I am very pleased that our Melbourne team seems to have contributed to Hanwha's current performance.

The Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League began their first spring camp in Melbourne, Australia, this year, taking the first step in preparing for the new season. Justin Huber (43), the Director General of the Melbourne Aces and a former Major League player, has worked for years to attract KBO League teams to spring camps in Australia, and his vision aligned with Hanwha's search for a good climate for a training site. Since last year, he has been fully supporting the camp under a partnership with Hanwha.

In mid-February, during a meeting at the Melbourne camp, Director General Huber, being a former player, observed Hanwha's training process closely and found it interesting. He said, "I believe Hanwha's pitching staff will be very strong this year. Manager Kim Kyung-moon's focus on defensive training is impressive. It might not be easy to score against Hanwha this year. I expect them to become the toughest team among the 10 KBO League teams."

Four months later, Director General Huber's words are becoming a reality. Hanwha has a team ERA ranked first (3.41) with a very strong pitching staff and ranks third in fewest errors (41), indicating stable defense. The defensive efficiency rate (DER), which is the ratio of in-play balls turned into outs, has also notably improved from last year's 10th (.649) to this year's 4th (.689), showcasing a stringent style of play.

Director General Huber, who foresaw Hanwha's success, flew from Australia to Korea to witness the improved performance firsthand. On the 22nd, he visited Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park, where Hanwha achieved a season-high 18 hits to defeat Kiwoom 10-4. They also firmly secured first place alone (43 wins, 29 losses, 1 tie, .597 winning percentage).

Before the game, Director General Huber recalled predicting Hanwha's strong performance this season, stating, "During last spring camp, I observed the pitchers' performance and felt that they had become a strong team. Additionally, the training attitude of all the players and their commitment to practice were extraordinary, so I expected they would do well this season. I am very pleased that our Melbourne team seems to have contributed to Hanwha's current performance."

The relationship between Hanwha and Melbourne will continue into next year's spring camp. Director General Huber's visit to Daejeon that day was primarily aimed at discussing schedules and details related to next year's spring camp attraction. He met with Hanwha CEO Park Jong-tae and Director General Son Hyuk to strengthen the partnership and discuss potential collaborations.

Director General Huber had also visited Daejeon last year and toured the construction site of the new Hanwha Life Eagles Park. He checked parts that can be applied to Melbourne's training facilities and stadium improvements by seeing the completed new stadium. Huber said, "When I came before the construction, it wasn't complete, but I was amazed at the scale and the detailed aspects of the training facilities. Seeing the completed state, I felt it was even more wonderful and was filled with joy," smiling broadly.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Director General Huber signed an international amateur contract with the New York Mets in 2000 and moved to the U.S., where he played five seasons in the Major Leagues. Originally a catcher, he took on roles as a first baseman and left fielder after suffering a knee injury. He debuted in 2005 with the Kansas City Royals and played through the San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins, achieving a career batting average of .224 with 36 hits in 161 at-bats, including 2 home runs and 15 RBIs over 72 games until 2009.

On June 25, 2005 (Korea time), while with the Kansas City Royals, he recorded his first Major League hit against the Colorado Rockies, facing Korean underhand pitcher Kim Byung-hyun. Coming in as a pinch hitter with two outs and a runner on first in the sixth inning, he hit a right field double, driving in a run and knocking Kim Byung-hyun off the mound. The game ended with Colorado winning 12-4, and Kim Byung-hyun earned the victory after pitching 5⅔ innings with 7 hits allowed, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs.

After leaving Major League Baseball, Director General Huber played one year with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japanese professional baseball and then returned to his hometown of Melbourne, where he played until the 2014-2015 season. After retiring, he transitioned to an administrative role and has been contributing to the development of Australian baseball as Director General of the Melbourne Aces.

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