Doosan Bears manager Junghoon Lee Futures will leave the team he devoted himself to for four years. Junghoon Lee, who takes off Doosan's uniform under the club's leadership generational shift, wants to wait for a place to burn down his passion. 안전놀이터

Doosan officially announced on the 4th that it would not re-sign with four players, including Junghoon Lee Futures team coach Ahn Seung-han, infielder Seo Ye-il and outfielder Kim Tae-geun and Yang Chan-yeol. 

Junghoon Lee, a veteran coach born in 1963, joined the Binggrae Eagles as a first-round pick in the second round in 1987 and ended his career in 1997 after playing for the Samsung Lions and the OB Bears. Junghoon Lee was loved by many players for his explosive attack and gritty play despite his relatively small physique.

Coach Junghoon Lee, who began his leadership career with Hanwha in 1999, continued his leadership career by wearing Doosan's uniform in 2021 after serving as LG Twins, baseball team manager Cheonan Bukil High School, and Hanwha's second-tier manager and scout team leader.

Coach Junghoon Lee, who served as a batting coach between the first and second teams in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, helped foster the club by taking the helm of the Futures team in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The Doosan Futures team, led by head coach Junghoon Lee, ranked second in the Northern League with 48 wins, 1 draw and 44 losses in 93 games in the 2023 season and fourth in the Northern League with 40 wins, 1 draw and 55 losses in 96 games in the 2024 season.

Coach Junghoon Lee resigned from his position as head coach after completing the command of Japan's Miyazaki Phoenix Education League in October. 

Junghoon Lee, who was contacted on the 4th, said, "I heard about it (the failure to renew the contract) after visiting the training league. I think I did my best at Doosan for the past four years. I threw too many batting balls, damaged all the ligaments in my elbow, and got injections several times (laughs). Especially this year, I remember everyone suffering greatly from the huge heat wave in the summer." 

Of course, there were still regrets about the unresolved issue of fostering. Lee called for younger leaders to become more study leaders. 

Coach Lee said, "It took more time to establish a systematic development manual for leaders, but it is regrettable that we could not complete it. If you go to the Japanese Education League, you can feel that the gap is enormous even in the same second division. In order to narrow it down, the ability of front-line leaders on the field must be improved in the end. Young leaders need to study more than they do now to help young players grow." 

Coach Lee wants to take a break for the time being and wait for a place where he will pour his baseball passion again. 

"There is something else I need to do. I think I still have energy. My passion is still not over yet. I want to continue teaching baseball by helping amateur players and donating my talents even if I am not on a professional stage," Lee said. 

Along with internal evaluation, Doosan is working on most of the coaching staff including the breakup with Junghoon Lee under the leadership's strong will to change generations. Doosan is expected to officially announce the contract after signing the contract with the newly appointed coaching staff.