One of the best right-handed pitchers in KBO history donned the blue uniform with the task of rebuilding the Samsung Lions mound.
Jeong Min-tae, former pitching coach of the Hanwha Eagles, will be responsible for the pitching staff of the ‘Lion Corps’ in the 2024 season.
Through an official press release on the 3rd, Samsung announced the hiring of a total of six leaders
including 1st team pitching coach Jeong Min-tae, 1st team batting coach Lee Jin-young 먹튀검증사이트
1st team general training coach Jeong Yeon-chang, 2nd team manager Jeong Dae-hyun, Kang Young-sik pitching coach, and Kim Ji-hoon, futures general training coach.
did.
The most notable name is pitching coach Jeong Min-tae.
Samsung started the regular season this season with pitching coach Jeong Hyun-wook taking charge as the first team’s main pitching coach
but due to the pitchers’ collective slump, pitching coach Kwon Oh-jun took charge of first team mound management from August.
However, change was inevitable as Samsung finished the regular season in 8th place amidst a difficult situation
ranking last among 10 teams with a team ERA of 4.60.
In particular, the bullpen team’s average ERA was an overwhelmingly lowest at 5.16. Among the 10 teams
it was the only one with an ERA in the 5-point range, and it was close to 1 point different from the league average (ERA 4.27).
Third-year left-hander Young-gun Lee Seung-hyun took on the closer role, but his final season performance was 48 games, 1 win, 5 losses, 5 ages, 7 holds, and an ERA of 4.98, making it difficult to give him a good score.
Pil Seung-jo is in a serious situation where he has no choice but to rely on Oh Seung-hwan, born in 1982.
Although Oh Seung-hwan showed a healthy appearance with 4 wins, 5 losses, 30 saves, 2 holds, and an ERA of 3.45 in 58 games, there were no new pitchers who emerged from the sure-to-win group.
There were no clear growing prospects in the bullpen.
Instead of internal coaches who played in Samsung uniforms during their active years, they began to improve their mound constitution by recruiting external personnel.
Coach Jeong Min-tae will prepare for the 2024 season with coach Park Jin-man as the first team’s main pitching coach.
Coach Jeong Min-tae said in a phone call with ‘Xports News’, “I am grateful to general manager Lee Jong-yeol and coach Park Jin-man for giving me the opportunity to return to the field. On the one hand, it is a burden, but I will do my best to make the Samsung mound strong.”
Coach Jeong Min-tae is one of the best pitchers in KBO League history that does not need a long explanation.
He left a career record of 290 games, 1831 innings, 124 wins, 96 losses, and 3 saves.
He has numerous trophies, including three Golden Glove Awards for pitchers (1998, 1999, 2003), Korean Series MVP twice (1998, 2003), and multiple wins three times (1999, 2000, 2003).
In the 1998 season, he played well for the Hyundai Unicorns (disbanded in 2008) with 17 wins, 9 losses, and an ERA of 2.83, leading the team to its historic first overall championship since its founding. He earned the starting win in Games 1 and 4 of the Korean Series and even earned a save in Game 6. The Korean Series MVP also belonged to coach Jeong Min-tae.
In 1999, the KBO League’s all-time high-throwing season, he performed unrivaled in the entire league with 20 wins, 7 losses, and an ERA of 2.54. In 2000, he was at his peak, winning 18 games alongside his juniors, Soo-kyung Kim and Seon-dong Lim, and becoming the joint leader in most wins.
In the 2003 season, he once again won the title of most wins and the Golden Glove with 17 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 3.31. In the 2003 Korean Series, he won games 1, 4, and 7 against SK (now SSG) and led Hyundai to its third championship since its founding. He decorated Game 7 of the Korean Series with a shutout win and even won the Series MVP.
He began his leadership career in 2009. He was the main pitching coach of the Kiwoom Heroes first team and coached pitchers until 2012, and served as the main pitching coach of the Lotte Giants first team from 2013 to 2014. He moved to Hanwha in 2015 and served as the 1st team main pitching coach, 2nd team pitching coach, and training group pitching coach until 2020.
This year, he met fans as a SPOTV baseball commentator. Coach Jeong Min-tae said that he thought the experience of watching the games of 10 teams while holding the microphone for a year would be of great help in his return to the field after three years.
Coach Jeong Min-tae expressed his determination, saying, “Actually, there is a lot of pressure, but there must be a reason why Samsung called me. I will take responsibility and communicate well with the players based on the know-how I have accumulated so far, and try to do well one by one.”
He also gave a cool-headed assessment of Samsung’s pitching staff. Coach Jeong Min-tae said, “When I looked at the Samsung mound during the commentary, I got the feeling that the bullpen pitchers had a lot of poor control. The center of gravity movement was not good and the pitches were simple. The young pitchers may be lacking in experience, but I saw them pitching in a hurry.” was diagnosed.
He also said, “Samsung was a team with a very strong mound until the mid-2010s, and was called the pitcher’s kingdom, even when I was active, but now all these aspects have disappeared.” He added, “General manager Lee Jong-yeol also said that he would make Samsung into a consistently strong team through training, and I also support Samsung.” “I will focus my efforts on rebuilding the mound,” he said.
Expectations were also expressed for collaboration with Samsung coach Jin-man Park. Coach Jeong Min-tae worked together with coach Park Jin-man at Hyundai during his active years from 1996 to 2004. Coach Jeong Min-tae played with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese professional baseball team for seven seasons, not including the period when he entered the league (2001-2003).
If coach Jeong Min-tae was the ace representing the modern dynasty, coach Park Jin-man gained fame as the ‘nation’s shortstop.’ The two have now joined forces to rebuild the famous Samsung family as leaders.
Coach Jeong Min-tae added, “Everyone knows that Samsung’s pitching ability has weakened. We need to identify our shortcomings and quickly find areas for improvement.”