San Francisco Giants Lee Jung-hoo (27) earns the third-highest salary among major league center fielders but is showing the most outstanding performance.

American media outlet Yahoo Sports introduced the salary rankings for major league center fielders on the 29th (Korean time). Kodi Bellinger (Yankees) ranks first, George Springer (Toronto) is second, and Lee Jung-hoo is in third place.

Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million contract with the Cubs in February 2024. This year, his salary is $26.7 million. Springer signed a six-year, $150 million contract with Springer in January 2021 and is receiving $25 million this year.

With a career batting average of .334 over 884 games in the KBO League (3,476 at-bats, 1,181 hits), 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, 581 runs scored, and 69 stolen bases, Lee Jung-hoo, who has excelled as Korea's top hitter, made his major league debut with a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco last season. This year, his salary is $18.8 million.

In his debut season, Lee Jung-hoo underwent shoulder surgery due to an injury, managing a batting average of .262 over 37 games (145 at-bats, 38 hits), with 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 15 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases, achieving an OPS of .641. This year, he is making up for that disappointment with a hot performance, recording a batting average of .324 over 28 games (108 at-bats, 35 hits), with 3 home runs, 16 RBIs, 22 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases, with an OPS of .929.

Bellinger, who has the highest salary among center fielders, is currently recording disappointing results this year. He has a batting average of .194 over 26 games (93 at-bats, 18 hits), with 2 home runs, 13 RBIs, 13 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases, achieving an OPS of .574. Springer, who had struggled until last year, has successfully bounced back this season, with a batting average of .325 over 26 games (80 at-bats, 26 hits), 2 home runs, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored, 4 stolen bases, and an OPS of .915.

According to the American baseball statistics site FanGraphs, Lee Jung-hoo ranks 7th among major league players in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) with a score of 1.5. He shows the best numbers in hitting among the components that make up WAR but also displays good performance in baserunning and defense, demonstrating a balanced performance in all aspects. Among center fielders, he has the second-highest WAR after Peak Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), who has a WAR of 2.0. The second-highest salary center fielder, Springer, has a WAR of 0.6, while first-place Bellinger has -0.2.

Even according to another baseball statistics site, Baseball Reference, this year Lee Jung-hoo is recording top-tier results in the major leagues. He ranks 8th overall among WAR players (1.6) and 2nd among center fielders. According to Baseball Reference, the number one center fielder is Crow-Armstrong (1.9).

Lee Jung-hoo, who recorded hits in five consecutive games, had a day off as San Francisco had no game on this travel day. From the 30th, they will play a two-game series against San Diego. Fans are eagerly awaiting what kind of performance Lee Jung-hoo will show this year as he continues his good hitting form.

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