The change of position of Kim Ji-chan (24) of the Samsung Lions became a great move. Last year, he fully adapted to the center field defense, which he had little experience in, and showed perfect performance in hitting.메이저놀이터

Kim Ji-chan, who contributed greatly to his team's advance to the Korean Series by playing as Samsung's main center fielder last year, was an infielder until two years ago. Kim Ji-chan, who played shortstop or second baseman in every game during his Laon High School days, continued to play infielder for his team even after making his professional debut in the 2020 season. He played 931 ⅓ in 142 games as shortstop and 1,889 ⅓ in 297 games as second baseman until the 2023 season. He only played 31 innings in five games in the 2020 season.

Kim Ji-chan was recognized for his potential to be selected as an infielder for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games national team, but there were also elements of anxiety. He ranked first in errors at second base in the league for two consecutive years in the 2022 and 2023 seasons (18) and (16). Apart from showing off his wide range of defense with his signature flimsy feet, he had difficulty making accurate throws.

Since Kim Ji-chan has been steadily improving since his debut in the first division, Samsung tried to change his position to center field to reduce his defensive burden and maximize his offense. It was calculated that the fast foot could cover a wide range of defense and reduce the burden of accurate throws.

He made a successful calculation. Playing in a total of 117 games as a center fielder last year, Kim recorded just three errors during 859 innings as a center fielder, displaying better-than-expected performance. Having relieved the burden from defense, Kim achieved career high in most batting indicators except for on-base percentage with a batting average of 0.315 (343 hits in 453 times at bat) and three homers, 36 RBIs, 102 runs and 42 steals in 135 games.

The Samsung Lions selected Kim Hyun-joon as successor to Park Hae-min, who transferred to the LG Twins through an FA contract at the end of the 2021 season. Kim displayed sufficient possibility by posting 22 RBIs in 118 games in the 2022 season without a batting average of 0.275 home run, and 0.275 three home runs and 46 RBIs in 109 games in the 2023 season. However, he only played in 79 games for the first team, lagging behind Kim Ji-chan, who moved to center field last year, and showed sluggish growth in batting indicators. Eventually, Kim decided to join the military athletic team after the end of last season.

As Kim Hyun-joon, who was the most likely competitor, joined Sangmu, Samsung's center fielder position for the upcoming season has also been completely taken over by Kim Ji-chan. In addition, changes to be applied this year, such as the official implementation of the pitch clock and the downward adjustment of the ABS zone, are factors that can add to his performance as a quick short fielder. In many ways, the season is approaching, which has no choice but to put high expectations on Kim Ji-chan.