Can Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants contribute to the team's postseason challenge?
On the 23rd (Korean time), Major League Baseball's official media outlet MLB.com analyzed the most important variables for teams that could challenge for the postseason in 2025. Lee Jung-hoo's name was mentioned in San Francisco.
Lee Jung-hoo, who reigned as Korea's top hitter with a career batting average of .304 over 884 games in the KBO League, recorded 3,476 at-bats, 1,181 hits, 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, 581 runs, 69 stolen bases, and an OPS of .898. He successfully made his Major League debut last season by signing a six-year, $113 million (approximately 1.656 billion won) contract with San Francisco.
Debuting in the big leagues with high expectations, Lee Jung-hoo unfortunately ended the season early after suffering a left shoulder dislocation when he collided with the outfield fence during a defensive play. His debut season statistics showed a batting average of .262 over 37 games with 145 at-bats, 38 hits, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 15 runs, 2 stolen bases, and an OPS of .641, leaving a sense of regret.
As a result, San Francisco did not reap significant benefits from acquiring Lee Jung-hoo, recording 80 wins and 82 losses with a winning percentage of .494 last season, finishing 4th in the National League. In response, they strengthened their lineup by signing top free agent shortstop Willy Adames for 7 years and $182 million (approximately 2.667 billion won). Adames is a top-tier shortstop in the league, with a career batting average of .248 over 880 games in Major League Baseball with 3,227 at-bats, 800 hits, 150 home runs, 472 RBIs, 467 runs, 51 stolen bases, and an OPS of .766.
MLB.com noted that while Adames has joined, for San Francisco to return to the postseason for the first time in four years since 2021, Lee Jung-hoo's rebound is necessary. "The Giants' lineup has gained strength with the addition of free agent Willy Adames," it said, adding, "However, he alone is insufficient to elevate San Francisco to a postseason-qualifying team, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding ace Logan Webb."
For San Francisco to challenge for the postseason, Lee Jung-hoo needs to contribute. MLB.com stated, "The Giants still expect Lee Jung-hoo, a major free agent signing in 2023, to inject the spark that the lineup needs. The star who shone in the KBO ended his debut season early due to a left shoulder injury. At the time of the injury, Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of .262 with 2 home runs and an OPS of .641. However, analyzing detailed metrics such as a swing-and-miss rate of 9.6% and a Samjin rate of 8.2%, there is hope that Lee Jung-hoo can improve in his second Major League season."
This year in spring training, Lee Jung-hoo played 12 games, achieving a batting average of .300 (30 at-bats, 9 hits), 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, 9 runs, and an OPS of .967, raising expectations. However, due to back strain, he has not played since the game against Texas on the 14th. San Francisco remains optimistic that Lee Jung-hoo will fully recover and return by the season opener. Attention is focused on whether Lee Jung-hoo can start the season healthy and perform well.
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