Eagles appoint former legend as new manager
Former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Han Yong-deok will return to his old club as the manager.
The Daejeon-based Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club announced Tuesday that it has named Han as its 11th manager on a three-year contract worth 1.2 billion won ($1.07 million), including a signing bonus of 300 million won.
The Eagles said they appointed the 52-year-old as the new manager, recognizing his ability to communicate with players as well as with the front office. Also, they expect him to revamp the team’s clubhouse.
The Eagles finished eighth in the 10-team league with 61 wins, two draws and 81 losses, missing the postseason for the 10th consecutive season.
The Eagles fired manager Kim Sung-keun on May 23 and pitching coach Lee Sang-kun, who was named the interim manager, managed the team to the end of the season.
Han, who was a one-team man for the Eagles, started his professional career in 1987. Spending most of his career as a starting pitcher, Han recorded 120 wins, 118 losses, 24 saves and 11 holds in 2080 innings until he retired after the 2004 season.
“I feel happy to come back to my hometown team,” Han said in a statement through the team. “This team has a lot of talented players and promising prospects. I can’t wait to meet the players and front office and start getting ready for next year.”