What precedent will SSG set for a third-party owner's assistant, not a president or leader

Dec 28, 2024

owner Chung Yong-jin (right) and Choo Shin-soo. Sports Chosun DB

The first assistant to the owner of the KBO League. What kind of precedent will SSG Landers set.

On the 27th, the SSG Landers appointed Choo Shin-soo, who recently retired from active duty, as the team's assistant and general manager of development. Recently, there was talk that SSG will give Choo Shin-soo the role of fostering general manager, and it has been confirmed that the club will take on the role of nurturing, but the final position has not been confirmed yet" has stated its position.

In the meantime, one more position has been added. He is the assistant of the owner of the team. It is the first case in the KBO League. It's a role that often happens in Major League Baseball. A case in point is Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro, a Japanese player but a former star player who achieved Asia's best career in the major leagues, served as a special adviser to the Mariners' club after retirement, giving advice on overall aspects such as team management. There is also another unusual case. It's Buster Posey. After retirement, Posey invested the money he had earned in his team, the San Francisco Giants, to join the joint owner group, and has since been appointed as president and has been running the club.

The match between SSG Landers and Kiwoom Heroes at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 30th. Winning SSG Choo Shin-soo is thanking his fans. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.09.30/

In the KBO League, the team owner's assistant was somewhat unfamiliar. There are several owners who openly show their special affection for the baseball team. However, the owners have been communicating directly with the president and general managers of the baseball team to understand the overall practice and team issues within the team. In fact, the general management of the baseball team is led by the president, who is the CEO, and the general manager is responsible for the internal management of the front desk, focusing on player development and other team operations. In the case of SSG, there is a separate business executive here. On top of that, it is highly likely that Choo Shin-soo will take charge of Gu's assistant and development and communicate directly with the owner of the team, drawing up a development plan and establishing a future plan. Choo Shin-soo, the team's assistant manager, will work as an `unpaid' without receiving an annual salary from the club and travel to Incheon, Ganghwa, and the United States.

From the time Choo Shin-soo was thinking about his future career after retirement, there were predictions among club insiders and baseball figures that he might be able to take over the owner's assistance. It is publicly known that Chung Yong-jin, the owner of the team, has a special affection for Choo Shin-soo, and Choo Shin-soo has also expressed interest in fostering players and creating an environment when he was a player. He may go the way of a leader, but even though he played in the KBO League and experienced Korean baseball in his last years, it was only four years, so it was ambiguous to take over the position of coach and manager immediately after retirement. The view was that the role of the "comprehensive advisor" would be the most appropriate.

Owner Jung Yong-jin (right) and Choo Shin-soo, who take commemorative photos after winning the 2022 Korean Series. Sports Chosun DB

However, the assistant manager of the team owner is a position that has not officially existed not only in SSG but also in any club in the KBO League. In addition, KBO League clubs, like Major League Baseball, are not large in size and have limited front personnel and housekeeping. In this situation, the key is how to resolve the role of overlapping with the president and the general manager. SSG will set a new precedent. If Choo Shin-soo, the assistant manager of the team, successfully settles down, players from legends can take on similar roles after retirement in other clubs in the future.

Choo Shin-soo, assistant manager of the team, is very excited to thank the team for the heavy duty of assisting the owner and nurturing the team, and to once again work together as a member of the Korean professional baseball development and SSG Landers with the KBO league's first title of assistant to the owner, and to suggest a new direction. I will continue learning and research to successfully carry out the roles and challenges given to me. In addition, I will do my best to fulfill my role by actively expressing opinions on the management of the club's players as well as the bridging role of the first and second-tier squads" he expressed his ambition.

youll@sportschosun.com