The KIA Tigers, who was considered a candidate for the semifinals this season, faced the worst situation in which its coach was suspended from his job just two days before his departure from the spring camp. How should we handle this atmosphere.
The Kia Tigers officially announced the suspension of its coach Kim Jong-guk from his duties on Wednesday. The announcement was made suddenly. The Kia Tigers also found out about the suspension of its coach Kim Jong-guk from his duties. The Kia Tigers confirmed on Saturday that Kim Jong-guk is under investigation by the prosecution. The team had a meeting with Kim on Wednesday, and the suspension was confirmed internally the next day, on Wednesday.
The KIA club explained, “Coach Kim Jong-guk decided that he could not normally perform his duties as a coach in relation to the current investigation.”
It is not known exactly what allegations and content coach Kim Jong-guk is currently under investigation. It is known to be a suspicion related to receiving money and goods, but no details have been revealed. The club also kept quiet about the allegations from its official position. However, it seems that the club has had a meeting with manager Kim Jong-guk and the contents identified internally so far have made the decision to suspend his duties due to the serious issues.
Suspension of duty is not an easy measure to take. Literally, he is “all-stop” his duties as a coach. He did not leave the club immediately or have his position removed. However, it is not certain when the prosecution will complete its investigation and it is not clear how serious the investigation is.
The problem is that the prosecution’s investigation takes time. It could be months at the most, or more than a year at the most. It is true that baseball teams, where many things are decided within just one season with a manager suspended from their duties, cannot wait forever.
Coach Kim Jong-kook actively explained in a meeting with the club, but the club made the decision, judging that it was difficult to serve as a coach regardless of his innocence while under investigation by the prosecution. In addition, one of the current problems is that manager Kim Jong-guk did not inform the club of the contents first, and the club grasped the contents through other channels.
The KIA team will depart for Canberra, Australia, the venue for its first spring camp, through Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. Coach Kim Jong-kook and his coaching staff were scheduled to depart Korea on Wednesday, one day earlier than the team’s schedule.
However, the team left the camp in a chaotic state. Kia suspended Kim Jong-guk from his job, and said it would lead the spring camp under the acting system of its chief coach Jin Gap-yong.
Starting February 1, KIA will hold spring camp training and practice matches at Nara Bunda Ball Park in Canberra and Okinawa Kin Stadium in Japan.
The upcoming spring camp will involve 67 players, including 20 coaching staff and 47 players. The team will include 22 pitchers, four catchers, 12 infielders and nine outfielders. Among the rookie players for 2024, pitchers Cho Dae-hyun and Kim Min-joo were on the list.
After carrying out physical, technical, and tactical training in Canberra under the “three-day training one-day rest” system, he will move to Japan on February 21 and begin a full-fledged practice system at Okinawa Kin Stadium until March 6.
Starting with a practice game against KT Wiz on February 25, five practice games are scheduled with KBO league teams, and a practice game with the Japanese professional baseball team Yakult Swallows on the 27th.
However, the baseball community turned upside down due to manager Kim Jong-kook’s suspension of duty. Not only Kia officials and its players but also other team officials and baseball figures are finding out the truth, asking what happened. However, it is a process that only allows us to speculate as it is still difficult to grasp the exact details.
The key to this is how to handle the mood of the team that has to prepare for the new season at its camp in Australia. Along with KT, Yeom Kyung-yeop, manager of the LG Twins, who is aiming to win the title for the second consecutive time this year, was singled out as the team that Kia should check the most. Other teams also view Kia’s strong batting lineup as a team capable of taking the third or higher place and taking the presidency. Last year, Kia showed performance that did not give up until the last minute, leaving spark of hope with young fielders at the center, and expectations were even higher this year.
Two new foreign pitchers Will Crowe and James Nail will join Kia early in the camp. Kia has ambitiously replaced two foreign pitchers this season. Both Crowe and Nail had experience in the big league until last year, and Crowe recruited new foreign players by filling the ceiling of 1 million U.S. dollars (including incentives). This shows the team’s expectations. 꽁머니환전
Including two carefully selected foreign pitchers and a batter Socrates Brito (US$1.2 million), who has renewed his contract, he has completed his entire plan and completed his contracts with FA players Kim Sun-bin and Ko Jong-wook. With Seo Kun-chang even completing his entire plan for the season and completing his annual salary contract, he is waiting for his departure from the spring camp.
However, a bolt came out of the blue. Kia had an unfortunate incident in March 2023, a year ago. Controversy erupted after it was revealed that Jang demanded “back money” in the process of contract negotiations with catcher Park Dong-won who became an FA after the 2022 season. Park Dong-won reported the transcript to the club and the Korea Players Association.
General manager Jang Jung-seok actively explained the content, but the KIA club decided to dismiss it after reporting the related information to the Clean Baseball, judging it as an act of damaging dignity as a result of an internal meeting.
Since then, KIA has opened its season with the vacancy of the general manager, and in early May, it had difficulty filling the vacancy with the appointment of professional baseball commentator Shim Jae-hak as the general manager. And just one year later, another bolt out of the blue came as the manager, who leads the field team, was investigated by the prosecution.
How will the Tigers overcome the current crisis? How long can the coach post be vacated? Everything is just confusing.
