Lee Jung-hoo is Korea’s best hitter with a batting average of 0.344 (1,181 hits in 3,476 times at bat) and 65 homers and 515 RBIs in 884 games in the KBO League. He hit .349 (193 hits in 553 times at bat) with 23 homers and 113 RBIs in 142 games last year, winning five gold medals in batting average (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBIs, and most hits) and the league’s MVP. Ahead of his move to the Major League this year, he recorded a batting average of .318, or 105 hits in 330 times at bat, with six homers and 45 RBIs in 86 games due to injury, but Major League clubs rushed to Lee without hesitating.
San Francisco, which showed sincerity toward Lee Jung-hoo to the extent that general manager Pete Putilla visited Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul to see Lee Jung-hoo’s last at-bat in the KBO League, succeeded in recruiting Lee Jung-hoo by signing a six-year, $113 million (about 147.2 billion won) contract with Lee Jung-hoo. San Francisco fans are happy to finally recruit a large FA player, but some say they paid too much.
Foreign players who played with Lee Jung-hoo in the KBO League are looking positively at Lee Jung-hoo’s success in the Major League. The Athletic, a U.S. media outlet, said on the 15th (Korea time), “San Francisco announced an amazing contract that exceeded the expectations of the baseball world. Lee Jung-hoo is guaranteed $113 million over six years. Former teammates who played with him in Kiwoom and players who faced Lee Jung-hoo in the KBO League expect his success.”
Josh Lindblom, who won the Golden Glove (2018-2019) Pitcher Award for the second consecutive year and won the league MVP in 2019 with 20 wins, said, “He must have had the best ability to hit the ball in the league since he was just 18 years old. It was really impressive. It was really hard to just take away the timing. I got so many hits out of him. It was very hard to strike him out.” Lindblom, who presupposed that “it may not be a fair evaluation at all,” compared Lee to Ichiro Suzuki, one of Japan’s best hitters.
Eric Peddy, 30, who won the Triple Crown with 20 wins, 209 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.00 in the KBO League this year, and won the MVP award and Golden Glove in the pitching category, is also predicting Lee’s success. Peddy also signed a two-year 15-million-dollar seal with the Chicago White Sox based on his stellar performance in the KBO League. Peddy said, “I was lucky. I was only able to play two games until the end of the season because he was unfortunately injured.” Peddy and Lee Jung-hoo were two hits in eight at-bats, with two strikeouts. 에볼루션 바카라사이트
“I think it will probably take Lee a month or two to adjust,” Peddy said. “He is definitely a high-quality hitter. He is a very athletic player. He will adapt very quickly. He will be a hard left-handed hitter to deal with, who can throw balls all over the field. He also has a lot of speed, and he will make infield hits and make it difficult.”
“In a month or two, you will find Lee Jung-hoo, who is achieving a lot of success,” he said, confident in Lee Jung-hoo’s success. Jake Brigham, who has worked with Lee Jung-hoo for a long time in Kiwoom, said, “San Francisco will fall in love with Lee Jung-hoo. I was lucky to debut in the KBO League in Lee’s debut season, too. I could watch Lee grow from a high school player to a player with dynamic performances on and off the field. He has had a positive influence on players on and off the field since he was 19 years old.”
Brigham, who said, “Is there a period of adaptation? I will, however, Lee Jung-hoo will do well. He will become an All-Star. He is talented and passionate. Is he worth $113 million? Looking at the market conditions these days, I think so,” convinced Lee of his success.
Ryan Sadowski, who played for Lotte and now plays as a scout, explained, “San Francisco invested in Lee’s maximum. On San Francisco’s side, I hope he reaches his maximum potential. The contract refers to the starting center fielder for postseason level teams such as Aaron Rowand and Angel Pagan.”
“San Francisco got a ‘pure heater’ by bringing in Lee Jung-hoo,” Sadowski said. “He is a batter who is growing more and more with his natural batting skills. I hope San Francisco will develop Lee’s power further, but Lee’s batting style is first hitting and second hitting style is sending the ball farther away. He is a highly athletic player, but his tools are not top-notch in the league. He is a ‘slow drip guy’ that I like more and more the more I see him,” he said, introducing Lee’s strengths and weaknesses.
Sadowski said, “It is natural that there are concerns about Lee Jung-hoo. Jose Pirella, who is batting not bad in the big leagues, competed with Lee Jung-hoo for the MVP of the league in 2022. That is why Lee Jung-hoo will have to prove that he can deal with faster speed. And left-handed specialists are also concerned.”
Lindblom agreed that he is not sure whether he will be able to cope with a ball in the late 90s until Lee proves it. However, he still highly praised Lee, saying, “I think he will be able to make adjustments faster than most other Korean players. It will be a leadoff that can hit the ball and increase the number of pitches for pitchers, which is an important role considering how to utilize the recent starting rotation.”
The Athletic said, “San Francisco needs consistency in its lineup. We need productivity in hitting. We need marketable players. We need players for our fans to wear uniforms. San Francisco has made a big bet that its “grandchild of the wind” will be a fresh wind.”
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