It was at the end of February. Park Jung-won, the owner of the Doosan Bears professional baseball team and chairman of Doosan Group, visited Doosan's spring camp in Miyazaki, Japan, to encourage the players. However, Chairman Park noted while handing out encouragement funds, “It's not playing baseball to aim for 4th or 5th place. I hope you repay the fans with a passionate effort and Bears-style baseball.” He delivered a strong message rather than a ceremonial encouraging speech during the camp visit.

After the end of the 2022 season, Doosan ended its contract with manager Kim Tae-hyung, who had led the team to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years, and hired Lee Seung-yup, who had no coaching staff experience after retirement, as the new head coach. Manager Lee signed a contract worth 1.8 billion won over three years. He led Doosan to 5th place in 2023 and 4th place in 2024, and this year is the last year of his contract. The team was eliminated in the Wild Card decision for two consecutive years. This year, they must achieve at least a 3rd place finish.

Manager Lee Seung-yup will take a gamble in his final year of contract. He is expected to show a departure from the style of baseball demonstrated over the past two years. The team aims for a 'strong No. 2 hitter' lineup in the offense, placing power hitter Kim Jae-hwan in the No. 2 spot. Veteran Jeong Soo-bin, who was the leadoff hitter, is dropped down to No. 9. In the starting rotation, instead of Choi Won-jun, who has a lot of starting experience, 3rd-year pitcher Kim Yoo-sung, who has a career record of one win, has been designated as the 5th starter.

Manager Lee, who was a representative home run hitter in Korea during his playing days, noted that Doosan fans were disappointed over the past two years by the small ball style rather than big ball.

Doosan unveiled its effective opening day lineup during a practice game against Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 16th. The starting lineup consisted of Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Jake Cave (right fielder), Kang Seung-ho (third baseman), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Oh Myeong-jin (second baseman), Park Jun-young (shortstop), and Jeong Soo-bin (center fielder).

In response to a question about whether the lineup can be regarded as the opening game lineup, the manager said, “I think that can be seen that way. There are no variables.” Oh Myeong-jin, who is performing well in practice games, has been designated as the second baseman for the opening game.

The lineup has changed significantly from last year. Kim Min-seok, who was acquired through a massive offseason trade with Lotte, will be used as the leadoff hitter. Jeong Soo-bin, the stolen base king up until last year, will drop down to No. 9. Most importantly, home run king Kim Jae-hwan is placed in the No. 2 batting order. Kim Min-seok and Kim Jae-hwan are key players in the lineup.

Kim Min-seok, who joined Lotte as the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 rookie draft, transferred to Doosan in a 2-for-3 trade last November. Kim has continued to show good hitting performance in spring camp practice games and exhibition games. On the 16th, he recorded 1 hit in 3 at-bats and 1 walk against Kiwoom, bringing in the tying run with a sacrifice fly with one out in the 9th inning. He has a batting average of .346 (9 hits in 26 at-bats) in 8 exhibition games.

If they utilize Kim Min-seok's excellent hitting, a traditional baseball perspective would suggest using the speedy and contact-oriented Jeong Soo-bin and Kim Min-seok as table setters. The manager stated, “The leadoff hitter must get a hit, and the advancement play needs to happen to get to second base, (but) Kim Min-seok can hit doubles and long hits. Using Kim Min-seok at No. 1, and since No. 2 was weak, it goes to Jae-hwan, and from 3rd onwards it’s Eui-ji, foreign players, and Seok-hwan, so it becomes aggressive baseball.”

If they use Jeong Soo-bin, who is a stolen base king, as the leadoff hitter, he can steal second without needing an advancement play. However, Jeong Soo-bin has not been used at No. 2 and is entirely dropped to No. 9. The No. 2 spot is filled by Kim Jae-hwan, who has a career total of 263 home runs. Kim Jae-hwan was the home run king in 2020 with 44 home runs and recorded 29 home runs last year.

It’s about placing strong hitters in the forefront from the first position. The manager emphasized, “The opposing team's pitchers have all improved. The first score is important. I believe that when we seize the momentum by the 5th inning last season, our chances of victory were highest. We must score more early on.”

The manager stated, “If we show some stagnation in the 1st and 2nd innings, starting from the 8th or 9th can begin with Soo-bin. I think of it as 9 becoming 1. Using Min-seok at No. 1 is the best batting order with the power we have.”

The 5th starter for Doosan has been decided to be Kim Yoo-sung. Following foreign pitchers Cole Irvin and Jack Logg, as well as native ace Kwak Bin and left-handed Choi Seung-yong, 154 km fireballer Kim Yoo-sung has been designated as the 5th starter. Drafted in the 2nd round, 19th overall, in the 2023 draft, Kim Yoo-sung has appeared in 7 games (6 ⅓ innings) in his debut year, and last year he played in 17 games (28 innings), recording his first win with a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 6.43.

The manager announced before the spring game against Kiwoom on the 16th that he had decided on Kim Yoo-sung as the 5th starter. On the 15th, Kim Yoo-sung and Choi Won-jun underwent the final test for the 5th starter position during a practice game against Kiwoom. Kim Yoo-sung started as a pitcher, recording 3 innings, 3 hits allowed, 1 home run allowed, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 3 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs. Choi Won-jun came in as the second pitcher, recording 3 innings, allowing 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, and no earned runs.

Kim Yoo-sung recorded 1 loss and 1 save with an earned run average of 2.57 (2 earned runs in 7 innings) in 2 spring games, while Choi Won-jun recorded 1 win with an earned run average of 1.29 (1 earned run in 7 innings) in 2 games.

Manager Lee Seung-yup explained, "I made the final decision in favor of Yoo-sung. I ensured that Won-jun understood the team's situation well. In a way, it’s a situation where a new face is emerging for the team. Both Oh Myeong-jin and Kim Min-seok arrived through trades, and since the team needs to change significantly from last year, it was decided to go with Yoo-sung first."

Young Kim Yoo-sung, who throws a fastball of 154 km, has been designated as the 5th starter. In the starting rotation, four pitchers, including Irvin, Logg, Kwak Bin, and Kim Yoo-sung, all throw fastballs exceeding 150 km.

Choi Won-jun will take on long relief duties. The manager stated, "Won-jun can jump right in when Yoo-sung pitches as a starter, but he can also serve as a long reliever. If the starter pitches for a year, many variables may arise, so it seems like a good idea for Won-jun to play a quiet role this year."

Choi Won-jun is rich in starting experience. He recorded 10 wins in consecutive years in 2020 and 2021. Last year, he struggled with a record of 6 wins and 7 losses and an earned run average of 6.46 over 24 games, but he has a career total of 191 games with 40 wins, 38 losses, 1 save, and 4 holds, with an earned run average of 4.22.

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