Chih-Hao Chang

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Chih-Hao Chang.jpg

Chih-Hao Chang (張志豪)

  • Bats Left, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.

BR Register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Chih-Hao Chang played in the CPBL and for the Chinese Taipei national baseball team. He is a cousin of Cheng-Wei Chang and Cheng-Shun Wang and also thus related to Chung-Shou Yang, Yao-Hsun Yang, Chien-Fu Yang, Tai-Shan Chang, Chih-Yuan Chen, Sen Yang and Tung-Yi Yang.

Chang was drafted by the China Trust Whales in 2007. After a year in their farm system, the team dissolved due to a gambling scandal. He was then picked by the La New Bears in 2008, but he refused to join them. In the 2009 World Port Tournament, Chang hit .267/.303/.367 as Taiwan's center fielder. He remained with them for the 2009 Asian Championship.

Chang was drafted by the Brother Elephants in the 2010 CPBL Draft. He hit .254/.314/.375 with 13 steals in 16 tries and a league-leading ten triples in his first CPBL season. The Taitung native kept his well batting condition, hitting .298/.371/.425 with 8 triples in 2011. In 2012, Chang batted .274/.347/.368 with 22 stolen bases and 10 triples. He led the league in steals, was second in triples (5 behind Cheng-Wei Chang), and 10th in hits. Chang recorded a .270/.336/.369 batting line in 2013, and won his first CPBL Gold Glove award in this year. The talented outfielder hit .262/.312/.431 in 2014, led the league with 10 triples, and rank 7th in homers (10). He was the first and the only (through 2022) local player to have both double-digit triples and homers. On August 12, Chang surpassed his teammate Cheng-Wei Chang, and became the CPBL All-time career triple leader with 39. Chang still batted well in 2015, recorded a .297/.356/.523 batting line with a league-leading 6 triples. On April 16, Chang was a single shy in his 4th at-bat of the game from hitting a cycle, and he hit a triple. He also collected his 100th career steal on September 17.

Chang then made Taiwan's roster for the 2015 Premier 12. He was 1 for 4 with a walk in the event. In the 2016 season, Chang hit .322/.375/.603 with 17 homers. He had his career year in 2017, batting .300/.363/.610 with 24 dingers, and took his first Best Ten and second Gold Glove award. He ranked 3rd in home runs (24, behind Po-Jung Wang and Yu-Hsien Chu), 2nd in triples (1 behind Tsung-Hsien Lee), and 7th in RBI(72). Chang represented Taiwan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was the best hitter for Taiwan in that event, as he collected 6 hits and 5 RBI in 15 at-bats. He led the team in runs, hits, RBI, homers and total bases, and blasted one of two dingers for Taiwan, off Lars Huijer of the Netherlands.

The slugger blasted a league-leading 22 dingers in 2018 with a .268/.322/.510 batting line. He also led the league in strikeouts (110), was 9th in slugging, and 11th in RBI. He completed his first three-homer game against the Lamigo Monkeys on June 19. The veteran was on Taiwan's roster for the 2019 Premier 12. He only had a single in 8 at-bats. Chang blasted 26 homers in 2019 with a .257/.333/.532 batting line. He was fourth in homers, 9th in slugging, and 11th in RBI. He also won his fourth Gold Glove award. On April 13, Chang blasted his 100th career home run, off Ching-Ming Wang. In 2020, Chang raised his batting to .298, and collected a career-high 27 dingers. He ranked 3rd in RBI (88, behind An-Ko Lin and Chih-Chieh Su), was fourth in homers, and 8th in slugging. He was the first player ever in the CPBL to have four consecutive 20-homer season. In 2021, Chang suffered from elbow injuries, and received Tommy John surgery, which ended his season. Chang only played 42 games due to the injury. Chang struggled after he recovered from the injury, and he was moved to first base. He hit .246/.348/.462 with 3 homers in 2023. He still attended the 2023 CPBL All-Star Game, and he was 1-for-6.

He is the all-time career triple leader for the CPBL with 63 as of 2023.

Sources[edit]

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