By Lee Tae-hoon, The Korea Observer

(February 11^th, 2019, Seoul) — Several media outlets are reporting that Naofumi Kato, owner of the Seoul Crushers, has made a surprising selection for their vacant General Manager position. In a move that is raising eyebrows, Kato has selected Richard Schermerhorn to fill the vacant post. Schermerhorn was recently rumored to be in eleventh hour discussions with Niihama-shi Ghosts for their vacant position before the circus surrounding Mike Dunn brought him back into favor with owner Akane Kenkusham Jr. due to public pressure.

Schermerhorn, a 49 year-old American, was most recently the head baseball coach for Kyung Nam High School which has a long and established history as one of the best high school baseball programs in the Republic of South Korea. Kato and Schermerhorn were unable to be reached for comment at press time but a news conference has been scheduled for noon today.

If the rumors are true there will surely be skepticism throughout the LRS as to whether or not a high school coach is capable of leading a major league team. Clearly the Seoul Crushers have under-performed and some might argue that they have nothing to lose with such a radical change. While rare it is not unheard of for a high school coach to take the reigns of a major league club. Most recently Walt Weiss was appointed the manager of the Colorado Rockies in the MLB where his only managerial experience prior had been with Regis Jesuit’s High School team.

With opening day less than three months away the pressure will be on for whoever assumes the GM post in Seoul. If the rumors are true and Schermerhorn is named, only time will tell as to whether or not he has what it takes to lead Seoul to the playoffs.