Former Brewers Manager Royster to Coach Giants
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The Lotte Giants said Monday it hired former Milwaukee Brewers skipper Jerry Royster as its new manager. The 55-year-old Sacramento native, who had a 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career before retiring at the end of the 1988 season, becomes the first-ever foreign manager in Korean professional baseball.
Royster, who spent most of his well-traveled career as a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, was hired as an interim manager for the Brewers in 2002 after Davey Lopes was sacked.
However, after a disappointing 53-94 stint, Royster was fired. His last managing job was with the Dodgers' triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, where he went 124-163 between 2005 and 2006.
Royster, who succeeds Kang Byung-cheol, inherits a team full of talented but underachieving players who conspired for a disappointing seventh placed finish in 2007.
The starting rotation spearheaded by Son Min-han and Song Seung-joon is as solid as any in the league and All-Stars Lee Dae-ho, Jung Soo-keun and the underrated Kang Min-ho are good foundations for a solid lineup.
Perhaps, Royster could use his expertise of American baseball to help the team recruit better foreign players. The team needs to add a power bat in the lineup to offer protection for Lee and Kang, while also explore replacing erratic closer Jose Cabrera who was responsible for a massive amount of shredded fingernails this year.
Royster hit .248 with 40 homeruns and 352 RBIs during 1,428 games in the majors.