During the 4 years since Seong Min-gyu took over as general manager, the win rate is ‘downward curve’
At one time, Seong Min-gyu (41), general manager of the Lotte Giants, was a symbol of Lotte’s reform.
After taking office at the age of 37 at the end of 2019
with his experience at the front of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Chicago Cubs, 먹튀검증
he brought a new wind with bold trades and player recruitment,
introduced a scientific pitcher training system, the ‘Drive Line’.
Nickname “Process”
His nickname became ‘Process’ as he emphasized several times
that he would make Lotte a strong team by following the so-called ‘process’,
which means carrying out work according to scheduled procedures.
Ahead of this season, which marked his 4th year in office,
he signed a long-term contract with domestic ace Park Se-woong for a total of 9 billion won over 5 years,
catcher Kang-nam Yoo (4 years 8 billion won), infielder Noh Jin-hyuk (4 years 5 billion won),
submarine pitcher Han Hyun-hee (3+). 4 billion won a year) and brought them to free agents (FA) one after another.
May 2023
Even until May of this year, Director Seong’s ‘process’
seemed to finally see the light of day in his fourth year in office.
The performance of the three musketeers who recruited free agents,
Na Kyun-an’s ace leap, and the performance of Ahn Kwon-soo,
a former release player, were added to lead the league by May.
June
In early June, it was also known that Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin
visited Sajik Stadium in Busan to encourage the athletes and ordered
“appoint talented people based on their skills like the Lotte Giants” at a group presidents meeting.
However, Lotte’s performance fell after June, and at the end of June,
rumors of internal discord among coaches broke out,
some coaches went down to the second team.
With this opportunity, Lotte’s fall accelerated, and on the 28th,
manager Larry Sutton voluntarily resigned for health reasons, and Lotte lost its captain.
There are still 36 regular league games left, but unless there is a dramatic reversal,
Lotte’s 4th season, which was conducted as a ‘process’, will also end in failure.
Most of all, it is noteworthy that the performance has declined every year
since taking office as the head of the school.
In 2020
his first season as general manager, he finished 7th with 71 wins,
72 losses and 1 draw (0.497 win rate), and the following year fell to 8th place with 65 wins,
71 losses and 8 draws (0.478 win rate).
Last year, the win rate went down further with 64 wins,
6 losses and 4 draws (0.457 win rate), and the ranking remained at 8th place.
This season is not over yet, but the win rate is almost the same
as the previous two seasons with 50 wins and 58 losses (0.463 win rate).
Former coach Heo Moon-hoe, who had an extreme conflict with Seong,
had the best performance in 2020, the first season of the season.
Former Coaches
The two former coaches, Heo Moon-hoe and Sutton,
who were appointed by general manager Seong, could not say goodbye in good shape.
Former coach Heo, whom general manager Seong praised as “the best recruit,”
was sacked in May 2021, and coach Sutton, who took over the baton,
failed to prove his leadership for three seasons.
Seong, who has decided to manage the team until next year,
can also be involved in appointing a third coach,
even though he is the chief operating officer who should be responsible
for the poor performance under the current contract.
Contract Period for Seong
The contract period for Seong, who renewed his contract with Lotte in September of last year,
is known to be two years, not ‘1+1 year’, in which one year of performance
is evaluated and the extension is extended by one year.
Realistically, for the star leader system to continue next year,
dramatic changes must be made within a few days.
Lotte needs 22 wins and 14 losses (0.611 win rate)
in the remaining 36 games to recover the winning rate of 50%,
which is worth betting on to advance to the postseason.
Inside and outside the baseball world,
the prevailing view is that regardless of Seong’s remaining contract,
his future will be determined by Lotte’s report card this season.