Expectations are high for Jung-Hoo Lee
Local media in the United States have predicted a successful debut season for Lee Jung-hoo, 25, in a Major League Baseball (MLB) San Francisco Giants uniform.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, named 10 potential candidates for the All-MLB team for the 2024 season on Monday (Aug. 18).
The All-MLB teams, which are comprised of the best players at each position, are determined by a combination of 50 percent fan voting and 50 percent expert voting, with nominees selected based on season performance in both the American and National Leagues. There are two teams: the First Team, which includes the best players, and the Second Team, which includes the position runners-up.
With a big league career ahead of him next year, there’s been some optimism that Jung-hoo Lee will be named to the All-MLB team in center field.
MLB.com first looked at Lee with some concern. “We still don’t know how he’ll perform in the MLB. In an injury-shortened season, he had a nearly 60 percent ground ball rate and a .120 on-base percentage, both of which were down from the previous year.”
However, the organization noted Lee’s various strengths and explained why he was a candidate for the All-MLB team.
MLB.com wrote, “There’s a lot to like about Lee’s hitter profile. “He makes contact, has great power, and has a baseball pedigree as a ‘grandson of the wind,'” said MLB.com. “He can hit the ball in all directions, which could be an advantage at Oracle Park (San Francisco’s home ballpark) with its wide and deep outfield. He’s only 25 years old, and he’s a great defensive center fielder.”
“It’s hard to predict what kind of production Lee will have in San Francisco, but he said at his introductory press conference, ‘I’m going to impress the fans with my skills from day one.’ It’s not hard to imagine him living up to that expectation.”
Lee Jung-hoo, who knocked on the big league door through the posting system (closed competitive bidding) after the 2023 season, signed a six-year, $113 million (KRW 14.64 billion) major league contract with San Francisco on Nov. 15. He became the highest-paid Asian player, surpassing Japanese slugger Masataka Yoshida, who signed a six-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox last December.
The only other Asian player to have gone through the pitcher’s system is Japanese pitcher Masahiro 카지노 Tanaka (Rakuten Golden Eagles). Tanaka signed a seven-year, $155 million contract with the New York Yankees in January 2014.
In addition to Lee, Bobby Witt Jr. (shortstop-Kansas City Royals), Royce Lewis (third baseman-Minnesota Twins), Spencer Steer (infielder/outfielder-Cincinnati Reds), and Evan Carter (outfielder-Texas Rangers), Nolan Jones (outfielder-Colorado Rockies), Yoenis Diaz (catcher-Houston Astros), Paul Skennis (pitcher-Pittsburgh Pirates), George Kirby (pitcher-Seattle Mariners), and Imanaga Shota (pitcher-Free Agent) were nominated for the All-MLB team.
