Former Milwaukee Brewers manager Jerry Royster was hired yesterday (article in Korean) as the new manager of the Lotte Giants. He will be the first foreign professional baseball manager in Korea.
Royster spent 15 years in the major leagues, mostly with the Dodgers and Braves. He was mostly a utility player, able to play 2B, SS, 3B and all three of the three outfield positions.
The move makes sense for Royster, who after losing 94 games during one season as Milwaukee’s manager, had spent several years with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas 51s. He will like attempt to follow the Trey Hillman blueprint in Japan–get a new start in Asia, and if successful, spin it into a major league job down the line.
Hillman, who guided the Nippon Ham Fighters to a NBL championship in 2006, was recently hired as the new manager of the Kansas City Royals.
In Busan (Lotte’s home base) Royster has a big challenge in front of him. The Giants are perennial bottom feeders in the KBO and have not made the playoffs since 2000. Considering the eight team league sends half its teams to the postseason each year, that’s not too good.
The Giants have arguably the game’s best young power hitter in first-baseman Lee Dae-ho, but to this point have failed to surround him with much talent. Lotte is also notoriously tight-fisted despite always finishing in the upper half of KBO attendance tables.
While Royster is the first foreigner to be hired to manage a baseball team, there have been a handful of other foreigners that have guided Korean pro soccer and basketball teams.
Most famously Gus Hiddink led the Korean National Soccer team into the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup. Hiddink is revered in Korea to this day, had a stadium named for him last year, and is the current spokesperson for Papa John’s Pizza.
Korea Beat has a translation of an article published on Naver.com.
4 responses so far ↓
1 John Brooks // Nov 27, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Interesting, wonder who he will bring in as coaches? I’ve heard that former Yankees outfielder/DH Cliff Johnson was wanting to try and get a job as a coach somewhere in Korea. I wonder what the reaction is to the signing? Also another interesting point to mention, the Lotte Giants are owned by the same people who own the Chiba Lotte Marines where Valentine is the manager.
As for the challenge, I have to say I expected that Royster would know what he was in for or he wouldn’t accept the job. Also, Hillman and Valentine both recieved teams that weren’t very good and that turned out well. Though, I must admit I don’t know the plight of the Lotte Giants and what the chance of them being good soon is.
2 A.S. // Nov 27, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I’d say slim to none unless they start signing some decent players. I’ve mentioned before the Gaints remind me of the SF Giants the past few years….one big slugger in the middle of the lineup and whole lotta nothin around him.
I don’t want to overstate this, because I live in Korea and as we’ve recently seen in the comments section of the Pan-Asian league proposal, sometimes people like to place extra importance on their knowledge of where they live, simply because they’re excited about living there, but, I can’t imagine coming to Korea, never having been here or lived here for any length of time, and trying to manage something like a baseball team. Korea is not Japan. Wereas Japan often looks to the West for ideas and influence, Korea looks east to China…to sum it up in a crude way. Busan even moreover. This is a team that in past years has prided itself on not having ANY foreigners. Last year, the foreigners they did have, weren’t native English speakers…and one of those foreigners, Felix Jose, who led the team to its last championship in the late 90s, was tossed out of town like a sack of sh*t when he didn’t produce during the first month of the year.
I wish Royster the best and Lotte is my DeFacto favorite Korean team because I live in the area, but I don’t have high hopes for this.
3 Doc Brown // Nov 29, 2007 at 11:39 am
Hey A.S.
get out to the games and watch jerry work! what you will see is how the team loves this guy and will plat th collective little asses off for him. he is one of the greatest guys on earth, a totally caring human being, and a very strong leader of men. if you get a chance to say hello to this guy…do so and you’ll know what I mean.
I grew up w/ jerry and count him as one of my two or three closest friends.
He will do Lotte proud and bring the community honor….mark my words!!
4 A.S. // Nov 29, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Hey that’s great Doc, thanks. I hope you’re right. If he can do it…it’ll be a remarkable turnaround and really pay off for him down the road.
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