San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) is struggling for a long time. The slump in June is deep enough that it is hard to see it as a temporary slump.
On the 28th (Korean time), Lee Jung-hoo played as a starting center fielder and sixth batter in the away game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, in the 2025 Major League, finishing with 4 at-bats and no hits. He hit two ground balls and two fly balls, showing poor quality at-bats.
Silenced with no hits for the ninth time in June, Lee Jung-hoo's season batting average has dropped from .252 to .248 (74 hits in 298 at-bats). This marks the first time his batting average has fallen below .250 since the second game of the season on March 30 (.167), nearly 90 days ago. His OPS has also decreased from .734 to .724.
In March and April, Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of .319 (37 hits in 116 at-bats), with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs, starting brightly. However, in May, his batting average dropped to .231 (25 hits in 108 at-bats), with 3 home runs and 13 RBIs, and an OPS of .612.
At that time, it was still seen as a slump. The opposing teams, which focused on analyzing Lee Jung-hoo, changed their strategies, and Lee Jung-hoo seemed to be adapting to this. However, in June, with a batting average of .162 (12 hits in 74 at-bats), no home runs, and 3 RBIs in 22 games, he has hit rock bottom. Although he has received 14 walks, resulting in an on-base percentage above .300, his batting average remains in the .100s with no home runs.
Lee Jung-hoo, who typically pulls the ball, has only 23.4% of his batted balls going the opposite way, ranking 92nd out of 160 qualified hitters on average. Being a batter who hits well on the inside pitch, opposing pitchers primarily focus on outside pitches, causing Lee Jung-hoo to struggle. He has been drawing walks by selecting outside pitches, but he still faces difficulties in producing quality contact.
When Lee Jung-hoo comes up to bat, the opposing team shifts their defenders to the right. The same happened in the game against the White Sox. In the fourth inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced White Sox starter Aaron Civale's third pitch, an 88 mph (141.6 km/h) cutter, and awkwardly checked his swing, resulting in a ground ball to the third base. Third baseman Josh Rojas was playing in on the grass in front of the third base. It was not a situation where he could lay down a bunt since there were no runners on base.
In the sixth inning, the White Sox deployed the same defensive shift when Lee Jung-hoo came up. Third baseman Rojas left third base open. Since Lee Jung-hoo hasn't been making strong contact with the ball, he has continued to be thwarted by the shift. With the third baseman playing in, it's also difficult to execute a surprise bunt. In short, he is being targeted for his weaknesses.
The broadcasting team of NBC Sports Bay Area covering San Francisco expressed concern for Lee Jung-hoo. During the sixth inning when he hit a fly ball to center field, caster Dave Fleming said, "Lee Jung-hoo is the only San Francisco batter today who has not reached base. He is facing new challenges."
Hunter Pence, a former outfielder who recorded a total of 244 home runs, commented, "This is part of the adjustment process at the Major League level. Everyone goes through tough times, and eventually, you have to overcome it yourself. Things might not be going well right now, but they will get better one day."
San Francisco has been reducing Lee Jung-hoo's batting order from third to fifth, and now to sixth and seventh, to relieve some pressure. There is no further down from the sixth and seventh spots. It is intriguing to see what solution Lee Jung-hoo will find amid nearly two months of continued struggles.
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