By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
Samsung Lions coach Han Dae-hwa is set to become the next manager of the Hanwha Eagles, replacing Kim In-sik.
Han is currently in contract negotiations with the club.
"As our manager Kim's two-year contract will expire at the end of this season, we chose Han to be the next boss. Kim has been a great contributor and will continue to help us as an advisor," the Eagles officer announced Thursday.
Han made his debut as a player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 1983 with the OB Bears ― the predecessor of the Doosan Bears. He then moved to the Haitai Tigers ― the predecessor of the Kia Tigers ― where he became known as a problem solver.
In his career as a player, Han had 163 home runs, 712 RBIs with a .270 batting average in 1,331 games over 15 seasons. Han also won eight Golden Gloves.
As a player he led his team to seven Korean Series championships, six with the Tigers and one with the LG Twins.
After retiring from his playing career in 1997, he became an assistant coach with the Ssangbangwool Raiders ― the predecessor of the SK Wyverns ― and later managed the Dongguk University team. In 2004, he returned to the KBO, joining the Lions coaching staff.
Han evaluated his new team positively but said there are areas for improvement.
"The Eagles' offense is very powerful. I will try to make the team more balanced by improving the defense and pitching," the 49-year-old said.
"I already told the front to re-sign Kim Tae-kyun and Lee Bum-ho, who will become free agents next year. I also plan to bring in two foreign pitchers," added Han.
Current boss Kim will move into a less stressful role. The 62-year-old led his team to the playoffs three times, finishing as the runner-up once.
Kim was also the manager of the two Korean teams at the World Baseball Classic, which were a semifinalist in 2006 and the runner-up in 2009, an achievement which made him very popular among Korean fans.
The seventh-ranked Twins are also looking for a new manager after not renewing Kim Jae-pak's contract. They have contacted Yomiuri Giants assistant coach Kim Ki-tae about joining the coaching staff, but not as head coach. The Bears minor league team manager Park Jong-hoon is a strong candidate. Park was previously a coach with the Twins (1994), the Hyundai Unicorns (1997) ― predecessor of the Heroes ― and the Wyverns (2003). He has managed the Bears' minor league team since 2007.