, who signed for 4+2 and 7.2 billion won, is also not doing his part with a .264 batting average and five home runs.
In addition, Park Sang-won, who was a reliable backstop last year, has fallen into a serious slump this season. Left-handed set-up man Kim Bum-soo is also much worse than last year. The only consolation is that Moon Dong-ju recently pitched five innings of one-hit ball against LG on May 21. Kim Min-woo is out for the season, and Ha Joo-seok has yet to return.
It’s not easy for a centerpiece player to suddenly become this bad all at once. These are players who have left the manager’s hands. In some ways, these players have a bigger impact on the team’s performance than the manager.
In fact, the general consensus is that rookies like Hwang Jun-seo and Hwang Young-mook are doing their jobs well enough. After all, they are rookies who need to gain 메이저사이트 experience, not the center. It’s the veterans that matter.
The senior players, who are paid big salaries and have a winning mentality, can save the team. In a way, the most positive effect of Choi Won-ho’s resignation is the players’ sense of crisis and the so-called cliffhanger.
After Subero’s dismissal last year, the Hanwha Eagles went on an eight-game winning streak and even threatened the fourth spot. The on-field assessment is that the team is much better now than then.
What is clear is that no matter who the new coach is, Hanwha’s rebound will never happen if the seniors don’t work hard.
