'Gulbiz' Lee Jae-hyun - Kim Hyun-joon - Kim Ji-chan have high expectations

The Samsung Lions has a young beast trio called "gulbiz" and is loved by many fans. They are outfielder Kim Hyun-joon, infielder Kim Ji-chan, and Lee Jae-hyun. They are on the list of annual salaries of hundreds of millions of dollars each in the 2024 season. This shows how much the team has in mind. The "gulbiz" is expected to play a key role for Samsung.

On the 25th, Samsung completed annual salary contracts with all players subject to renewal, except for free agency, non-FA multi-year contracts, foreign players, rookie players, and nurturing players.

Lee Jae-hyun became the main character of the team's highest annual salary increase rate. The annual salary, which was 60 million won last year, rose to 140 million won. It showed an increase rate of 133.3%. The increase is 80 million won. Through this contract, it entered the annual salary of 100 million won for the first time.

Kim Hyun-joon also posted an annual salary of over 100 million won for the first time since his debut. He signed for 140 million won, up 60 million won from the previous 80 million won. The increase rate is 75 percent. He will receive the same amount of annual salary as Lee Jae-hyun this year.

Kim Ji-chan's annual salary was frozen. The contract was completed at 160 million won, the same as last year.

Lee Jae-hyun, a graduate of Seoul High School, joined Samsung as the first candidate in 2022. He played 75 games during his debut season and posted a batting average of 0.235 (54 hits in 230 times at bat) with seven homers, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. In defense, he played 380 ⅓ innings as a shortstop, made seven errors, made three errors during 156 innings as a third baseman, and made one error during 30 innings as a second baseman. He struggled due to thigh and finger injuries during the season.

He was reborn as a key shortstop last year. He had a batting average of 0.249 (114 hits in 458 times at bat) with 12 homers, 60 RBIs and 61 runs in 143 games. He pitched a whopping 1,156 ⅓s as a shortstop. He ranked second in innings among all fielders in the league. He did not move to other positions and kept the shortstop firm. He recorded 20 errors.

He will not be able to join the team early this season. Lee Jae-hyun, who has shown signs of dislocating his left shoulder throughout the previous season, underwent surgery for his left shoulder joint and net surgery in late October last year. Some five to six months after the surgery, Lee Jae-hyun said, "I will be able to train my skills." He will likely come back to the ground after strengthening his performance and sense of play in actual matches as well as recovering his shoulder. It is not known when he will join the team, but if he returns healthy, he will be able to maintain the center of the infield.

After going to Kaesong High School, Kim was named 83rd in the second round of nine rounds by the Samsung Lions in 2021. He had only one hit and two runs from four times at bat in 13 games in his first season. He has increased his chances to play in games in 2022. He has a batting average of 0.275 (100 hits from 363 times at bat) with 22 RBIs and 57 runs scored in 118 games. He has emerged as a full-time center fielder and leadoff man. He had three errors in 799 ⅓ innings. He also played 67 ⅔ as a right fielder and one inning as a left fielder. There were no errors.

Last season, he was put on the operating table due to a fractured Ryukyu bone in his right hand in late March, just before the season opened. After rehabilitation for about two months, he joined the main league in late May. He had a batting average of 0.275 (119 hits in 433 times at bat) with three homers, 46 RBIs and 62 runs in 109 games. He has made progress year-on-year. As a center fielder, he recorded five errors in 872 innings. He ranked second in innings among all fielders in his team. He also added eight innings as a right fielder. He will occupy an outfield spot again this year.

Kim Ji-chan is the oldest and the oldest player in the "Gulbijs." After graduating from Raon High School, he joined the Samsung Lions as the 15th player in the second round of the 2020 second round. Since his first professional season, he has been a regular starter. He has recorded a batting average of 0.232 (59 hits in 254 times at bat) with one homer, 13 RBIs, 47 runs, and 21 steals in 135 games in 2020. He has been busy playing both inside and outside the stadium, including second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, center fielder, and right fielder.

In 2021, he posted a batting average of 0.274 (81 hits in 296 times at bat) with one homer, 26 RBIs, 50 runs, and 23 steals in 120 games. Mainly shortstop, second and third bases were frequently used. In 2022, he encountered a thigh injury in the first half of the year. After returning safely, he had a batting average of 0.280 (101 hits in 361 times at bat) with 25 RBIs, 62 runs, and 25 steals in 113 games. This time, he transformed himself into a key second baseman. He formed a keystone combination with Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Sang-soo (currently KT Wiz).

He suffered a hamstring injury before and after the opening game last year. He was also eliminated from the main league due to back pain. He had a batting average of 0.292 (85 hits in 291 at bats) with one homer, 18 RBIs, 59 runs, and 18 steals in 99 games. As the main second baseman, he pitched 696 ⅓s and committed 16 errors. He did not combine other positions. This year, he succeeded in completing the season without any injury, and should show his improvement in offense and defense.

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