He was a three-time July MVP in 2022, and his production dropped off in 2023, but the KIA Tigers still need him in the outfield.
The KIA outfield boasts one of the best depths in the league. Anchored by Socrates Brito and Na Sung-bum, they have Lee Woo-seong, Ko Jong-wook스포츠토토, Kim Ho-ryung, and Lee Chang-jin. All of them are on this team, so they are competing for a starting spot. In the end, they are divided into starters and backups, but the gap is not large.
The KIA-SSG game of the ‘2023 KBO’ at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on October 1, 2023.
A game between the KIA Tigers and KT Wiz in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ was held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of October 6, 2023. KIA’s Lee Chang-jin celebrates after hitting a leadoff single in the ninth inning.
While KIA has been plagued by an epic injury epidemic this year, the outfield has been just fine. It’s just a shame that we only got to see Na Sung-bum’s exceptional hitting ability for 58 games. With Lee Woo-seong established as the full-time left fielder, Go Jong-wook and Lee Chang-jin served as backups.
While Ko Jong-wook is an outfielder who specializes in hitting, Lee Chang-jin is a well-rounded hitter. In 104 games this season, he’s batting .270 with 66 hits in 244 at-bats, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 35 runs scored, nine doubles, a .389 on-base percentage, a .362 OPS, and a .751 slugging percentage.
Kim Jong-kook has used Go Jong-wook when he needs a hit in a pinch and Lee Chang-jin when he needs a run. Lee’s OPS is seventh on the team this season, but it’s sixth if you only count the main players. He’s barely behind fifth-place Lee Woo-sung (.363).
Lee has a 0.353 career OPS, and last year he had a 0.374 OPS. He’s drawn 36 walks this season while striking out 44 times. Last year, for the first time in his career, he found his groove, hitting .301 in 111 games. This season, his walk rate has dropped to 2.7, but it hasn’t dropped much from last year.
Crucially, Lee was 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position this season, and he was hitting .464 as a pinch hitter. That’s why it’s hard to attribute a significant drop in production to simply a drop in average. He was weaker against lefties (0.242), but stronger against righties (0.278) and submarines (0.296), indicating that his outside changeup was harder to hit. According to Baseball-Reference, the changeup has a .100 wOBA this season.
His defense and focus aren’t bad either. He’s a good all-around player, so he has a lot of versatility. The KIA outfield will be similar next year as it was this year. The only variable is that Ko Jong-wook will become a free agent. If Socrates Brito is re-signed, it will be difficult for Lee to enter the best lineup.
The KIA-SSG game of the ‘2023 KBO’ at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on October 1, 2023.
The game between the KIA Tigers and KT Wiz of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ was held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of October 6, 2023. KIA’s Lee Chang-jin hits a leadoff single in the ninth inning.
But next year, if someone slumps and someone gets injured, Lee will naturally be in the spotlight. He’s the type of player you need in a long run. He is the type of player who will be greatly missed. He was worth his 140 million won salary this year.