The San Francisco Giants faced a challenging competition in the National League West. Last year's World Series champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers, is present, and the San Diego Padres are eyeing the title as the Dodgers' opponents. Additionally, there are the Arizona Diamondbacks, which cannot be underestimated. It was hard to consider San Francisco a competitive team compared to these teams.
However, currently, San Francisco is not falling behind in competition with them at all. San Francisco's start is excellent and hot. With a record of 13 wins and 5 losses, a winning percentage of .722, they are in second place in the division. The division leader San Diego (15 wins and 4 losses, winning percentage .789), the Los Angeles Dodgers (13 wins and 6 losses, winning percentage .684), and fourth place Arizona (11 wins and 7 losses, winning percentage .611) all have a winning percentage over .600, and amidst this winning percentage inflation, San Francisco is surviving.
This upward trend includes Lee Jung-hoo. The American media recognizes it too. On the 16th, the American 'Forbes' published an analysis article stating, 'One of the reasons for San Francisco's hot start is Lee Jung-hoo.'
The media noted, 'San Francisco did not acquire the top players in the free-agent market like their division rival, the Dodgers. While there have been significant acquisitions like Willy Adames and Justin Verlander, it is hard to consider them equivalent to Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Blake Snell.' However, they emphasized Lee Jung-hoo, stating, 'They forgot about Lee Jung-hoo, who was acquired before the 2023 season. The reason they overlooked him is that he couldn't fully participate in his first season due to a shoulder injury.' After the 2023 season, Lee Jung-hoo signed a massive contract worth $113 million over six years with San Francisco through the posting system. The media reported, 'He recorded a batting average of .304, an on-base percentage of .470, and a slugging percentage of .491 over seven years in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). If he had not undergone surgery for a serious ankle injury, he could have signed a bigger contract.' They mentioned, 'He suffered a severe injury to his left shoulder in May last year, had surgery, and ended the season after just 158 plate appearances. His performance before the injury also did not meet expectations.' Lee Jung-hoo only managed to play in 37 games last year, finishing with a batting average of .262 (38 hits in 145 at-bats), 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 15 runs scored, and an OPS of .641.
However, this year, Lee Jung-hoo is making a strong start. He has recorded a batting average of .338 (23 hits in 68 at-bats), 3 home runs, 14 RBIs, 19 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.042 in 17 games. He currently leads the league in doubles. The media stated, 'In 2025, Lee Jung-hoo and the team are showing a completely different appearance. Lee Jung-hoo is leading the team,' while acknowledging that 'of course, at the beginning of the season, it is difficult to hastily conclude such success. The underperformance of 2024 also makes overall evaluations premature. However, if Lee Jung-hoo truly finds his true self, what kind of player could he become?'
The media mentioned Lee Jung-hoo's talents, stating, 'Lee Jung-hoo has quite a balanced set of tools overall. An average bat speed is a weakness. However, his ability to make contact is excellent, and even when he struggled last year, his contact skills remained impressive.' They added, 'His defense is at least above average for a center fielder. It could be even more than that. He has a strong throwing ability relative to his position, and his sprint speed is also above average. While he is not a specialist in stolen bases, he possesses agility as well.' They noted that last year was inevitably disappointing in terms of statistics. The media said, 'Before his shoulder injury, he made many quality contacts, and the strength of line drives and ground balls was decent. However, the contact strength of fly balls was relatively weak. Most were ordinary fly balls ranging from 80 to 95 miles per hour. Out of 39 fly balls, only 3 had a contact speed of over 100 miles, and the highest contact speed was only 104.4 miles per hour.' They analyzed, 'Even if he had completed the season, his 2024 performance wouldn't have warranted his salary.'
The media's analysis indicates that this year is different. They mentioned, 'In 2025, the line drive rate has significantly increased, and the fly ball rate has decreased. This is similar to his KBO days, and this trend is likely to continue.' The most noticeable change is the increased contact strength of fly balls. They acknowledged that while the sustainability of this is uncertain, the average contact speed has increased by about 5 miles to nearly 93 miles per hour, and nearly half of the fly balls exceed 100 miles per hour. However, the top contact speed remains at 104.5 miles per hour.' They stated that based on these figures, 'Hitting 20 home runs may be difficult. There is no confidence in increasing slugging potential.' Still, they noted, 'There is a high likelihood of a batting average of .300. He will likely achieve similar walk rates to strikeouts. His fundamental skills are solid, and he can contribute significantly beyond just offense. While health is a concern, it is too early to label him as injury-prone.'
The media concluded, 'The lineup with Lee Jung-hoo has certainly become stronger.' They noted, 'Currently, he is performing like a typical No. 3 hitter, but he may fit better in the 1 or 2 spot. However, he can be utilized anywhere in the lineup.' They added, 'Whether Lee Jung-hoo can perform up to the scale of his contract depends on his health, but he is a stable player with a quite unique style and shows a desire to win,' analyzing Lee Jung-hoo's tendencies and mentioning his potential for success.
Lee Jung-hoo's bat has been hot every day. On the 16th and 17th, he recorded multi-hits including doubles in two consecutive games against the Philadelphia Phillies. On the 17th, he had a remarkable performance leading the team with 2 hits in 5 at-bats, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. That day, Lee Jung-hoo faced Aaron Nola, who signed a massive contract worth $172 million over seven years after last season, having achieved a total of 104 wins in Major League Baseball. He showed his strength right from his first at-bat in the 1st inning. With one out and a runner on second, on a 1 ball, 1 strike count, he lifted an 82.9-mile per hour changeup for a clutch single to right field.
In the 5th inning, with one out and no runners on base, he pulled an 84.4-mile-per-hour cutter from Nola for a double to right field, creating a scoring opportunity, and scored on Matt Chapman's clutch hit. It was a score that put them ahead at 5-4.
In the 6th inning, with one out and the bases loaded, he registered an additional RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field, confirming his outstanding performance that day.
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