Lee Jeong-hoo is expected to enjoy the Major League stage wearing the San Francisco Giants uniform next season. He signed a contract that exceeded expectations and crossed the Pacific Ocean.
John Heyman of the American media 'New York Post' said on his SNS on the 13th (Korean time), "Lee Jung-hoo signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants. The contract period is 6 years, a total of 113 million dollars (about 149 billion won), 2027 season. “It appears that an opt-out clause is included after termination.”
On the afternoon of the 4th, Lee Jeong-hoo's original team, Kiwoom Heroes, said, "Lee Jeong-hoo's posting (private competitive bidding) notice to the American Major League (MLB) will be announced on December 4th, Eastern Time," and "We hope to recruit Lee Jeong-hoo starting the day after the posting notice." “We will begin full-scale negotiations for 30 days with 30 major league clubs,” the official announced.
In accordance with the Korea-US Player Contract Agreement, major league clubs wishing to recruit Lee Jeong-hoo were able to proceed with negotiations until 5 PM (US Eastern Time) on January 3 of next year.
San Francisco moved quickly to strengthen its power. General Manager Pete Putilla visited Gocheok Sky Dome last October and personally checked Lee Jung-hoo's physical condition, betting $113 million and becoming the KBO League's best star.
San Francisco is the team where KT Wiz's Hwang Jae-gyun achieved his dream of becoming a big leaguer in the 2017 season. Song Seung-jun, Kim Sun-woo, Kim Byeong-hyun, and Lee Hak-ju played for San Francisco's minor league team.
There were local media reports in the U.S. that the San Diego Padres, who were in dire need of strengthening their outfield, could also enter the race to recruit Lee Jung-hoo, but Lee Jung-hoo's final choice was San Francisco.
The interest of major league clubs in Lee Jung-hoo was ‘genuine.’ Born in 1998, everything about him was attractive, including his young age in his mid-20s, which can be considered the peak age for baseball players, his outstanding ability, and his decent outfield defense.
On the 4th, John Heyman said on his SNS, "KBO MVP-former outfielder Lee Jung-hoo is expected to be posted as early as the 5th. Many teams, including the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees, are interested in Lee Jung-hoo." The reaction was reported.
USA Today also emphasized that numerous teams are paying close attention to Lee Jeong-hoo's posting, saying, "The New York Mets are showing great interest in Lee Jung-hoo to strengthen their power this offseason."
On the 6th, Major League Baseball's official website 'MLB.com' said, "San Francisco is looking at 'Korean star' Lee Jeong-hoo to upgrade its center fielder," and "San Francisco won the 2022 KBO MVP and posted a batting average of 0.340 over 7 seasons in the league. It is one of the teams actively trying to recruit the 25-year-old Jeong-hoo Lee. Although Jeong-hoo Lee suffered a fractured left ankle in July of this year and played only 86 games, San Francisco sent general manager Putilla to Korea in October to watch Jeong-hoo Lee's final game for Kiwoom. “They did not spare any attention, sending it to .” 카지노사이트랭크
In an interview at the Winter Meeting, San Francisco General Manager Putilla shared his impressions of Lee Jeong-hoo, saying, “It was nice to see him take 6 or 7 swings in one at-bat,” adding, “I was also able to see him catching a fly ball, and his energy was truly amazing. It was a great experience.” He also praised it, saying, “It was.”
'MLB.com' said, "Lee Jung-hoo, who has won the KBO Golden Glove five times, is evaluated as a center fielder with top-level defense, and this is a position that San Francisco needs to strengthen this offseason," suggesting a high possibility of Lee Jung-hoo going to San Francisco. I saw it and it became reality.
Lee Jung-hoo graduated from Whimoon High School in 2017 and debuted by joining Kiwoom Heroes as a first-round pick. Until his amateur days, he was famous as the son of KBO League legend father Lee Jong-beom, but now Lee Jeong-hoo has grown into an indispensable star in Korean baseball history.
Lee Jung-hoo has been Kiwoom's starting outfielder since his rookie season. He appeared in all 144 regular league games and hit hard with a batting average of 0.324 (179 hits in 552 at-bats), 2 home runs, 47 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and an OSP of 0.812. Not only did he break the record for the most hits in a single season by a KBO high school rookie hitter, but he also became the Rookie of the Year, something his father, Lee Jong-beom, could not do.
In the 2018 season, which was his second year, he continued his growth with a batting average of 0.355 (163 hits in 459 at-bats), 6 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 109 games, with an OPS of 0.889, as if ridiculing concerns about a 'sophomore jinx'. This year, he participated in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and received special military service exemption while wearing the Taegeuk symbol and winning a gold medal. He continued his growth by winning the Golden Glove in the outfield category.
Lee Jeong-hoo completely solidified his position as the best hitter in the KBO League with a batting average of 0.336 (193 hits in 574 at-bats), 6 home runs, 68 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.842 in 140 games in the 2019 season, his third year.
In the 2020 season, he outdid himself. He even improved his slugging power, which was evaluated as being relatively lacking compared to his sophisticated contact ability. In 140 games, he had a batting average of 0.333 (181 hits in 544 at-bats), 15 home runs, 101 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.921, hitting his first double-digit home run in his debut.
Lee Jeong-hoo's growth never stopped. In the 2021 season, in 123 games, he dominated the league with a batting average of 0.360 (167 hits in 464 at-bats), 7 home runs, 84 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.959. By winning the title of batting champion, he and his father Lee Jong-beom (1994 season MVP, batting average 0.393, 196 hits, 19 home runs, 77 RBI, 84 stolen bases) made a wonderful history as the first father-son batting champions in professional baseball in Korea, the United States, and Japan.
He became an even more fearsome hitter in the 2022 season. With a batting average of 0.349 (193 hits in 553 at-bats) in 142 games, 23 home runs, 113 RBI, 5 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.996, he was crowned batting champion and regular league MVP for two consecutive years. Kiwoom, which was considered a last-place candidate, achieved the feat of advancing to the Korean Series for the third time since its founding with Lee Jeong-hoo at the forefront.
Lee Jeong-hoo went to the United States early in the middle of last month and waited for the results of the negotiations. On the 7th, he visited Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul to watch Game 5 of the 2023 Korean Series between the LG Twins and KT Wiz, but he politely declined reporters' interview requests at the time and did not talk about advancing to the major leagues.
Instead, Lee Jeong-hoo announced to domestic baseball fans that he was heading to San Francisco earlier than expected. It was reported that the contract process was entrusted to 'super agent' Scott Boras, and Boras showed off his skills to the fullest.
On the 8th, the American sports media outlet 'The Athletic' gave Lee Jung-hoo a high value by ranking him 16th overall in the Major League FA player rankings and 4th among outfielders. Boras attracted a huge amount of betting from San Francisco, and the destination for the KBO League's top star was decided to be San Francisco.
Lee Jeong-hoo's value was much higher than expected in Korea. American media such as 'MLB Trade Rumors' predicted that Lee Jung-hoo would sign a five-year contract worth a total of $50 million (about 65.6 billion won), but the actual contract size was well over twice that.
'CBS Sports' was the one that most accurately matched Lee Jung-hoo's destination and contract size. Last November, the media predicted that Lee Jung-hoo would wear a San Francisco uniform, saying, "Lee Jung-hoo will sign a six-year contract worth a total of $90 million (about 118 billion won) and will have the right to opt out after four years," and it was correct. .
Lee Jeong-hoo's performance in the KBO League as well as his outstanding performance in major international competitions appear to have been attractive to San Francisco. Lee Jeong-hoo performed well in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12 with a batting average of 0.385 (10 hits in 26 at-bats), 4 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.061, and was selected as one of the best 11 players in the competition.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he hit hard as Korea's leading hitter. In particular, he hit a double against Japan's famous special pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the semifinals against Japan.
He also showed his true worth at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March this year. Although he was on the bright side as Korea was eliminated in the first round, he hit hard with a batting average of 0.429 (6 hits in 14 at-bats), 5 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.071. In the Korea-Japan match, he hit a timely hit against Japan's ace Yu Darvish. He showed enough elements to be attractive to major league scouts.
Kiwoom Heroes has solidified its position as the KBO League's 'big leaguer academy' in name and reality. Kiwoom produced its fourth major leaguer, with Jung-ho Kang moving to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the end of the 2014 season, Byeong-ho Park moving to the Minnesota Twins after the end of the 2015 season, Ha-seong Kim moving to the San Diego Padres after the end of the 2020 season, and Jeong-hoo Lee heading to the major leagues. .
Lee Jeong-hoo went far beyond the treatment his seniors received. Kang Jung-ho signed a four-year contract worth $11 million (about 14.5 billion won), Park Byeong-ho signed a four-year contract worth $12 million (about 15.8 billion won), and Kim Ha-seong signed a four-year contract worth $28 million (about 36.8 billion won). Lee Jeong-hoo entered the major league stage receiving more than twice the amount of the contracts of these three players combined.
