*This content was translated by AI.
KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-chul (60) started official spring camp training in 2026 and ordered a new mindset from the players.
Ahead of the official 2026 spring camp training held at Geelong Baseball Center in Australia on the 25th, head coach Lee Kang-chul said, "I'm happy to see you again in good health. It's been eight years (since he took over as a coach) this year, and the players have changed a lot. I hope the 14 new players will be able to adapt well," he said.
The head coach is also an unfamiliar camp list. Coach Lee Kang-chul is a master and KT veteran who took office in 2019 and advanced to the postseason for five consecutive years and won the Korean Series (2021).
However, after the end of last season, Kang Baek-ho (27) left for the Hanwha Eagles for four years and 10 billion won, and even the winning captain Hwang Jae-kyun (39) announced his retirement, leaving only a few members who shared KT's glory in the past. New faces are filling the vacancy one after another.
After recruiting Heo Kyung-min (36) for four years and four billion won last year, he added a three-year guarantee for outfielder Kim Hyun-soo (38) for 5 billion won this year, Choi Won-joon (29) for up to 4.8 billion won for four years, and catcher Han Seung-taek (32) for up to 1 billion won for four years. Now, Jang Sung-woo (36), the only main fielder who was in the starting lineup for the 2021 Korean Series, is the only one who remained dramatically before starting camp.
Regarding this, head coach Lee Kang-chul said before the departure of the camp, "I'm also in my eighth year this year, but eight key players were missing. In addition, all foreign players have changed. As such, there will be a change in the team. When you are bold, you try to challenge yourself boldly. The players they recruited are old, but they are good, so I want to harmonize the old and new accordingly," he said.
A brief meeting was held prior to the start of the training in earnest. There were also 14 new players who joined the team (Matt Sauer, Caleb Boshley, Sam Hilliard, Sugimoto Kouki, Kim Hyun-soo, Choi Won-joon, Han Seung-taek, Han Seung-hyuk, Ahn In-san, Park Ji-hoon, Lee Kang-min, Kim Gun-hwi, Lim Sang-woo, and Ko Jun-hyuk), as well as military discharge players Ryu Hyun-in and Kim Jung-woon.
After the meeting, the team began training in earnest. The fielders followed the defensive training, followed by batting training in the rotation. Pitchers completed training on the first day of camp, divided into bullpen and defensive groups.
The head coach wanted a unified teamwork. Coach Lee Kang-chul said, "In 2021, we won with 'Team KT', and we have been doing well so far. He did well last year, but as a result, he failed to advance to the postseason. It's already gone, so please do it with a fresh start. "Let's prepare well with 'Team KT' so that we can perform well," he said with strength.
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*This content was translated by AI.
