“Leadership is more about actions than words.”
Where does Lotte captain Ahn Chi-hong (33) stand among second basemen in the KBO? The consensus is that Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom) is the best second baseman in the KBO since last year. Various primary and secondary data prove it. However, there are other second basemen as good as Kim Hye-sung who will be available in free agency in 2023-2024.
Kim Sun-bin (KIA) and Ahn Chi-hong, who led KIA’s center field in the 2010s. They are still two of the best second basemen in baseball. They parted ways in free agency three years ago and will be valued once again this winter. While Kim has recently been sidelined with a hamstring injury, Ahn Chi-hong has started 90 of Lotte’s 97 games this season.
His numbers are decent. 318-for-95 with a .299 batting average, five home runs, 48 RBI, 38 runs scored, three doubles, a .390 on-base percentage, a .377 OPS, a .767 slugging percentage, and a .366 on-base percentage. He’s been especially hot in his last 10 games, batting .429 with two home runs, seven RBI, and six runs scored. His defense at second base is also solid. As a captain, he’s also a dugout leader.
Manager Larry Sutton recognized Ahn’s value on and off the field. “First of all, he has good leadership. It’s a quiet leadership, but it’s a leadership that shows through actions rather than words.”
He is a senior and captain who leads by example and sets an example for others. “He doesn’t talk a lot, but he sets an example for the other players. However, he also pointed out that when rookie Kim Min-seok made a ridiculous throwing error against Gochuk Kiwoom on the 10th, he thought about the next play (runner on first base) first, not the out in front of him. In fact, Ahn Chi-hong was seen on the broadcast giving advice to Kim Min-seok.
Sutton also said, “He is an example to the younger players. He prepares his body and mind well every day. The defense is solid at second base and sometimes you can see first base. He gives me a lot of options as a manager when I’m trying to run the game.”
In terms of hitting, he hit 21 and 23 home runs in 2017 and 2018 with the KIA, but has since dropped to single digits. Instead, his average has been consistent in the low double digits to high triple digits. “When he’s hitting well, he can bat anywhere from second to fifth,” Sutton said. She can hit anywhere in the lineup depending on what the team needs,” Sutton said.토토사이트
She has a lot of versatility. Sutton says, “She has good control to make barrel balls. He’s got the ability to drive the ball with runners on base. He can drive the ball to 1.2, and he can sacrifice and drive in runs. He can drive in runs. He’s a productive hitter.”
Lotte signed him to a 2+2 year, 5.6 billion won contract in the 2020-2021 free agent market. He was 29 years old when he signed the deal and is now in his early 30s. He’ll need to sign a contract into his mid-30s. Even if he doesn’t get more than 5.6 billion won, there are many expectations that he will get a pretty good contract. There are still not many center fielders in the KBO who can play offense.