1. Overview
Lee Dae-soo (이대수I Dae-suKorean, 李大秀), born on August 21, 1981, is a former South Korean professional baseball infielder and a former defensive coach for the SSG Landers rookie team in the KBO League. He began his professional career as an undrafted free agent with the SK Wyverns in 2001. Throughout his playing career, he was known for his defensive prowess as a shortstop and third baseman, playing for the SK Wyverns, Doosan Bears, and Hanwha Eagles. A significant highlight of his career was winning the Golden Glove Award for shortstop in 2011 while with the Hanwha Eagles, marking a remarkable achievement for an undrafted player. After an 18-year playing career, he transitioned into coaching, serving as a defensive coach for the SK Wyverns' rookie team.
2. Early Life and Education
2.1. Birth and Early Years
Lee Dae-soo was born on August 21, 1981.
2.2. High School
He attended Gunsan Commercial High School. Following his graduation, he initially sought to join the Ssangbangwool Raiders, a team based in his hometown region, as an undrafted free agent. However, the Ssangbangwool Raiders were disbanded, and the team that succeeded them did not accept undrafted free agents, preventing his immediate entry into professional baseball through that route.
3. Playing Career
Lee Dae-soo's professional baseball journey began with an unconventional entry, leading to a career spanning multiple teams and culminating in a significant individual award.
3.1. Entry into Professional Baseball
After the dissolution of the Ssangbangwool Raiders, Lee Dae-soo's opportunity to enter professional baseball came when he caught the eye of then-hitting coach Lee Geon-yeol. He subsequently joined the SK Wyverns as an undrafted free agent in 2001, beginning his professional career.
3.2. SK Wyverns (First Stint)
Lee Dae-soo made his debut in the KBO League in 2002, primarily playing as an infielder. He gradually established himself, becoming the starting shortstop for the team in 2006. However, his starting position became less secure with the emergence of Jung Keun-woo. In 2007, during spring training, he also experienced a conflict with then-manager Kim Sung-keun. With the Doosan Bears in need of a shortstop due to Son Si-heon's military enlistment, a trade was arranged. On April 29, 2007, Lee Dae-soo was traded to the Doosan Bears in exchange for Na Ju-hwan.
3.3. Doosan Bears
Upon joining the Doosan Bears, Lee Dae-soo immediately assumed the role of starting shortstop, where he truly began to showcase his abilities. He filled the void left by Son Si-heon's enlistment and earned recognition for his defensive skills. He participated in the 2007 Korean Series with the Doosan Bears. However, in 2009, with the return of Son Si-heon from military service, Lee Dae-soo once again lost his starting position. He spent most of the 2009 season in the minor leagues, except for brief periods when Son Si-heon was injured.
A notable incident occurred during Game 3 of the 2007 Korean Series. Lee Dae-soo committed three errors in a single inning: a ground ball hit by Kim Kang-min that he mishandled, a subsequent ground ball hit by Choi Jeong that led to an error induced by the runner Kim Kang-min, and finally, dropping a routine fly ball. This unprecedented performance resulted in the most errors by a single player in one inning in Korean Series history. The Doosan Bears ultimately lost the game, and Lee Dae-soo faced significant criticism from fans, with the incident being infamously dubbed "Lee's Rebellion."
3.4. Hanwha Eagles
In 2009, the Hanwha Eagles were struggling with numerous infield errors, and their manager, Han Dae-hwa, sought to bolster the infield after the retirement of Kim Min-jae. On November 16, 2009, Lee Dae-soo was traded to the Hanwha Eagles in exchange for pitchers Cho Gyu-su and Kim Chang-hoon. Upon his arrival, he took over Kim Min-jae's jersey number and became a key starting player for the team.
The 2011 season marked a career high for Lee Dae-soo. He recorded a batting average in the .300s, hit 8 home runs, and drove in 50 RBIs, all while maintaining stable defense. His outstanding performance earned him the Golden Glove Award for shortstop, making him the fourth undrafted free agent in KBO League history to receive the prestigious award. He also had the second-fewest errors among shortstops that season, trailing only Kim Sun-bin. This Golden Glove was particularly significant for the Hanwha Eagles, as it was the first time a shortstop from the franchise had won the award since Jang Jong-hoon in 1990, during the team's Binggrae Eagles era.
In 2013, with the return of Song Gwang-min from military service, Lee Dae-soo began to play more frequently at third base, ceding the shortstop position. Following the 2013 season, he declared for free agency and re-signed with the Hanwha Eagles on a four-year contract worth a total of 2.00 B KRW, which included a signing bonus of 400.00 M KRW, an annual salary of 350.00 M KRW, and options worth 200.00 M KRW.
3.5. SK Wyverns (Return) and Retirement
On June 3, 2014, Lee Dae-soo was traded back to his original team, the SK Wyverns, along with Kim Kang-seok, in exchange for Cho In-sung. This trade marked his return to the Wyverns after a seven-year absence.
In the 2015 season, he appeared in 72 games, recording a batting average in the .200s, contributing as a backup infielder. However, his playing time decreased significantly in subsequent years. In the 2016 season, he played in 14 games but did not record a single hit. After 18 years as a professional player, Lee Dae-soo officially announced his retirement from professional baseball on October 13, 2018.
4. Coaching Career
Following his retirement as a player, Lee Dae-soo transitioned into coaching. In 2019, he joined the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) organization as the defensive coach for their rookie team.
5. Notable Incidents and Anecdotes
On April 28, 2017, during a game against the Samsung Lions, Lee Dae-soo was involved in a controversial incident. A pitch hit him, but his bat also made contact with the ball. Believing he had been hit by the pitch and was entitled to first base, he attempted to advance. However, the umpire ruled it a strikeout. Lee Dae-soo vehemently protested the call, leading to his first career ejection from a game. The KBO League subsequently disciplined him with a two-game suspension and mandated 40 hours of youth volunteer service.
6. Career Statistics
| Year | Team | AVG | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | HBP | SO | GDP | E | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | SK | - | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 0.000 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | 0.165 | 105 | 103 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | 0.203 | 99 | 59 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | 0.253 | 122 | 387 | 46 | 98 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 5 | 68 | 6 | 13 | ||
| 2007 | Doosan | 0.252 | 109 | 310 | 33 | 78 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 7 | 47 | 7 | 13 | |
| 2008 | 0.282 | 90 | 213 | 22 | 60 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 28 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2009 | 0.262 | 38 | 61 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | Hanwha | 0.232 | 125 | 375 | 33 | 87 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 6 | 57 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2011 | 0.301 | 122 | 366 | 46 | 110 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 50 | 8 | 8 | 31 | 5 | 64 | 5 | 10 | Golden Glove | |
| 2012 | 0.279 | 118 | 376 | 36 | 105 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 3 | 57 | 9 | 13 | ||
| 2013 | 0.256 | 122 | 390 | 54 | 100 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 11 | 4 | 38 | 6 | 88 | 10 | 5 | ||
| 2014 | SK | 0.160 | 15 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 0.264 | 36 | 72 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2016 | 0.000 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 0.276 | 58 | 105 | 18 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2018 | 0.200 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career Total | 17 Seasons | 0.257 | 1190 | 2860 | 328 | 736 | 131 | 21 | 35 | 299 | 43 | 29 | 224 | 47 | 523 | 64 | 83 |