“No meeting with Kim Tae-hyung” but…”No novice coach, still a candidate” What is the progress of Lotte’s selection?

“The CEO has never met manager Kim Tae-hyung”. How is the Lotte Giants’ search for a new manager progressing?

A Lotte Giants official told ‘My Daily’ on the 16th, “Nothing has been decided. There needs to be a consultation process with the (Lotte) holding company,” he said, dismissing speculation that Kim Tae-hyung would be the new manager. However, Kim Tae-hyung is still Lotte’s most popular manager.

Lotte has had its best April in recent years with a 14-8 record and a 0.636 winning percentage. Of course, last year they also finished April in second place, raising expectations among fans, but the joy was short-lived. Lotte started to slide in May and finished the season in a dismal eighth place. This year was a little different. Lotte maintained its good form in May, fighting for the top spot.

What was different from last year, however, was the timing of the fall. In June, Lotte started to fall apart as injuries began to pile up, and by the time the All-Star break rolled around, the team was facing a five-win season (38-39). The offseason acquisitions of Yoo Kang-nam, Noh Jin-hyuk, and Han Hyun-hee, which totaled 17 billion won ($16.7 million), came with a “must win” mentality, so Lotte drew the knife.

Lotte parted ways with Jack Rex and Dan Streeley, who were not performing well in the first half due to injuries, and brought in Nico Goodrum and Aaron Wilkerson, hoping to rebound. However, baseball is a sport with too many variables. Things didn’t go the way Lotte wanted them to. In the midst of all this, the team’s manager had the worst possible situation: he left the team. Former manager Larry Sutton relinquished the baton for health reasons.

With the departure of the team’s leader, Lotte’s hopes were briefly revived. But it didn’t last long. Lotte was unable to rebound until the very end of the regular season, finishing the season in seventh place with a record of 68 wins, 76 losses, and a .472 winning percentage. The team had made a big push to finish strong, but it was all for naught.

Now that the season is over, Lotte’s task is to find a new head coach. Having failed to qualify for the postseason, they will have to start preparing for the 2024 season earlier than other clubs.

Since Sutton’s departure, rumors surrounding Lotte’s next manager have been abundant. One of the most popular names being thrown around is Kim Tae-hyung. Kim Tae-hyung led the Doosan Bears to become the first KBO team to reach the Korean Series (KS) in seven consecutive seasons.

In particular, the fact that he won three Korean Series titles in seven seasons is enough to put any managerial candidate over the top. In fact, it’s hard to imagine anyone else following in his footsteps. That’s why he’s consistently mentioned as a possible candidate for Lotte’s managerial vacancy.

On the 16th, reports surfaced that Lotte had selected Kim Tae-hyung as its next head coach. In response, a Lotte official said, “There are many candidates, but we can’t appoint a head coach without any consultation with the Lotte holding company,” adding, “There is nothing set in stone for the appointment of a head coach, and we need to consult with the holding company. And the CEO hasn’t even met with Kim Tae-hyung,” he said. CEO Lee Kang-hoon himself clarified that he did not meet with former director Kim Tae-hyung.토토사이트

However, it is clear that Kim Tae-hyung is still a strong candidate for Lotte’s managerial position. However, it’s important to note that he hasn’t met with the team or accepted the job yet, as the regular season ended on Saturday. Lotte is currently shortlisting several candidates, and according to a senior Lotte official, the organization is firmly committed to not handing the reins over to a “novice manager” with no managerial experience.

Lotte, which hasn’t made a managerial appointment without the ashes of its founder Shin Dong-bin, plans to make a move now that the season is over. In the process, the team may talk to Kim Tae-hyung and come to an agreement and hand him the baton, but it is also possible that the team will decide that someone else is the right person for the job.

There is no doubt that Lotte’s new manager is a hot topic at the moment, and that Kim Tae-hyung’s popularity is through the roof. The question of whether Lotte will go with Kim Tae-hyung is one that is sure to keep StubHub excited.