"The core of SF's attack is Lee Jung-hoo." Third hitter soft landing in center field of 166.1 billion won...The only challenge for the Korean big leaguer to become a 'full-time main player'
"The core of SF's attack is Lee Jung-hoo." Third hitter soft landing in center field of 166.1 billion won...The only challenge for the Korean big leaguer to become a 'full-time main player'
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"Lee Jung-hoo, center fielder expected by the San Francisco Giants."
Lee Jung-hoo (aged 27) has been singled out as a key player in the San Francisco Giants' lineup. The Athletic ranked the starting lineup of 30 Major League teams for the 2025 season on Monday (Korea time). Lee's San Francisco Giants ranked 23rd.
The San Francisco Giants tried to strengthen their star power for several years, but it was not easy. However, they established a pillar by signing an extension contract with Matt Chapman and recruiting Willy Adames, following Lee Jung-hoo a year ago. Among them, Deerslatic had high expectations for Lee.
"San Francisco has offered a long-term solution to shortstop Adames, who hit 32 home runs and stole 21 bases with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, turning into a free agent this off-season," Deerslatic said. The rest of San Francisco's strength will be Matt Chapman, a third baseman who hit 27 home runs last year, and Elliott Ramos, a left fielder who added 22 home runs. The core of this season's offense is Lee Jung-hoo, a center fielder that San Francisco expects to miss last season due to a shoulder injury.
Lee was out after playing 37 games last year due to shoulder surgery. Coach Bob Melvin mostly used Lee as leadoff. However, this year, Melvin will deploy Lee as the third hitter in his team's exhibition game. He used to play like that throughout the exhibition games. He was accustomed to playing as the third hitter when he was playing for the Kiwoom Heroes. Lee is adapting himself to the third hitter's team.
He had a batting average of 0.300, two homers, five RBIs, nine runs and an OPS of 0.967, as he had nine hits in 30 at-bats for 12 exhibition games through Sunday. He returned to the mound 10 days after he missed the game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday due to back pain. He showed off his strong performance by hitting a double at a practice game with Triple-A team on Sunday.
Lee seems more comfortable facing Major League pitchers at this exhibition game. He produces quite a lot of long balls. Even if he does not hit many home runs, he is good at producing doubles as a gap-hitter. If he shows his strength as a Kiwoom player at this year's San Francisco Giants, he can prove the value of his 113 million-dollar contract. San Francisco Giants, which does not have a strong lineup, can also expect a big counterattack only when Lee Jung-hoo plays the role.
In 2023, the last season he played for Kiwoom, Lee only played in 86 games due to surgery on his extensor ankle. He played in 123 games over the last two years up to 37 games last year. Fortunately, his back pain was not a big deal, and he is aiming for the opening game. If he can play around 150 games in good health without getting sick, he will be able to hit 10 home runs and have an OPS of 0.8 or higher in his late-20s. If he can perform this well, he will be recognized as an upper-middle-class outfielder in the Major League. 메이저놀이터
Lee Jung-hoo is the only Korean Major Leaguer who can play full-time as a starting member this year. Kim Ha-seong will be absent from the opening game due to shoulder rehabilitation. He will return to the mound at the earliest at the end of April. Kim will play in Triple-A at the opening game. It is uncertain whether Bae Ji-hwan, who displayed strong batting performance at the exhibition game, will also play in the 25-member Major League. Although Kim and Bae are big leaguers, chances are high that they will start in Triple-A. As such, expectations are high for Lee.