*This content was translated by AI.
The Lotte Giants of the professional baseball league invited Shingo Takatsu (58), the winning coach of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Japan Series, as a special advisor.
Lotte officially announced on the 3rd that it recruited Takatsu as a special advisor to systematically foster the team and discuss the team's direction.
Takatsu Advisors joined the Yakult Swallows in the third round of the NPB rookie draft in 1990 and played as the team's main player. He continued his career in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), and the Taiwan Baseball Organization (CPBL), and was named in the Japanese Hall of Fame after retirement.
Takatsu Advisors, who began his leadership career as a player-manager at Niigata BC, served as a pitcher coach and second-tier manager for many years as a member of Yakult. It is evaluated that the team was successfully fostered based on its excellent communication skills. From 2020 to last year, he led the team as the first-team coach of Yakult and even won the Japanese series.
Takatsu Advisors will support the club as Lotte Special Advisors in the 2026 season based on his experience as a player in various leagues and his abundant know-how as a leader. When recruiting foreigners and Asian quarter players, it will also play an important role in grasping detailed information by utilizing local officials and networks. Lotte club said, "We exchange feedback on the overall direction of player growth and help choose the most effective way to foster it."
Lotte General Manager Park Joon-hyuk said, "We are deeply thinking about how to strengthen the team," and explained the background of the recruitment, "Based on my years of experience as players and leaders in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, I thought it would help the team systematically foster and perform in the first team."
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*This content was translated by AI.
