‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants) was ranked third on the list of 100 players to watch in the Major Leagues this year, thanks to his 4-for-4 batting average in exhibition games.
On the 24th (Korea time), USA Today, an American media outlet, selected the 100 players to watch in the Major League Baseball in 2024.
“The 100 players, representing 30 teams, are not top prospects, but rather prospects who are likely to make an impact in the big leagues this season. They are ranked by their projections for how important they could be this season. This includes players from Asia or Latin America,” and listed San Francisco outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee at No. 3.
“The six-year, $113 million contract was the first domino in a revolutionary Giants offseason,” the publication wrote, describing Lee as a “Korean slugger. San Francisco followed up with Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, and Blake Snell. Lee went on to play seven seasons in the KBO, compiling a career batting average of .344 and winning the league MVP award in 2022.”
On Dec. 13 of last year, the former KBO slugger fulfilled his dream of becoming a big leaguer by signing a massive six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco, 토토사이트 a traditional powerhouse in the National League West.
Lee’s contract far surpassed that of Ryu Hyun-jin who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lee’s contract far surpassed that of Ryu Hyun-jin (six years, $36 million), who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. It also surpassed Japanese slugger Masataka Yoshida’s five-year, $90 million deal with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season, making it the most expensive contract ever for an Asian player in the major leagues. The top spot for both pitcher and catcher is held by Masahiro Tanaka, who signed a seven-year, $155 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2014. The KBO, a league that is considered a step below Nippon Professional Baseball, quickly became the second-largest Asian contract.
The first overall pick of the Nexen Heroes in the 2017 rookie draft, Lee batted .344 with 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, 69 doubles, and 581 runs scored in 884 games in the KBO. In 2022, he batted .344 with 193 hits, 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS in 142 games, winning five batting titles (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total bases, and RBIs) and the regular season MVP award.
Lee also proved his competitiveness in various international tournaments, including the 2017 APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship), the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the 2019 Premier12, and the 2021 and 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic). Seven years after his professional debut, Lee Jung-hoo is no longer Lee Jong-beom’s son, but a Korean superstar.
Lee has shown remarkable adaptability in Major League Baseball’s exhibition games, and his rookie season has been promising.
Through 11 games against the Chicago Cubs on March 23, Lee is batting 4-for-12 (29 at-bats) with one home run, five RBIs, two doubles, six runs scored, and six runs batted in. He has hit safely in his last three games and has two multi-hit games in a row, so he’s on pace to open the season. He has a .485 on-base percentage and a .586 slugging percentage.
Meanwhile, USA Today named Japanese Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA Dodgers) the No. 1 player to watch this year. “The Dodgers spent $325 million to get their ace. 파워볼실시간 One of the most highly regarded Japanese players in history, he has an incredible 1.82 ERA in seven seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was also a three-time MVP of the Pacific League.”
However, Yamamoto did not live up to expectations and took the loss in the second game of the opening series against the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on April 21, giving up five runs in one inning.