The Samsung Lions have changed their front office after the 2023 season.
The Samsung Lions announced on Saturday that it has appointed SBS Sports commentator Lee Jong-yeol as its new head coach.
Samsung, which failed to make the postseason this year after finishing seventh last year, announced the change after the season ended on Friday with a win over the NC Dinos.
Hong Jun-hak, who led the front office since late 2016, stepped down after seven years.
Lee joined the LG Twins in 1991 and played for the organization until his retirement in 2009. He played 19 seasons in the professional ranks, appearing in 1657 games and collecting 1175 hits. He played every position in the infield during his career and was a switch-hitter.
After his retirement, he worked as a coach for LG and has been a commentator since 2015.
He has also worked on national team performance analysis at various international tournaments. He served as the national team's fielding coach at the 2019 WBSC Premier 12, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and recently at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
"Jong-yeol is recognized as a 'leader who studies and strives,'" Samsung said in a statement, "and we believe he is the right person to build a strong (Win) team that meets the latest baseball trends and a team that is loved by fans (Wow)."
Jong-yeol Lee said, "I am thrilled to take over the helm of Samsung, the most prestigious organization in baseball. I will do my best to build the blue dynasty of Samsung again."
"I will focus on player development. The team has been weakened recently, and we need to compensate in many areas rather than pointing to a specific area," he said, emphasizing that he wants to make the team a strong team that can produce sustainable results.
Lee Jong-yeol will begin his work in earnest on the 16th, when he visits Samsung Lions Park in Daegu for a meeting with the staff.
스포츠토토링크; https://www.sportstoto.link