SSG Landers' Futures Manager Park Jung-kwon met with legendary Major League Baseball players Adrian Beltre and Cole Hamels to discuss ways to become a good coach.

On the 11th, SSG held the 'MLB Legend Mentoring Day' at SSG Futures Field in Incheon, Ganghwa County. On this day, Beltre and Hamels participated at the invitation of the club. Thanks to the introduction of Choo Shin-soo, who served as their teammate from 2014 to 2018 with the Texas Rangers, they were able to bring in stars who had performed superbly in Major League Baseball.

On the first day of the 'MLB Legend Mentoring Day,' which runs for two days, Beltre took the stage first for a lecture. Beltre is a legendary third baseman with a career spanning 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (1998-2018), with a batting average of .286 over 2,933 games (11,068 at-bats, 3,166 hits), 477 home runs, 1,707 RBIs, 1,524 runs scored, 121 stolen bases, and an OPS of .819. He received a Gold Glove five times, a Silver Slugger four times, and was selected to the All-Star Game four times, and he will be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Beltre noted, "There were many players like me, Choo Shin-soo, and Hamels who could not play baseball until the end. When we were young, we couldn't show strong mental strength and didn't pull out 100% of our ability. As professional athletes, we must have a sense of responsibility for making our beloved work our job and being paid for it," emphasizing the importance of eagerness and hunger.

After the brief lecture, Beltre held a Q&A session with the SSG Futures coaching staff and players. Manager Park Jung-kwon also asked, "I understand you had a connection with (Tommy) Lasorda. I'm curious about how Lasorda's influence helped you gain strength and overcome tough situations when you were first called up to Major League Baseball."

Beltre responded, "Manager Lasorda has had the most significant impact on me. Originally he was a manager, but when he called me up to the Major Leagues, he was serving as the Director General. He recognized aspects that other managers and coaches did not, and he was the one who called me up to the Major Leagues, for which I am very grateful. To give back and show the other coaching staff, I worked harder and aimed to prove my results."

Manager Park Jung-kwon retired from active play after 2019 and held various roles at SSG, including hitting coach for the second team and hitting assistant coach for the first team, before briefly leaving the team. Returning this year as the Futures Manager, Park Jung-kwon stated, "A single word or action from a coach can mean life or death for a player. Everyone said it was impossible for Beltre, but there was someone who believed in him until the end, which is why he could come this far. Therefore, I was curious about that aspect. I am also working hard to encourage the players to stay motivated and perform at their best."

"Even such superstars continue to speak about eagerness," emphasized Park Jung-kwon, "We also recognize these aspects and continually emphasize them to our players. However, each player has different innate qualities and environments. There are limits to what we can do, but having a superstar like that come here to talk about eagerness and responsibility can provide greater help to the players than what we say." He welcomed the visits from Beltre and Hamels.

[OSEN]