Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) is making headlines as a standout player representing San Francisco with his remarkable performance early in the season.

Major League Baseball's official website, MLB.com, noted on the 30th (Korea time) how one or more players could bring significant changes over a year, identifying seven teams that made significant leaps in specific positions. It analyzed the high performance in the same position in 2025, despite struggling offensively in that position in 2024, using the wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) metric.

The media praised Lee Jung-hoo for dramatically advancing the San Francisco center field position. MLB.com mentioned, "It was hard to guess what kind of player Lee Jung-hoo would be in Major League Baseball last year. Having won the batting title in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) twice, he recorded a low wRC+ of 83 over 37 games with the Giants before undergoing season-ending surgery due to a left shoulder injury on May 13."

However, this year has been completely different. The media mentioned, "Lee Jung-hoo is hitting nearly every pitch he sees, so he clearly does not feel any unusual signs. He has recorded at least a .300 batting average and a .450 slugging percentage against all three pitch types: fastballs, breaking balls, and off-speed pitches."

Lee Jung-hoo has recorded a wRC+ of 159 this year. He has increased his wRC+ by 69 points from last year in the San Francisco center field position. He has a batting average of .324 (35 hits in 108 at-bats), 3 home runs, 16 RBIs, and 22 runs scored over 28 games, with an OPS of .929. With 11 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs, his slugging percentage is also high at .546.

MLB.com analyzed that Lee Jung-hoo's sweet spot launch angle percentage (a Statcast metric that measures the frequency of hitting the ball within the optimal launch angle range of 8 to 32 degrees) has increased by 13 points, contributing to his 16 extra-base hits over 28 games. In 2024, he recorded only 6 extra-base hits over 37 games.

They predicted that this season would not be just a flash-in-the-pan performance but that Lee Jung-hoo would continue to have good results until the end of the season. The media noted that Lee Jung-hoo was a 'double machine' in Korea and it seems that momentum has continued into Major League Baseball. He is tied for the lead in the National League with 11 doubles. Given his excellent bat control (with a 13.4% swing-and-miss rate) and ability to hit any pitch, this season is likely to be a memorable one for Lee Jung-hoo.

Meanwhile, the catcher for the Chicago Cubs (Carson Kelly, 2025 wRC+: 173 (+104 points)) was noted as the first, followed by the center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays (Johnny DeLuca, Cameron Mizner, Chandler Simpson, 2025 wRC+: 181 (+99 points)) in second, and the first baseman for the New York Yankees (Paul Goldschmidt, 2025 wRC+: 152 (+76 points)) in third place for making significant leaps in their positions.

The second baseman for the Boston Red Sox (Christian Campbell, 2025 wRC+: 120 (+75 points)) was ranked fourth, and Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco center field position was fifth. The second baseman for the Cleveland Guardians (Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann, 2025 wRC+: 146 (+60 points)), and the shortstop for the Athletics (Jacob Wilson, 2025 wRC+: 123 (+52 points)) followed.

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