"Hanwha has a lot of questions". Lee Daeho likes it... "How do you manage your condition?" Full of aggressive baby eagles [Daejeon site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Dae-ho (44), a KBO legend and one-day instructor, smiled broadly at the number of active questions from baby eagles.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) hosted the 2026 KBO Rookie Orientation at the Daejeon Convention Center on the 14th. A total of 140 people, including rookie players and nurturing players from 10 clubs who will take their first steps in the KBO league in the 2026 season, participated in the overall literacy education.

With four instructors invited, Lee Dae-ho's morning lecture was the most popular. It was not a heated atmosphere from the beginning. The rookies looked nervous as to whether it was burdensome to meet senior Lee Dae-ho in their first public appearance since the rookie draft. Prior to the start of the lecture, Lee Dae-ho said, "I wanted to talk about my know-how to do a long run if I keep it well. I'm not here to scold you, so I hope you listen comfortably," he said.

When Lee Dae-ho asked what posture would be necessary for a rookie, everyone was just wary of his words. Lee Dae-ho, who looked embarrassed, said, "If I don't answer too much, I can't proceed with the lecture," and continued to talk using the firmness of the rookies.

Emphasizing the importance of his first impression, Lee began to talk about his responsibility for time, pointing to players and inducing them to answer. It was a moment when the experience gained through personal YouTube shone. As if I could do this much once I asked a question, I answered a short question in detail. Lee Dae-ho said, "The first thing to be on time is not to be late. These days, I come to the ballpark five or ten minutes ago, and everyone, coaches and others, are watching," he said.

"This player comes out a few minutes first and trains, and this player always comes out on time. What kind of player do you want to be. There is too little answer (two out of 140 answers). Does it mean that the remaining 138 people will come out on time?" he constantly demanded participation. New people must move faster than others and prepare first. I'm still a rookie, so I ask you to always be a player who moves first," he said.

I wanted to set a specific goal and move systematically. And he hoped he could speak up and make his point clear. When asked about his goals and efforts, Lee said, "There are too few answers. You can't do this," he said firmly.

"When you go professional, you have to talk to a lot of fans and coaches. You have to talk a lot to tell me what I'm lacking and hear the answer. Just listen like this and don't get timid. In particular, if you go to 20,000 spectators and the national team, you have to play baseball in front of 50,000 spectators, but you have to be confident," he stressed.

After demanding several efforts, the frozen rookie players finally began to burst. The participation of Hanwha Eagles rookies was outstanding. Among them, outfielder Oh Jae-won (19), who was nominated by Hanwha as the third overall pick in the first round, asked Lee Dae-ho how to manage his body and condition during the season.

In response, Lee Dae-ho said, "My goal has always been to play all 144 games. I made a routine to do that. Even if I slept late, I slept at 11 p.m., woke up at 10 a.m., and slept in a sauna. I went back and forth between hot and cold baths three times to make my body flexible. After that, I went out for lunch and weight training. No matter how tired I was during the day games, it was my routine to go to the sauna before leaving the ballpark."

The reason was to prevent injury. Lee Dae-ho said, "It's good to get hurt if you go out without being warmed up enough. In addition, if I do technical training in a hurry, it is easy for my muscles to clump together, so I always made my body soft. That's the secret to my long run," he said. As Hanwha rookies' questions continued, Lee Dae-ho gave a detailed answer, saying, "Hanwha has a lot of questions." As a result, the Q&A was about 10 minutes longer than the scheduled time.

Lee Dae-ho, who came out of the lecture, said in an interview with on-site reporters, "Honestly, I was embarrassed. When I was a rookie, I think I asked everything about how to do well. Since I'm a lot of senior, the atmosphere may be like that, but I wanted to talk a little more. If you only talk about me like this, it will only sound like a nag," he said. "I think it's a difference in disposition. These days, players will never ask questions even in school. I wouldn't have talked to you because I was concentrating on baseball. Still, as we have more time, we will have more questions," he understood.

The prolonged Q&A time was also the desire of a senior to be a little supportive to his juniors. Lee Dae-ho said, "I tried to take the Q&A a little longer. That's what's left for rookies, too. I've also taught at a university or a company, but it's the first time I've told my juniors in a place like this. But wouldn't our baseball development be possible if a few people change their minds after listening to my story today and flow toward the good side. That's why I'm here," he said with a smile.

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*This content was translated by AI.