One of the first things SSG Landers’ new head coach Lee Sung-yong did upon taking over was to meet with the team’s veteran players.

Lee understands the role and importance of veteran players better than anyone. He captained the Hyundai Unicorns and Heroes five times during his career. To this day, players who played for Hyundai are proud to be called “from the Hyundai dynasty,” and he was recognized for his leadership when he captained the franchise, which was a strong and fierce symbol of baseball. In the Heroes, he served as the most senior captain and led the players through the most difficult period of the organization’s early years.

Shortly after his appointment, Lee met with senior players like Choi Jeong, Kim Kwang-hyun, and Han Yoo-seom for a meal and talked with them in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. The new head coach was hired during the post-season training camp and didn’t meet with the players in person, so he had the opportunity to talk to the seniors over the phone and over meals. At the beginning of the year, I often traveled to Landers Field for casual meetings with players on the field. As a new manager preparing for the new season, it’s part of his effort to see his players as often as possible and hear more of their stories.

During a meeting with the seniors

Lee had several conversations about spring training and said, “I will give them full autonomy. You can choose whatever you want,” he said. SSG will start its first and second team camps in Vero Beach, Florida and Kaohsiung, Taiwan in early February. Players from the Florida camp will travel to Taiwan for the second camp, which will be more practice-oriented in Chiayi.

SSG, which is the only one of the 10 teams currently camping in Florida, is very pleased with the facilities in Vero Beach. The Jackie Robinson Training Complex, a former training ground for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a great place for players to stay and train at the same time. 바카라사이트 The weather is great, there are multiple baseball fields to use at the same time, and there is a well-equipped indoor field. The only downside is the travel distance. There are no direct flights from South Korea. At the very least, you’ll have to make a layover or two in the U.S. and take a bus ride, which takes a day to get there. Especially with a 14-hour time difference, you’ll spend the first 3-4 days jetlagged. Many athletes complained of jet lag and difficulties with long airplane rides.

However, it is difficult to give up such a good facility.

After visiting and touring the Vero Beach camp facilities last year, SSG President Jung Yong-jin said, “At first, we were going to change the camp location because the players said it was too hard, but when I came here, I realized that there was no need to change the location.”

So Lee decided to give the senior players a choice. He told them, “You’ve gotten to where you are because you already know how to prepare yourself and how to train. I’m going to give you the choice to start in the Florida camp or the second team Taiwan camp,” he declared. At first, the veterans were confused. “Are you sure you want to do that?” one player reportedly asked.

After much deliberation, the veterans made a decision. Initially, more players were considering the Taiwan camp, but after much deliberation, more players decided to go to Florida. As the team is starting its first season under a new coach, they thought it would be better for the team to train together to raise their spirits. “It’s more complicated to organize the roster,” Lee laughed.