It is also true that there was a question mark over Lee Jung-hoo’s power when he first challenged the Major League Baseball. However, he is dispelling concerns through data continuously playing games. Yahoo Sports in the U.S. introduced tracking data to pay attention to at the 2024 Major League Spring Camp exhibition game on the 6th (Korea time) and said, “Lee Jung-hoo showed off his power.” Lee has played in five exhibition games through Tuesday, recording six hits in 13 times at bat (batting average of 0.462), one homer, three RBIs, three runs scored, and two walks with an OPS of 1.302. He has not played in many games, but he has displayed strong batting performance every time, giving a green light to his team’s adaptation to the big league. In particular, it is encouraging that two of the six hits (one home run and one double) are long hits. Lee Jung-hoo played as the first batter’s center fielder in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 1st, and recorded a solo home run over the right-center fence with two outs in the top of the third inning. It is encouraging that Lee Jung-hoo hit his first homer in an actual game as a member of the San Francisco Giants, but it is all the more positive when examining the data. According to the official Major League website MLB.com , Lee recorded the speed of 109.7 miles (176.5 kilometers) per hour with a shooting angle of 18 degrees and a driving distance of 418 feet (127 meters). It was the fastest among the two teams. The San Francisco Chronicle, a local media outlet in San Francisco, reported the news of Lee Jung-hoo’s home run and said, “It is a sign that Lee Jung-hoo is well adapted to MLB-level pitching, and it is also a hint that the player who is best known for his bat-to-ball skills has slightly more slugging power than expected.” Yahoo Sports also paid attention to the home run hit. “Lee is the most attractive ‘mystery box’ in the Major League this season,” the media said. “After outstanding performances in Korea for the past five years, he signed a six-year, 113 million-dollar contract with San Francisco this winter.” “He is a completely versatile player who can win the Gold Glove in the center field, and he is highly regarded for his contact ability,” he said. “Some doubt whether Lee will be able to exert his influence in the Major League.” “I couldn’t answer this for sure in February or March, but Lee Jung-hoo’s 109.7-mile home run last week means he has at least a major league average.” Media outlets that mentioned Jose Altuve (Houston), Dansby Swanson (Chicago Cubs), and Bryson Stat (Philadelphia) said, “These are batters who showed off productivity without making very strong hits last season,” adding, “Lee still has to constantly make strong hits and prove his production of fly balls. However, this batting speed is a fantastic start.”
The evaluation of Lee Jung-hoo is that “contact is above average, but power does not reach it.” In a scouting report released by Baseball America, a U.S. media outlet that is recognized for its high public confidence in the evaluation of prospects, he was rated above average with 60 points for contact on the 20-80 scale (player evaluation scale), but below average with 45 points for power. MLB.com reported the news of San Francisco’s recruitment of Jorge Soler in February, saying, “Lee Jung-hoo, who joined the stove league, will not be able to increase the number of home runs significantly.” The coaching staff also did not have high expectations for his slugging capability. San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said of Lee Jung-hoo, “It is important to make in-play balls. It is good to see such a performance in Hyundai baseball, where the number of strikeouts has increased. You never know what will happen if you roll a ground ball even if you don’t get a strong pitch,” but this can be interpreted as meaning that there is little expectation for flying balls. In a way, this was a given. Even in the KBO league, Lee failed to stand out when it came to home runs. During the seven seasons from 2017 to 2023, he hit 65 home runs, a mere 10 on average per year. He has improved a bit, hitting his first double-digit home runs (15 homers) in 2020 and 23 homers in 2022, showing off his powerful performance. However, it was hard to call it a big hit. On top of that, most Korean batters’ slugging power declines when they move from the KBO League to the Major League. Kang Jung-ho (formerly Pittsburgh Pirates) hit more than 20 home runs, while Park Byung-ho (formerly Minnesota Twins, current KT Twins) and Lee Dae-ho (formerly Seattle Mariners, retired), who had 40 or more home runs in Korea, struggled to hit double-digit home runs. Lee Jung-hoo, who can be called a big hit, will also be affected. “Depth Chart,” a record-prediction system of the baseball statistics site FanGraph, predicted that Lee Jung-hoo will play in 134 games in the 2024 season, recording 0.291 (151 hits in 581 at-bats), 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 78 runs scored, 8 steals failed, 53 strikeouts and 48 walks, and an on-base percentage of 0.354 with a slugging percentage of 0.431, OPS 0.785 and wRC+116, and WAR (contributing to victory over replacement players) 3.2. Though not a noticeable power, he predicted that he could hit double-digit home runs and pull-ups. After joining the spring camp, however, Lee hit a series of homeruns in practice batting and also hit the cannon in exhibition games. San Francisco batting coach Pat Burrell, who had 292 home runs in the big league as a player, said in a podcast, “I like him because he can make a lot of in-play hits, but he also has some slugging power,” adding, “If he tries to send a ball out of the right field, he can do it.” However, there is also a concern that it may be an obstacle. It is Oracle Park, the home stadium. Opened in 2000, the park attracted attention for its unique structure. From the left pole to the right-center outfield fence, however, it is ordinary except for the flat center. However, it is rapidly drawn in from the right-center, showing a different structure from other stadiums. In addition, the distance from the left pole to the home plate is 103 meters, while the right side is 94 meters, which is very short. However, while the left fence is normal at 2.4 meters, the right side is 7.6 meters, which is three times higher. In addition, there is a sea right outside the outfield on the right, which even brings in sea winds.
Under these circumstances, Oracle Park has been known as a stadium where left-handed hitters cannot hit long balls. In fact, according to MLB.com , left-handed hitters who played at Oracle Park had a slugging percentage of 0.369, which is the lowest among home stadiums in the big league last year except for Petco Park (0.368), the home ground of the San Diego Padres. In addition, in Statcast-based park factor (100 average), left-handed hitters have a home run factor of 84, which is the sixth lowest in the big league. According to Yahoo Sports, Lee Jung-hoo’s home run hit at the exhibition game was also a homerun at 29 out of 30 stadiums in the Major League, but not at Oracle Park.
As a result, San Francisco has had no left-handed hitters with 30 or more home runs since 2000, except for Barry Bonds (fifth inning), who borrowed drug power. Brandon Belt (currently Toronto) recorded 29 home runs in 2021, and six left-handed hitters, including Aubrey Huff (26 home runs) in 2010 and Mike Yastremski (25 home runs) in 2021, made more than 20 home runs.
Lee Jung-hoo, who had been to Oracle Park after signing with San Francisco, said in an interview in December last year, “When I went there, the right side definitely felt short, but the fence was very high. I think it will be a better pitch if I take advantage of my strengths because I think I am not a home run hitter with a wide outfield in the right and middle, but a gap heater that can hit well in the left and right.”
Lee Jung-hoo, who joined the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) as the first KBO League rookie draft pick in 2017, has played steadily for seven seasons, posting a batting average of 0.340 in 884 games, 65 homers and 515 RBIs, 581 runs scored and 69 steals, and a slugging percentage of 0.407 with an on-base percentage of 0.491 OPS of 0.898 in total. He ranks first in batting average among active players with over 3,000 at-bats in his career.
Lee, who had only two homers at 622 at-bats in 2017, steadily increased the number of homers and hit double-digit homers (15 homers) for the first time in 2020. Notably, he won the MVP title in the 2022 season with a batting average of 0.349 with 23 homers and 113 RBIs with an OPS of 0.996. He steadily increased his slugging capability while maintaining contact capability. He recorded many doubles in the past, but this turned into a homerun, resulting in a season of more than 20 homers.
He played in only 86 games due to injury in the 2023 season, posting a batting average of 0.318, six homers and 45 RBIs with an OPS of 0.861. Lee, who got off to a late start by posting a batting average of 0.218 during the month of April, showed a monthly batting average of 0.305 in May, 0.374 in June, and 0.435 in July. Eventually, Lee entered the batting average of .300 on June 11, and maintained his pace steadily. However, he was placed on the operating table after suffering an ankle injury in the match against Lotte Giants on July 22, and finished the season as a fan service member at the match against Gocheok Samsung on October 10, the end of the season. 여우알바
In December last year, Lee signed a six-year, 113 million-dollar contract with San Francisco that includes opt-out conditions after the end of the 2027 season. It was the highest paid price for an Asian batter in history. In detail, he will receive a down payment of 5 million U.S. dollars in 2024, 16 million dollars in 2025, and 22 million dollars in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and will receive 20.5 million dollars in 2028 and 2029.
Only five players, including Lee Jung-hoo, received contracts worth more than 100 million U.S. dollars at the FA market. Shohei Ohtani, 30, the biggest free agent player in the U.S., signed a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the largest professional sports players in North America. The Dodgers also awarded Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 26, the best pitcher in the Japanese professional baseball league, a 12-year, 325-million-dollar contract ever. Other than that, the Philadelphia Phillies gave Aaron Nola (seven-year, 172 million-dollar) and Jack Wheeler (three-year, 126 million-dollar). This shows that they have high expectations for Lee.
Local evaluation has also increased as he has been hitting hard every day in exhibition games. San Francisco’s local media Mercury News said on the 5th, “San Francisco’s new leadoff Lee Jung-hoo maintained his hotness and continued to record consecutive hits in the Cactus League,” adding, “The former KBO League star recorded hits in all five spring training games he played for the Giants.”
“The Giants recruited Lee Jung-hoo this winter to stabilize their rankings, and Lee Jung-hoo has been doing so so far in camp,” the media said. “Lee Jung-hoo recorded one hit and one walk in two at-bats against the Colorado Rockies (10-12 loss) at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Monday, and at least one hit in five Cactus League games he played.”
“The 25-year-old center fielder has a spring slash line with a batting average of 0.462 with a home run, a on-base percentage of 0.533 and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.302,” he said. “The sample size is small, but it is an encouraging sign for a team that signed a six-year $113 million contract with Lee Jung-hoo after using nine leading hitters last season.”
