The San Francisco Giants Finally Land a Big Name, Sign Jung-Hoo Lee to a 6-Year Contract
San Francisco, CA (PSF) — The San Francisco Giants have signed former KBO MVP Jung-Hoo Lee to a 6-year, 113 million-dollar deal, with an opt-out after year 4. Jon Heyman was the first to report the news.
The deal became official today, as Lee passed his physical.
Lee, who will turn 26 on August 20th, 2024, has had a storied career in the Korean Baseball League. Nicknamed “The Grandson of the Wind”, and wearing #51 to honor his hero Ichiro, Lee’s KBO accolades are as follows:
2017 KBO Rookie of the Year
2022 KBO MVP
5x KBO Gold Glove Winner
2x KBO Batting Champion
Fastest Player in KBO History to 1,000 hits
.340 Career average across 7 KBO Seasons
There will likely be an adjustment period for Lee coming from the KBO to the MLB, as the average fastball in the KBO is 88 miles per hour, compared to the MLB’s 94 miles per hour.
However, he has shown to be able to hit higher-level pitching, evidenced by his .429 average in this year’s World Baseball Classic, and was the only player on Team Korea to have a multi-hit game against Japan. Both Yu Darvish and Shota Imanaga both pitched in that game, who have mid-nineties fastballs and will be MLB pitchers next year, so he has shown his capability to hit faster pitching before.
The stats look great. He has 79 more career walks than strikeouts, a career .898 OPS, and two seasons with 100+ RBIs. His best season was his 2022 MVP season, where he slashed .349/.421/.575 with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, 5 steals, and a 66/32 BB/K ratio. This was his only 20+ home run season.
Overall, his hitting archetype should translate well to the MLB. He makes frequent contact, has great plate discipline and bat control, and has plus speed and defense. He should be an asset at the top of the Giants’ lineup, and be a staple there for at least the next four years. Although his left-side power may not translate, Oracle Park’s wide dimensions should reward his frequent contact with many doubles and triples. He’ll likely be an 8-12 home run hitter each year.
Analyses of Lee have tagged him as a more athletic, less-powerful Masataka Yoshida in terms of hitting, who slashed .288/.338/.446 with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs in 2023. Additionally, Lee will be a plus defender, and add speed, unlike Yoshida.
Fangraphs has projected him to be worth 2.8 WAR, and to have a .291/.353/.430 slash line with 10 home runs, and a 115 WRC+. The Giants will surely be happy with that, after getting just a combined 3.2 WAR from their 5 outfielders that players the most: Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Austin Slater, and Luis Matos.
Only time will tell about whether or not this is a good contract. But landing a marquee free agent is a huge win for the Giants, and they will be eager to see what he can do at the MLB level.
In the meantime, enjoy some Jung-Hoo Lee highlights from his MVP season and last year.
