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Second-year Dinos manager Lee Ho-joon has high expectations for club, himself in new season

Published: 05 Jan. 2026, 19:18

NC Dinos manager Lee Ho-joon addresses his team during a ceremony marking the start of the new year at Masan Baseball Center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Jan. 5. [NC DINOS]

The 2026 Korean baseball season couldn't start a day too soon for NC Dinos manager Lee Ho-joon.

After leading his underdog team to an unlikely postseason berth last year as the first-year skipper, Lee said Monday he has far more confidence in himself entering his season on the bench for the KBO club.

"Last year, I had so much to learn and I made so many mistakes," Lee told reporters at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon after the club's first meeting of the new year. "This year, I expect some good things from myself. I am confident that I can minimize mistakes. I can't wait for games to start."

The Dinos defied expectations last season by reaching the postseason with a win-loss-tie record of 71-67-6. They won the final nine games of the regular season to crack the top five and reach the wild card round, where they fell to the Samsung Lions.

The Dinos have made one notable change to their starting rotation, with a career minor leaguer Curtis Taylor replacing Logan Allen.

Allen went 7-12 with a 4.53 ERA in 32 starts. The Dinos would be ecstatic if Taylor can top those numbers, and Lee thinks the Canadian right-hander is capable of far more.

New NC Dinos pitcher Curtis Taylor signs his contract with the Korea Baseball Organization club, in this photo provided by the Dinos on Dec. 11. [NC DINOS]

"We will see how it goes, but we rate him as better than Erick Fedde or Kyle Hart," Lee said, referring to two recent starting pitchers for the Dinos who dominated the KBO.

Fedde was voted the regular-season MVP in 2023 after winning the Triple Crown with 20 wins, 209 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA. Hart won the Choi Dong-won Award as the best pitcher in Korea after going 13-3 with a 2.69 ERA and 182 strikeouts. He ranked first in strikeouts, second in ERA and third in wins.

The Dinos rotation will receive an internal reinforcement in the form of homegrown left-hander Koo Chang-mo, who was discharged from the military late last season and is hoping for his first fully healthy KBO season since 2018.

NC Dino's logo [NC DINOS]

The 28-year-old has been among the very best pitchers in the KBO when healthy, but injuries have limited the talented southpaw over the years.

"Chang-mo's health can be the difference of two spots in the standings for our team," Lee said. "If healthy, he should be able to win 14 or 15 games for us."

Taylor and Koo will join Riley Thompson, coming off a dominant 2025 campaign in which he tied for the league lead with 17 wins and finished third with 216 strikeouts.

"I'd love for our starters to carry the team," Lee said. "The goal is to get up to 60 quality starts out of our starters."

Yonhap