[KBO Team] Samsung Lions, ready to rise again: Legends have assembled to make another legend

Among 10 pro-baseball teams in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) league, I support Samsung Lions located in Daegu city and characterized as the blue uniform. This article talks about the prospects of the team in the 2020 season along with brief history of Lions.

1. The Fall of Dynasty

Samsung Lions players are doing ceremony after winning the championship over Nexen Heroes(current Kiwwon Heroes) by 4-2 in the 2014 season.

As a starting member of the KBO league, Samsung Lions has gained nationwide reputation as winning eight championships (the second most in the league following Kia Tigers) and producing legend players on every position, including Lee Seung Yeop and Oh Seung Hwan. The Lions had established the dynasty during early 2010s - four combined champions and one regular league champion. However, it took only three months to step down from the throne. Doosan Bears defeated the defending champion in four straight games of the 2015 final, bringing absolute despair to Lions fans at the moment. One of many reasons for the shocking loss was that three essential bullpen pitchers had been accused of overseas gamble and suspended for every final game. Lions fans recall the next four years as the Dark Age of Lions. I personally felt relieved for spending three years out of the four in the military and Abu Dhabi where the situation did not allow me to watch baseball (this I regard as one of a few good parts of the military). Furthermore, the team struggled with supplying S rank players since Samsung decided to diminish its investment in sports significantly. Almost half of the dynasty members left the team without new star players, discouraging fans to support the team. While staying at the bottom of the rank for years, the number of audience for the recently opened Lions Park was also way below the average.

2. Legends Assemble

Five pitchers of the dynasty's 'Impregnable Bullpen' in 2011. The first, fourth, and last from the left are Kwon Oh Jun, Jung Hyun Wook, and Oh Seung Hwan respectively.

On one day of the last summer, all sports medias gathered to listen to the announcement of the team ranked eighth. It was the day when the Final Boss, Oh Seung Hwan, officially declared his reunion with the Lions after finishing his 5-year-long journey to play in Japan and United States. Other old members who established the dynasty with Oh welcomed the arrival of their friend as coaches. The pitching coach Jung Hyun Wook was one of ‘impregnable bullpen’ members of the dynasty, and the running coach Kang Myung Koo was the first professional pinch runner in the KBO league. Lee Jung Seok, a former backup catcher of the dynasty, was promoted as the battery coach who instructs both catcher and pitcher. The shortstop legend Park Jin Man who won the championship before the 2010s dynasty joined as the operation coach. Another dynasty bullpen member Kwon Oh Jun has recovered from the injury in the last season and set an example for young pitchers. The old legends, either on the field or on the operation room, have assembled to reconstruct the dynasty for the next decade.

 

3. Prospect of 2020 season – Strength : Revival of Impregnable Bullpen

 

Although the closer Shim Chang Min left the team because of the military, the Lions bullpen in the 2019 season made impressive performance and became the key component for winning. The other teams are expected to struggle even harder to come from behind in this season as the Lions bullpen has been reinforced. The final boss Oh will join the team after the first 50 games, and the former closer Shim is going to be discharged around June. Many experts reported that many of current bullpen members seemed to overcome their weakness in managing tight games due to a lack of experience by the help of veteran sidearm pitchers Woo Kyu Min and Kwon Oh Jun. The potential of strengthened rookies and return of the old and new final bosses will let Lions fans to watch a game in comfort if a starting pitcher steps down from the mound with lead.

 

4. Prospect of 2020 season – Risk : Data Analyst Head Coach

The new head coach of Samsung Lions, Huh Sam Yung, on the day of inauguration.

While Doosan Bears and SK Wyverns competing hard for the championship, Lions nominated a new head coach Huh Sam Young whose name neither Lions fans nor many baseball personnel were familiar with. Some of fans tweeted congratulation to other teams as the Lions finally gave up on the championship forever. He had played only four games as a pitcher of Samsung Lions for four years. Huh had worked as a data analyst since the retirement and been quite famous for his ability. While head coaches in the MLB get used to look up data reports, those in the KBO have their unique ways to lead the team based on experience rather than papers. The Lions decided to adopt the MLB system, constructing scientific system for the team management and operations on the field, and concluded that Huh was qualified for the pioneer of this system. Many fans and experts were not familiar with so-called ‘data baseball’ and expressed their concern on him devoid of experience as a coach. The only way for Huh to dispel all doubts on his ability as the head coach is to prove the eligibility of the new system with the outcome of this season.

 

5. Key Position – Slugger

 

The end of dynasty inevitably led to rebuilding process of Lions. The dynamite lineup, who made tremendous contribution to the four peats, disintegrated; the third, fourth, and fifth of the lineup left. For the last three years, the number 4 of the lineup, widely known as a seat for a slugger, had been occupied by Darin Ruf, a former major leaguer, under the firm trust of coaches as well as Lions fans. He was the only hitter hitting over 20 homeruns in the team, and none of native players performed better in offense than him. He went back to America after the season, and Tyler Saladino replaced his place. However, the new import batter was different from the predecessor in play style; Saladino has more strength in defense, capable of covering almost all positions, than in offense. The team in shortage of funding from Samsung could not recruit a slugger from other teams. The Lions set off the new season without post Darin Ruf. As one of die-hard Lions fans, I hope the team can find a rookie slugger and construct another dynamite lineup.

 

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Yoo Jee Ho, With his KBO club on upswing, data-driven manager praises intangibles. Yonhap News Agency, June 04, 2020,

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200604010000315?section=search

With his KBO club on upswing, data-driven manager praises intangibles | Yonhap News Agency