Out of KBO postseason contention, Bears manager giving young players chance to play

Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan watches his team play the KT Wiz in a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Aug. 22. Courtesy of the Bears

With his club going nowhere fast as the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season winds down, Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan has demoted a couple of slumping veterans this week to make room for minor league prospects.

In ninth place with a win-loss-tie record of 56-70-6 with a dozen games left, the Bears will not make the postseason, open only to the top five teams. And rather than having some older plays spin their wheels in largely meaningless games down the stretch, Cho has chosen to give new faces a long look.

On their way to the Futures League are outfielders Jung Soo-bin and Kim Jae-hwan. Jung was batting only 1-for-15 this month, while Kim was only marginally better at 3-for-16.

"Those two players were really struggling. And I was thinking about calling up a couple of our minor league guys who were working hard and putting up good numbers," Cho told reporters before the Bears' home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "The timing all worked out for us. The two veteran guys needed a breather, and I wanted to give some young guys a taste of the top competition up here."

With the Bears set to play five straight home games, starting Sept. 25, to end their lost season, Cho said he'd like to see his veterans back in the lineup by then and help the team finish the year on a positive note for their fans.

"Just because they have been sent down this late in the season, it doesn't mean their year is over," Cho said. "For those final five home games, I want us to play our best baseball for our fans."

One of the call-ups this week is catcher-turned-outfielder Chun Hyun-jae, who is set to make his KBO debut Tuesday at age 26.

Chun was primarily a catcher in college but because of his relatively small built for a backstop, the Bears turned him into an outfielder late last year — with Cho, then as the team's fielding coach, approaching Chun with the suggestion.

Chun has a career .313 batting average in three Futures League seasons, and Cho praised Chun's high baseball IQ.

"He can execute plays and he has turned himself into a good outfielder," Cho said. "In the Futures League, we even used him as a late-inning defensive replacement. And he's been a really good contact hitter throughout his time there. Hopefully, he can show what he's capable of here."

In a statement relayed by the Bears, Chun said he fully embraced the position change from the get-go.

"I was willing to do whatever it takes to get into games," he said. "I've mostly been playing as a center fielder and it has been a smooth transition for me. I want to be remembered as a player who works hard at every aspect of the game."