*This content was translated by AI.
Hanwha Eagles head coach Kim Kyung-moon (68) has begun a full-fledged voyage to win the 2026 season, and he has directly talked about Kang Baek-ho (27)'s position issues along with finding the most notable "middle fielder."
Coach Kim Kyung-moon greeted his fans through a video released by "Eagles TV," the official channel of the Hanwha Eagles club, on the 26th. Coach Kim Kyung-moon, who left for Melbourne through Incheon International Airport on the 21st, two days before Hanwha's team, politely declined his request for an interview because other team's players left the country.
Coach Kim Kyung-moon, who greeted me through the video, said, "I came to greet you like this after the last game at the end of October last year. A year has been very long, but 2025 seems to have passed very quickly. Last year, I shared my joy and regret, but this year, I will try to only give joy to my fans until the end."
"The atmosphere is good right now," said manager Kim, who explained the atmosphere of the team himself, "If I had taken the job in the middle of the first season and looked ahead, I think 2025 would have been a time for me and the players to breathe each other in our hearts. I read the players first as a coach, and I think it was an opportunity for the players to get a little closer to me," he added.
Regarding center field and center line, one of Hanwha's biggest interests ahead of the 2026 season, head coach Kim cited "potential" and "opportunity" as keywords. Coach Kim said, "In fact, when the coach comes to the camp like this, his heart is excited. I have a lot of thoughts that I want a star to come out among the new players. "From the coach's point of view, Shim Woo-joon (striker) will do much better this year than last year," he said, adding, "In fact, there is still a month in Melbourne. There will be about 15 more days to play in Okinawa. When it is judged that he is a player who will play for the future while giving enough opportunities to the players, he intends to push ahead. The same goes for the catcher's side. There are many potential players such as Jang Kyu-hyun, Heo In-seo, and Park Sang-eon, so I will try to raise them well among them," he said.
He also mentioned in detail how Kang Baek-ho, who joined the new team by signing a free agent (FA) contract with Hanwha on the condition of a total of 10 billion won over a four-year contract period. Coach Kim, who praised Kang Baek-ho as "a player with a genius batting talent who has seen him since he was a member of the national team, said about the position, "First of all, I start as a first baseman, but the player seems to be comfortable with the right fielder himself. I think I will make a decision after making both the first baseman and the right fielder through training," he said. Above all, Kim's plan is to focus on making the player comfortable so that he can exercise his batting instincts without being stressed.
Ahead of the 2026 season, key pitchers such as Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss, as well as Han Seung-hyuk and Kim Bum-soo, who played last season, left the team. In response, head coach Kim Kyung-moon said, "When the players who shared their affection leave like this, I don't feel very good as a coach. But I hope the players get better and go to other teams, so I hope they adapt well and do well there," he said.
At the same time, he also added the idea of playing hot offensive baseball as there were many leaks in the pitcher's part. Manager Kim Kyung-moon said, "This year, unlike last season, I want to create a more dynamic lineup on the offensive side. I want to show my fans hotter baseball because I'm sure my scoring ability will be much better than last year. I will prepare well," he promised.
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*This content was translated by AI.
