Shohei Ohtani (31), the three-time MVP of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is also expected to surpass him. This shows how high expectations the Major League Baseball has for Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants.먹튀검증

Lee Jung-hoo's management company Rico Sports Agency said in a press release on the 7th, "Lee Jung-hoo will leave for the United States at 2:30 p.m. on January 12."

He was called a "hit genius" by beating out prominent candidates in the KBO and leading to a six-year, $130 million (164.1 billion won) contract with San Francisco, but he was disappointed in his first season.

In 37 games in the first season of the big league, he had a batting average of 0.262 (38 hits in 145 times at bat), two homers, eight RBIs and 15 runs scored, an on-base percentage of 0.310, an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.331, and an OPS of 0.641, and on-base plus slugging percentage) in a home game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 13 and suffered an injury after colliding with the fence while trying to catch a hit heading to the outfield. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a dislocation due to structural damage to his left shoulder and was put on the operating table. As such, Lee Jung-hoo's debut season in the big league ended early.

His rating couldn't have been better. The U.S. media Bleacher Report called Lee's 2024 F grade. "Looking at the long run, chances are high it will be a good deal, but it's not a good start," Lee said. "Lee was not an impressive player until he suffered a shoulder injury after 37 games. It's not what San Francisco expected from him," he said in a cold assessment. His assessment is a nod given that he won a huge contract.

Nonetheless, expectations are high for the new season. U.S. baseball statistics website Fangraph.COM recently released the forecast results of MLB players in the 2025 season using its own performance forecasting program "Stimmer."

FanGraph.COM predicted that Lee Jung-hoo will play in 143 games next season with a batting average of 0.294, 14 homers, 62 RBIs, 88 runs and 13 steals, a on-base percentage of 0.351, a slugging percentage of 0.438, an on-base plus slugging percentage of 0.789 (OPS), and a victory contribution (WAR) of 3.9 compared to replacement players.

What stands out the most is his batting average. For the third consecutive year, Lee proudly ranked fifth after Luis Arraez (San Diego Padres, batting average of 0.307), Jordan Alvarez (Houston Astros, 0.301), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays, 0.297), and Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals, 0.296). If the team narrows its scope to the National League, Lee will rank second. It can be interpreted that Lee is the strongest candidate who can block Arraez from becoming the batting champion for the fourth consecutive year.

Considering the poor performance in the first season, Lee may not be convinced immediately, but the situation is different when examining the detailed figures. Among batters who played more than 100 at-bats last year, Lee's strikeout rate stood at 8.2 percent, trailing only Araez (4.3 percent). He also ranked third with a swing and miss rate of 9.6 percent, following Araez (6.9 percent) and Steve Kwan (Cavland Guardians 8.2 percent). He also showed figures that can be evaluated as the top-ranked in the league in all figures related to contact ability, including the swing and miss ratio (6 percent) of balls entering the zone, the swing and miss ratio (19.1 percent) of balls outside the zone, the swing and miss ratio (19.1 percent) of balls outside the zone, the fourth place (93.4 percent) and the fourth place (79.4 percent) of contacts outside the zone.

Another interest is the face-off with the NL rival LA Dodgers. The Dodgers have Kim Hye-sung, who shared a team with Lee Jung-hoo when he was a Kiwoom Heroes player. Kim Hye-sung signed a 3+2 year contract on the 4th for up to 22 million dollars (about 31.9 billion won). Competitor Gavin Lux was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on the 7th, giving a green light to the main competition.

In addition, Shohei Ohtani will return as a pitcher from this year. In addition, the confrontation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and former teammate Blake Snell is drawing attention.

Their first showdown will take place on June 14. They will hold three consecutive away games at Dodger Stadium. In July, they will welcome the Dodgers at home from July 12 to 14, ahead of the All Star break. With fall baseball just around the corner, they will meet the Dodgers six times in 13 consecutive games of hell. They will play at home from September 13 to 15, and play four consecutive games from September 19 to 22. They will have a total of 13 showdowns, and depending on the outcome, their entry into the fall baseball may vary.