“I am not satisfied. We need to do a little more.”

Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop voiced his concerns to the baby bears aiming for starting positions in the exhibition games following spring camp.

On the 13th, manager Lee Seung-yeop met with the press during the exhibition game against the KIA Tigers at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium and passionately said regarding the rebuilding progress, “The young players are gradually improving, but we need to do a little more.”

Before spring camp, the primary focus of competition for Doosan was second base, shortstop, and left field. With the retirement of Kim Jae-ho and Heo Kyung-min's transfer to KT Wiz, there were gaps in shortstop and third base, and shifting second baseman Kang Seung-ho to third base brought the task of discovering a keystone combo to the forefront. Additionally, as 37-year-old left fielder Kim Jae-hwan was expected to play as a designated hitter for stamina management, a new outfielder was needed to fill his position.

For now, the outfielders have been sorted out to some extent through the first and second spring camps and the exhibition games. Park Jun-young, who dreams of being a success story as a compensation player, has been selected as the starting shortstop, and Oh Myung-jin, Ye Dong-geon, and Park Jun-soon participated in the second baseman audition, where Oh Myung-jin, boasting an impressive exhibition batting average of .467, caught manager Lee Seung-yeop's attention. In left field, Kim Min-seok, who was traded from the Lotte Giants to Doosan, has secured his position thanks to a flashy exhibition batting average of .350. Kim Min-seok is also expected to take on the leadoff role.

The competition for the fifth starting pitcher spot has been fierce behind Cole Irvin, Jack Logg, Kwon Bin, and Choi Seung-yong. In spring camp, Choi Won-joon, Kim Yu-seong, Choi Jun-ho, and Kim Min-kyu all threw in challengers, but through the exhibition games, competition appears to have narrowed down to a three-way battle between Choi Won-joon, Kim Yu-seong, and Choi Jun-ho. Manager Lee Seung-yeop stated, “In the last game, Choi Won-joon started and Kim Yu-seong came in, but this time I plan to switch the order. That game will be the last. The player among the three with the best results will get the opportunity.”

The part where the manager expressed his concerns was the bullpen. The pace of the young pitchers, who were essential to last year's regular season fourth-place finish, has been slow to come up. The manager said, “In fact, I have high expectations for Choi Jong-in, but he hasn't shown last year's form yet. Lee Byeong-heon is also not at 100%, and Kim Taek-yun is the same. Park Ji-ho is unable to participate at all due to a back issue,” expressing his disappointment by noting, “The young players need to do more. I am not satisfied.”

The manager continued, stating, “The only good player in the bullpen right now is Lee Young-ha. There aren't many good players besides him. It's unfortunate.” He sighed and added, “There are six exhibition games left. It's time to start producing results. Even if they can't produce results, a pitcher who can throw their own ball needs to emerge. Fortunately, Kim Taek-yun and Lee Byeong-heon are gradually improving, so I think we will be able to assemble a strong lineup before the opening game.”

The manager boldly revealed the starting rotation plan for the early part of the season during the interview. With Cole Irvin, Jack Logg, Kwon Bin, and Choi Seung-yong successively taking the mound as the fifth starter, the foreign duo of Irvin and Logg is set to take charge of the opening series against the Incheon SSG Landers on the 22nd and 23rd, while domestic ace Kwon Bin has scheduled appearances on the 25th against Suwon KT Wiz and on the 30th against the Jamsil Samsung Lions twice a week.

The manager mentioned, “Kwon Bin is scheduled to elevate his pace in a second-team practice game since he hasn't played since his appearance on the 13th. Although he recently had some symptoms of a back issue, he should be fine after taking one turn off.” He added, “If he is not fit to pitch, one of the five starters who can handle long innings can come in right away. However, since Kwon Bin's condition is not bad, I don’t foresee any major issues in handling the rotation.”

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