The San Francisco Giants are showing special interest in Lee Jung-hoo (25), who is aiming to enter the major leagues next season.
Lee is one of the best hitters in the KBO with a career batting average of .344 (3476-for-1181), 65 home runs, 515 RBIs and an OPS of .898 in 884 games. Last season, he batted .344 (193-for-553) with 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .996 OPS in 142 games, winning five batting titles (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs, and runs scored) and the league MVP. 먹튀검증
After announcing his intentions to play in the major leagues in a post after the end of last season, Lee's early-season struggles and late-season injuries limited him to 86 games (3-for-105 in 330 at-bats) with six home runs, 45 RBIs, and an .861 OPS. But that hasn't dampened the interest of major league clubs.
San Francisco, in particular, seems to be paying a lot of attention to Lee. The Athletic reported on November 20 (KST) that "San Francisco wants to hire a new manager by the time the free agency market opens in early November. But with the process of identifying a finalist stalled, president Farhan Zaidi traveled to Japan to scout free agents, where he watched Orix ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch in Game 1 of the final stage of the Climax Series. Around the same time, general manager Pete Putilla flew to South Korea to attend Lee Jung-hoo's final game. These moves underscore how strongly San Francisco intends to pursue two top international free agents."
Outside of Cody Bellinger (Cubs), there aren't many notable free agents in the upcoming winter free agency market. Naturally, Major League Baseball teams are interested in Lee.
The Athletic reports, "According to a person familiar with the South Korean market, Lee will prefer a team that can promise him a starting spot and give him time to work through any slumps. The 25-year-old center fielder, who has hit .340 in his career, has excellent ball skills and is considered one of the best players in the KBO. He had his best season in 2022, hitting .344 with 23 home runs and 66 doubles. In 553 at-bats, he struck out a ridiculously low 32 times," said a positive analysis of Lee.
Lee was injured on July 22 against Lotte and didn't return to 100% health until the end of the season. However, in the final home game against Samsung on July 10, he came up to bat for the last time to say goodbye to his fans. Futilla, who visited the Gocheok Dome on July 7 to watch Lee, also visited the Gocheok Dome for the game and watched Lee's last at-bat and farewell ceremony.
The Athletic reported, "An agent who represents KBO players said, 'It's impressive. He obviously didn't come just to watch Lee's at-bat. But I think this is something that will move him. Lee is a superstar here. The team that's going to get him is going to be one of the teams that treats him like a star player." San Francisco's sincerity could help them land Lee.
San Francisco is currently without a head coach after Gabe Kapler left the organization. The Athletic reports that San Francisco could target Bob Melvin, who is currently the head coach in San Diego. For now, San Diego is keeping Melvin until 2024.
Melvin is no stranger to Asian players. He worked with Ichiro Suzuki as Seattle's head coach from 2003 to 2004, and since taking over in San Diego last year, he has developed good relationships with Darvish Yu and Ha Sung Kim.
The Athletic said, "Melvin has built a strong relationship with Kim Ha Sung. He played with Lee in Kiwoom and is still a close friend," said The Athletic, adding that Melvin's relationship with Lee could help him recruit Lee if he becomes the manager of San Francisco. Melvin could be a more attractive option for Lee because he has consistently given him opportunities to reach his full potential, even when he struggled a bit in the major leagues.