“For Han Dong-hee’s sake, for Lotte’s future…”
SBS Sports commentator Lee Soon-cheol (62), who is known for his straightforward and sharp commentary, has a bitter message for Lotte infielder Han Dong-hee (24). Lee Soon-cheol, who has been struggling mightily this season, took a jab at Han Dong-hee and gave her some advice. The criticism was sarcastic, but it also showed his sadness that Han’s potential was not being realized.
Han Dong-hee is a right-handed third baseman from Gyeongnam High School who joined Lotte in the first round of the 2018 draft. She earned a chance with the first team in her rookie year and showed steady improvement, but her defense faltered with a career-high 19 errors last year, and her bat collapsed this year, hitting just 2-for-6 (63-for-291) with five home runs, 30 RBIs and a .576 OPS in 96 games. He made two trips to the second team in June and August, but there was no rebound.
Lee Soon-cheol, who resigned on Aug. 28, took the commentary microphone at a Hanwha-Lotte game and spilled his guts about Han’s stagnant growth. When he saw Han Dong-hee playing defense in the top of the fourth inning, he said, “For Han Dong-hee’s sake, for Lotte’s future, this is not Han Dong-hee. I know my words may sound painful to you and your fans, but I can’t see you as you were in the past,” he said.
He specifically pointed out her weight gain. “It looks like you’ve gained quite a bit of weight. She needs to lose about 20 kilograms. There is no other way but to train. If she doesn’t strengthen her defense, she won’t be able to play the way she used to. I’m not a prophet, but I can say that.”
According to her official profile, Han Dong-hee is 182 centimeters and 108 kilograms. Her exact weight is currently unknown, but she seems to move heavily. Lee commented on Han’s batting in the fourth inning, “She can’t play third base with this weight. Based on the reality of Lotte, Han Dong-hee should play third base. There are many people who can play first base. If Han Dong-hee doesn’t play third base, Lotte will be a mediocre team. She should be the Han Dong-hee who hits 20 home runs as a third baseman.”
Lee continued, “She’s not losing weight, and it’s not her overall performance. I think the reason is lack of training. She needs to train harder on defense than others and become a starter at third base. Otherwise, Lotte will be in trouble from the start of next year.” “At her current weight, her quickness is poor and her turn movements are weak. He needs to start preparing for next season this fall. If he doesn’t do that, he’ll just be in and out of the Futures like he was this year, or even in and out of the first team. Then Lotte’s performance next year will be quite bleak,” he criticized, pointing out in a cold way.
They talked about former manager Kim Sung-geun, who is still playing baseball in his eighties. He said, “There is a senior baseball player whose passion I admire. It’s Kim Sung-geun. We should learn from his passion for baseball. He is never satisfied with baseball and constantly strives to be perfect. We juniors should emulate that. You have to constantly grind and whip yourself and strive to be perfect. That’s the only way to train.”스포츠토토
Even after Han Dong-hee singled in the seventh inning, Lee said, “She batted second today, but if she’s healthy, she should be in center field. Every time she comes to bat, she should be the one that the opposing pitchers fear.” “Even if I say it, it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t practice it. It’s a time when you really need to work hard and work to the bone.”
Han Dong-hee’s resurgence is also tied to Lotte’s future. When she moved from third to first base in the eighth inning after 14 games (6 starts, 68⅔ innings) at first base this season, Lee said, “We have to make her a third baseman somehow. If Han Dong-hee goes to first base, Lotte is bound to struggle. If she goes to first base, Lotte is bound to struggle.” He reiterated the importance of Han Dong-hee as a third baseman.