S. Korean ball club Nexen Heroes reach strategic partnership with Boston Red Sox

[soxhop411]

 
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean baseball club Nexen Heroes announced on Monday they've reached a strategic partnership agreement with the reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
The Seoul-based Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said its president, Lee Jang-seok, met with Allard Baird, vice president of player personnel for the Red Sox, in the South Korean capital on Sunday to ink their deal.
The Heroes noted that this is Boston's first strategic partnership with an Asian pro club.
Under the partnership, the Red Sox agreed to share their expertise in establishing and operating the farm system and in utilizing advanced metrics to analyze and evaluate players, among other operational techniques.
The Heroes said they believe Boston runs the most advanced farm system in Major League Baseball (MLB) and that they hope to learn from the best and apply their knowledge to their own minor league team.
Through the team's news release, Lee said it was an honor to be a partner with a team of such rich tradition.
"We're entering only our seventh professional season, and we have a lot to learn," Lee said. "And as we move forward, learning from Boston should help us a great deal in achieving our vision. We hope to maintain a mutually beneficial strategic partnership that can build and improve new systems and models through active exchanges."

   Baird said the Red Sox had been seeking a potential partner in Asia for the past two years and felt the Heroes' brand of aggressive and dynamic baseball fell in line with Boston's philosophy.
Baird added the Red Sox are also hoping to learn what they can from South Korean baseball.
 

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2014/01/06/86/0702000000AEN20140106002200315F.html
 
Joon Lee ‏@iamjoonlee40m
The Nexen Heroes will teach the Red Sox some Korean baseball techniques. Red Sox have searched for Asian partner-team for two years.
 
Have other clubs done partnerships like this?

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Yomiuri and NYY had "an extensive scouting and minor league non-player personnel agreement" more than 10 years ago. Link. Does that count?
 
I would be interested to know exactly what "Korean baseball techniques" are, and how they differ from those in MLB.
 
I would also be interested to know how long it will NoXinNexen to register an account here.

 

[Infield Infidel]

This is interesting. Nexen Heroes were a moribund expansion team that was terrible until these last two seasons. They had a season with no corporate sponsor, which in KBO is pretty unheard of. But they weren't terrible in 2012, and in 2013 had their first winning record and made the playoffs for the first time, under a new youngish manager. I don't think they had an ownership change but maybe the new manager is open to new ideas. 
 
They also play in Seoul which is good, but they have a smaller fanbase and smaller park than the other Seoul teams. If it lasts, they could be considered kind of like the Rays when they started to get good: small fanbase, no history, but surprisingly good.