Chang Jong-hoon (born April 10, 1968) is a retired former infielder in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. He spent his entire 20-year career with

Binggrae Binggrae Co., Ltd. (), is a South Korean food and beverage corporation that manufactures ice cream, milk products, and snacks. Binggrae was founded in 1967 by Hong Soon-ji as Daeil Corporation (). The B in the Binggrae Logo is modeled after a hear ...

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

. He is currently a coach with the team. Chang was a two-time

KBO MVP The KBO League Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player judged the most valuable player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock ba ...

, and led the league in home runs and RBI three seasons in a row, from 1990 to 1992. He was the first player in the KBO League to reach 40 home runs in a season, the first to score 100 or more runs, and the first to drive in 100 or more runs. Chang was the KBO career Home Run King for ten years until being surpassed by Yang Joon-hyuk. Chang's 340 career home runs currently rank fourth on the KBO all-time list; his 1,145 RBI rank seventh.

Career

Chang entered the league as a shortstop, winning the

KBO League Golden Glove Award The KBO League Golden Glove Award is an award given out annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League. It is also commonly known as the KBO Golden Gloves. The award was established ...

twice at that position, in 1988 and 1990. In 1990, he blasted 28 home runs and had 91 RBI. Chang won the

KBO League Most Valuable Player Award The KBO League Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player judged the most valuable player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock ...

in both 1991 and 1992. In 1991 he hit .345 with 104 runs scored, 35 home runs, and 114 RBI to go along with an OPS of 1.090. He won the Golden Glove Award again, this time from the designated hitter position. That year he became the first KBO player to score 100 or more runs, as well as becoming the first player to drive in 100 or more runs. Switching to first base in 1992, he topped the previous year's numbers when he .299 with 41 home runs and 119 RBI and an OPS of 1.105, winning his fourth Golden Glove. That year he became the first KBO player to hit 40 or more home runs in a season. Chang's final KBO Golden Glove Award came in 1995, when he hit .326 with 22 home runs and 78 RBI, with an OPS of .986. Chang was part of the Eagles' so-called "Dynamite Bats" in the late 1990s to early 2000s, when the team was renowned for its overall slugging percentage, and won the franchise's only KBO championship (in 1999). Chang hit his 253rd career home run on May 23, 1999, passing

Lee Man-soo Lee Man-soo (, Hanja: 李萬洙; born September 9, 1958 in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do, South Korea), also spelled as Man Soo Lee, is a former Korea Professional Baseball catcher and First baseman and manager. After a distinguished career as a pro ...

to become the all-time home run leader in the KBO. His total was later surpassed by Yang Joon-hyuk in 2009. Chang's number 35 jersey was retired by the Eagles on September 16, 2005. Immediately after his retirement as a player, Chang was hired as a coach for the Eagles, a position he held from 2006 to 2014. He moved to the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

as a coach from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, Chang returned to the Eagles after being selected by manager

Han Yong-duk Han Yong-duk (born June 2, 1965) is a South Korean former professional baseball player and former Manager (baseball), manager of the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. Han was signed to a three-year contract in October 2017 to become Eagle's 11th ...

to help rebuild the team.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

* 1968 births Living people Sportspeople from North Chungcheong Province South Korean baseball players South Korean baseball coaches Hanwha Eagles players Hanwha Eagles coaches KBO League first basemen KBO League shortstops KBO League designated hitters KBO League Most Valuable Player Award winners Baseball players with retired numbers Lotte Giants coaches {{SouthKorea-baseball-bio-stub

Career

See also

References

External links