Will KIA Tigers’ Unsung Hero Lee Chang-jin (33) be able to become the main outfielder in the 2025 season.
Kia is set to break up with its foreign hitter Socrates Brito, who has been accompanying him for three seasons. CBS Sports reported that Patrick Wisdom will sign with KIA in the KBO League. Wizdom, a right-handed infielder, hit more than 20 home runs in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) for three consecutive seasons from the 2021 to 2023 season (28-25-23). He hit 88 home runs in total in the MLB.
If the breakup with Socrates is confirmed, KIA’s outfield will be empty. Considering that Choi Won-joon and Na Sung-beom are the main players, chances are high that Lee Woo-sung, Lee Chang-jin, Kim Ho-ryeong and Park Jung-woo will compete for the last position.
Notable name is Lee Chang-jin. Lee Chang-jin is Kia’s hidden good fortune. He can play all positions in the outfield and is adhering to both offense and defense. His on-base percentage reached 0.401 during the 2024 season, making him a backup resource comparable to that of the league.
Lee Chang-jin, who wore the Lotte uniform as the 60th overall pick in the second round and sixth round of the 2014 Rookie Draft, was traded to KT Wiz in 2015. After failing to become the starting member of KT, he moved to Kia through a trade in June 2018. After joining Kia, Lee Chang-jin changed his position from infielder to outfielder.
Lee Chang-jin, who has become the main outfielder with a batting average of 0.270 six home runs, 48 RBIs and an OPS of 0.743, in 133 games in the 2019 season, has begun to strengthen his position at KIA. In the 2022 season, he showed outstanding performance with a batting average of 0.301 with seven home runs, 48 RBIs and an OPS of 0.776 in 111 games. He also supported the outfield with a batting average of 0.270 four home runs, 29 RBIs and an OPS of 0.751 in 104 games in the 2023 season.
This year, Lee Chang-jin played the role of an altoran to KIA’s combined championship. When captain Na Sung-bum was out just before the season opened due to a hamstring injury, it was Lee who filled his vacancy. Right fielder Lee Chang-jin recorded a batting average of 0.250 (13 hits in 52 times at bat) in 26 games through April, minimizing Na’s vacancy.
Lee Chang-jin, who later served as a backup outfielder, finished the season with a batting average of 0.262, one home run, 18 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.731. Joining the Korean Series entry, he played in Game 4 of the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions on Oct. 26, recording two hits and one run from four times at bat. Lee Chang-jin, who also showed off his impressive performance with one hit in three times at bat in Game 5, got his first career championship ring with KIA’s victory. 토토사이트
Of course, Lee is ahead in the competition to become an outfielder again from the first baseman. Lee displayed outstanding offensive capabilities with a batting average of 0.288 with nine homers, 54 RBIs and an OPS of 0.762 in 112 games in the 2024 season. However, as his batting average remained in the low 200s (0.223) range in the second half of the year, if his slump continues next season, Lee may turn his attention to Lee. It remains to be seen whether Lee will take advantage of this opportunity.
