Orix Manager asks slugger Lee Dae-ho to lose weight

By Cho Mu-hyun

Lee Dae-ho, who is soon to play for Japan’s Orix Buffaloes, is busy working out these days to lose weight at the request of his new manager Okada Akinobu.

According to Japan’s daily Sports Hochi, the 54-year-old revealed to the press during a personnel sponsorship meeting on Friday that he asked the slugger to lose 10 kilograms before his official move to the team.

“I told Lee Dae-ho, who currently weighs 130 kilograms, to lose around 10 kilograms,” he said. He is known to want to use the 29-year-old as an efficient infielder. “The defensive positions will be determined after we fill-up with enough man power, but I will not fixate on him as a designated striker.”

The daily said in the same article that the Buffaloes manager plans to use Lee as a third base man and a designated striker simultaneously.

The star slugger is to have an official press conference on his move to Japan at his hometown Busan, which Okada will attend to discuss future ssues with the new recruit.

“I want to discuss the teams’ assessment with Lee Dae-ho in Korea on Tuesday,” he said, while also expressing his desire to assist in the batter’s training sessions to start in February next year.

Lee is training vigorously to meet the demand, by going hiking in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.

He ends his day with an intense weight training session right after dinner, and occasionally goes cycling as well, while maintaining a strict diet.