Now Major League Baseball cannot help but pay attention to Lee Jung-hoo of San Francisco. Whether in terms of buzz or records, Lee Jung-hoo is currently the best center fielder in Major League Baseball. He may even write history as the first Korean big leaguer.

Lee Jung-hoo is currently leading the heart of the San Francisco lineup healthily this year. The son of legend Lee Jong-bum, known as 'the grandson of the wind,' Lee Jung-hoo has been on the superstar track since his debut, continuing to establish himself as a superstar in his second year in Major League Baseball.

On the 12th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the third center fielder in the first game of a three-game interleague series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, leading the team to a 9-1 blowout win in the sixth inning with a performance of 2 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored.

In particular, on this day, Lee Jung-hoo hit his first home run. With no outs and runners on first and second in the first inning, he hit a three-run homer against veteran starter Marcus Stroman, who has 87 career wins, connecting with Stroman's third pitch, an 89.4 mph (143 km/h) sinker, for a homer to right-center. The exit velocity was 100.5 mph (161 km/h) with a distance of 387 feet (117 m). It was his home run after 12 games this season.

As he cleared the wall of Yankee Stadium, known as the home of baseball and referred to as 'the house that Ruth built,' MLB.com featured news of Lee Jung-hoo's home run prominently on its homepage. MLB's official social media account posted, 'Lee Jung-hoo takes a bite out of the Big Apple,' expressing that he made a strong impact in New York and conquered the city.

It was a moment that confirmed that both the San Francisco team and Major League Baseball view Lee Jung-hoo as a superstar. He was also selected as the main model for San Francisco's newly announced City Connect uniform this year.

It is not just the buzz that stands out. Because of his performance, Lee Jung-hoo's star quality is being highlighted even more. Currently, Lee Jung-hoo has a batting average of .333 (51 at-bats, 17 hits), 1 home run, 7 RBIs, and 14 runs scored in 13 games, with an OPS of .992. He currently leads Major League Baseball with 8 doubles. Although he has just hit a home run, he is producing extra-base hits with his power.

Such performances are also evident in the sabermetrics. As of the 13th, his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) by FanGraphs is 0.9, which is first on the team. And among center fielders in the 30 Major League Baseball teams, there is no one better than Lee Jung-hoo. He currently ranks first in center fielder WAR in Major League Baseball, with George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays in second with 0.7. This record shows how much Lee Jung-hoo contributes offensively and defensively as a center fielder. Overall, he ranks 8th in Major League Baseball WAR, showing his high status overall.

ESPN highlighted Lee Jung-hoo's performance on the 10th, boldly placing him alongside renowned superstars like Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres. ESPN made a daring prediction that Lee Jung-hoo would become the batting champion of the National League this year and make it into the top five of the MVP voting.

The outlet explained, 'Lee Jung-hoo's rookie season ended after 37 games. However, if he had not had 15 fewer at-bats last year, he could have been a contender for Rookie of the Year this year.'

Furthermore, they assessed that 'Lee Jung-hoo is faster and has more potential to hit for power than Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres. He is a spray hitter capable of sending the ball in various directions, making him difficult to defend against.' Arraez is a representative contact hitter in Major League Baseball, having won batting titles in the American League in 2022 and in the National League in 2023 and 2024, securing three consecutive titles. However, he specializes in contact ability and does not possess the same power or base-running skills as Lee Jung-hoo. His defensive abilities are also relatively lacking.

They continued that 'since he hits behind Willy Adames and in front of Matt Chapman, he can get pitches to hit without being closely guarded, and there is a high chance he will hit in situations with runners on base,' adding that 'recent batting champions, such as Yandy Díaz, Yuli Gurriel, Tim Anderson, Jeff McNeil, and Dee Gordon, have often been lesser-known hitters,' predicting that Lee Jung-hoo could make a big impact this year.

If Lee Jung-hoo finishes in the top five of the MVP voting, he will write history as the first Korean to do so, achieving the highest honor in the Korean big leaguer ranks. Among Korean big leaguers, only Choo Shin-soo (14th in 2010, 13th in 2013), Ryu Hyun-jin (19th in 2019, 13th in 2020), and Kim Ha-seong (14th in 2023) have received votes in the MVP voting.

The player with the highest voting points recorded was Choo Shin-soo in 2013, who received 1 sixth-place vote, 1 seventh-place vote, 1 eighth-place vote, 4 ninth-place votes, and 3 tenth-place votes, totaling 23 points.

If it continues this way, Lee Jung-hoo will acquire votes within the top five and reach the pinnacle as a Korean big leaguer. Hence, Lee Jung-hoo's performance this year is unique, and there are hopes and expectations that it will continue steadily.

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