Lee Jung-hoo's "Heavy Shoulders" after rehabilitation

This is the result of Lee Jung-hoo (aged 27, photo by the San Francisco Giants) in the 2025 season, which was projected by Fangraph, a platform specializing in statistical analysis of the U.S. Major League Baseball. Lee played only 37 games due to injury in the 2024 season, but he still highly values Lee.

Lee Jung-hoo, the "grandchild of the wind," will fly to the U.S. to prepare for the new season.

Lee Jung-hoo will depart for Las Vegas on Wednesday. He will move to Arizona State, where his team spring camp will be held, and begin tempering in earnest.토토사이트

Lee Jung-hoo, who made his professional debut in 2017 (Nexen, current Kiwoom Heroes), entered the big league after completing the 2023 season by signing a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco. Lee Jung-hoo, who entered MLB with a ransom that far exceeded Ryu Hyun-jin ($36 million) and Kim Ha-sung ($28 million), had high expectations from the first season. San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said, "I will use Lee Jung-hoo as a center fielder and first hitter," and Lee Jung-hoo predicted a sensation with a batting average of 0.343, one homer, five RBIs, six runs and two steals in the exhibition game.

Even after the season play-off, he quickly adapted to the dream stage. At one point in April, he exceeded his batting average of 0.270 to meet expectations, and he was as sophisticated a batter as he only had 10 strikeouts from March to April. Of course, he suffered through sluggishness. From the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 28 to the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 6, he only had six hits in 35 times at bat (0.171). However, it did not last long. In three games since May 7, he has been on the rise, swinging on hard hits (6 hits in 14 times at bat, 0.429).

Then on May 13, he ran to catch a homerun in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds, collided with a fence, and collapsed holding onto his left shoulder. It appeared to be a simple sprain, but structural damage was found to his shoulder. Eventually, Lee finished the first season with 38 hits in 145 at-bats for 37 games (batting average 0.262). Lee, who underwent surgery under the leadership of Dr. Neil Elatrice, one of the most specialized doctors in shoulder and elbow, returned to Korea in October last year to concentrate on physical fitness. "I had difficulties before the surgery, but I felt that time passed," Lee said. "It will be a good experience because I have to play baseball many times in the future."

Although Lee did not display much performance in the first season, expectations remain in the U.S. for Lee. The FANGRAPH forecasts that Lee will contribute 4.1 percent to his replacement in the 2025 season. This is the second highest in his team following Patrick Bailey (4.4). MLB.COM has named Lee Jung-hoo, who is highly capable of hitting, as a player to pay attention to in San Francisco during the 2025 season. "Lee had a 9.6 percent swing rate and an 8.2 percent strikeout rate before his injury," MLB.COM said. "His batting performance is as high as 37.1 percent in the squared-up rate."

However, there are many challenges that Lee must prove. The key is how much he recovered from his form before the injury, and how much he reinforced his weak slugging capability. Lee's ability to hit the ball at the center of the bat is not much different from that of Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani (37.3 percent), but he lacks strength in batting. Ohtani garnered 54 arches in the 2024 season to become the home run king of the National League, while Lee only garnered six long balls including two homers. Lee's OPS, which combines on-base plus slugging percentage, is low at 0.641.

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