New KBO club manager says rebuilding and winning 'go hand in hand'

유지호 / 2021-01-26 14:05:43

baseball club-manager

▲ Hanwha Eagles' manager Carlos Subero speaks at his introductory press conference at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 26, 2021, in this photo provided by the Eagles. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

baseball club-manager

New KBO club manager says rebuilding and winning 'go hand in hand'

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- In sports, rebuilding is that dreaded "R" word often associated with extensive losing in the name of improvement down the road. As in: lose a bunch of games and finish low enough in the standings, so that you will get a high draft pick to select talented prospects who will help you in the future.

But what about fans? Why should they put up with all that losing when there's no guarantee that it will make the team better in a few years?

Carlos Subero, new manager for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), doesn't think rebuilding and winning are mutually exclusive.

"Rebuilding doesn't necessarily mean losing. You want to teach players how to win. That's our responsibility," Subero said in an online, contactless press conference Tuesday at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. "The ultimate objective of rebuilding is to win. Rebuilding and winning go hand in hand."

The Eagles posted the league's worst record last year at 46-95-3 (wins-losses-ties). They've missed the postsesaon in 12 of the past 13 years. Cynics may say they've been in a constant rebuild while going through multiple managerial changes.

As much as Subero would like to take the team to the Korean Series -- "That's the goal, no doubt," he said -- he also doesn't want to rush his players.

"I just want to see the team develop into the best team they can be this year," he said. "Let's try to be the best team we can be this year, be as detailed as we can be on the field, and see each individual get better. And that will dictate what place we'll finish (in the standings)."

Subero, former major league coach and longtime minor league skipper, signed a three-year deal, and most of his tenure will be spent on whipping the downtrodden club back into shape.

They're heading into the 2021 season with a revamped staff and roster. Joining Subero will be new bench coach Darryl Kennedy, new pitching coach Jose Rosado and new hitting coach Johnny Washington. No other KBO club has employed so many international coaches in these key positions.

They've also replaced all foreign players from last season. Two new pitchers will be Ryan Carpenter and Nick Kingham, with Ryon Healy, a former 25-homer slugger in the majors, rounding out the trio.

Subero said he and his coaches will go into spring training starting next Monday "with an open mind."

"We'll see how (the Eagles) have done things before and we can definitely make some adjustments," Subero said. "It's about getting to know the players first. We just want to see what they've got, what's their talent. We want to see how they think the game."

Subero has seen some videos of the Eagles and noted about half a dozen young players with "some great upside." He declined to mention any names before seeing them in action in person, though from the clips that he's seen, he liked how the players seemed to be enjoying baseball and at the same time remained serious about their craft.

"Those intangibles are as important as talent," the manager said. "I think we have a good core. The front office has done a great job building the team."

Subero said his operative word is "conviction," and the same word graced the covering of his table during the press conference.

"(Conviction) is something you can control," he said. "Results, you can't control. But the way you handle yourself and the way you're going to approach things ... your conviction will translate (into) you being able to max out your potential on the field."

Subero would also like to see his players "minimize mental mistakes on the field."

"If you do that, with whatever talent you got, you're going to see a clean ball game," he said. "That's done by acquiring knowledge and getting ahead of the game, so that when the situation comes, you've already thought about it and you're ready to execute."

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