Dae-hwa Han

From BR Bullpen

Dae-hwa Han (한대화)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 9", Weight 180 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Daw-hwa Han was named South Korea's top third baseman eight times.

Han played for the South Korean national team that won the 1982 Amateur World Series. He turned pro in 1983 with the OB Bears, hitting .272/.310/.406. He fell to .238/.339/.307 in 1984 and was just 12 for 53 with a walk, double and two homers in 1985.

Traded to the Haitai Tigers, Han improved to .298/.322/.503 in 1986. He won the Gold Glove at third base; in the Korea Baseball Organization, the Gold Glove goes to the best player at each position for total play, not just defense. He batted .236/.348/.419 in 1987 and .320/.403/.528 with 18 homers in 101 games in 1988, winning Gold Gloves both years. In 1988, he was also named KBO All-Star Game MVP.

Han hit .279/.409/.439 in 1989 and won his fourth Gold Glove in a row, then took a fifth in 1990 when he hit .335/.432/.505 with 86 RBI. He won the KBO batting title that season, by .00006 over Kang-don Lee. In '91, he put up a .301/.392/.565 line with a career-high 22 homers and won his sixth straight Gold Glove.

Han's Gold Glove run ended in 1992 when he still had a good year (.268/.379/.483, 20 HR, 74 RBI). He hit .266/.364/.427 in 1993 and .297/.384/.429 in 1994, taking two more Gold Gloves to bring his total to eight, a KBO record for third baseman that will stand at least until 2019 (no active player as of 2014 has more than three). No other player had more Gold Gloves, regardless of position, until Seung-yeop Lee passed him in 2014. In 1994, he had moved to the LG Twins.

Han hit .241/.307/.366 in 1995 and .232/.312/.377 in 1996, then .225/.377/.351 for the 1997 Ssangbangwool Raiders.

Overall, Han's batting line in the KBO was .279/.370/.450. Through 2007, he ranked 21st all-time with 163 home runs.

Retiring as a player, Han was head coach at Dongguk University from 1998-2003. He also coached for the South Korean national team in the 2001 Baseball World Cup. He was hitting coach for the Samsung Lions in 2003 and bench coach from 2004-2009, before becoming manager of the Hanwha Eagles. He held that role for almost three years, but was let go late in 2012. His bench coach Yong-deok Han succeeded him on an interim basis.

Sources[edit]

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