Destrade says he would be happy to coach the Lions,” Destrade says of “rebuilding” foreign players and his “secret plan for the next season.

As a foreign player, it is rare to have such a long relationship with one team. In that sense, the Lions are a family.

Orestes Destrade, 62, an alumnus of the Saitama Seibu Lions who won the home run crown for three consecutive years starting in 1990 and was nicknamed “Ole” by fans, said with a smile.

He was with the Lions for a total of five years starting in 1989, and together with Koji Akiyama and Kazuhiro Kiyohara made up the Lions’ strongest cleanup lineup. He is a legend who supported the Lions’ “golden era.

One of the reasons for the Lions’ decline is the slump in “assistant” foreign players.

However, the Lions, Destrade’s “family,” have had a tumultuous season, with the bottom of the standings confirmed before the final game of the season, and GM Hisanobu Watanabe taking over as manager in May after Kazuo Matsui took a leave of absence due to poor results.

In July, Mr. Destrade was invited as a “special advisor” to help the team break out of its slump.

He has long expressed his passion for the new position. We asked him about it, and he replied, “I have been a player for decades,

I have been a player and a commentator for decades, and I have watched about 150 games a year and learned a lot about baseball. I have always hoped to find a place where I could put that to good use someday. I played for the Lions, and if I could coach the Lions, of course that would be the best thing.

I played for the Lions, and if I could coach the Lions, of course that would be the best thing,” he said.

The most expected thing from Mr. Destrade is to rebuild the Lions’ foreign players.

One of the reasons for this season’s slump was the poor performance of the “supporting” foreign players. In particular, the departure of Jesús Aguilar, who had hit 114 home runs in the majors and was expected to be a long-range gunner, was a major factor.