Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) is struggling, and local fans' doubts are growing. Nevertheless, the reporter in charge believes in Lee's rebound.
Andrew Baggarly, who covers San Francisco for The Athletic, published answers to readers' questions in a Q&A format through the mailbag corner on the 30th of last month (Korean time).
Questions from readers regarding Lee Jung-hoo, who is experiencing extreme batting struggles, have also increased. This season, Lee has a batting average of .243 over 81 games (304 at-bats, 74 hits), with 6 home runs and 34 RBIs, and an OPS of .713. Since May, his performance has dropped to a batting average of .200 over 50 games (185 at-bats, 37 hits), with 3 home runs and 16 RBIs, and an OPS of .603. In June, he is hitting .150 over 24 games (80 at-bats, 12 hits), with no home runs and 3 RBIs, hitting rock bottom.
One reader asked, 'Do you think Willie Adames and Lee Jung-hoo will hold the team back for a long time on the roster?' Lee Jung-hoo signed a 6-year, $113 million contract until 2029, while Adames signed for 7 years at $182 million until 2031. Adames, in his first year with the team, is having a prolonged struggle with a batting average of .290 over 83 games (306 at-bats, 64 hits), with 9 home runs and 36 RBIs, and an OPS of .637.
Baggarly responded, 'If San Francisco considered the two contracts a complete failure, they wouldn't have made a trade for Rafael Devers' 8-year contract. Of course, Adames is having a disappointing start, and at the time of the 7-year contract, they didn't expect him to play at shortstop for most of the period. Lee Jung-hoo is a little more difficult to predict for the future. He is younger than people think at 26, and has significant value as a center fielder.' He noted that it is too early to evaluate the two players' contracts as failures.
Another reader asked, 'What is wrong with Lee Jung-hoo? It seems like he is repeating ground balls to second base every day. Is it an issue with his batting approach or the quality of contact? I expected him to have a standout season in April and May.'
In response, Baggarly pointed out, 'In recent weeks, Lee's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) has been abnormally low. Such figures eventually seek an average. Observations show the quality of contact has not been impressive. There are too many ground balls and pop-ups going to second base.' He added, 'Lee Jung-hoo comes out early every day and trains a lot. It could just be a passing slump.'
In fact, it is not just Lee Jung-hoo's problem. San Francisco is ranked 25th in team batting average (.230), 20th in on-base percentage (.313), 25th in slugging percentage (.371), and 24th in OPS (.684), placing them in the lower ranks of most batting metrics this season. Rafael Devers, who was traded from the Boston Red Sox, has also been quiet, hitting .217 over 12 games since the trade (46 at-bats, 10 hits), with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs, and an OPS of .724.
Questions have also arisen about San Francisco's prolonged batting struggles that have persisted for years, despite changes in players, coaches, and front office personnel. Oracle Park, San Francisco's home stadium, is large, and with McCovey Cove beyond right field, the sea breeze makes it a disadvantageous park for hitters. The size of Oracle Park is cited as one of the reasons why several major free-agent hitters have rejected offers from San Francisco.
Baggarly stated, 'Visiting teams playing in San Francisco also compete in the same environment. San Francisco pitchers enjoy that advantage.' He further stated, 'Ultimately, San Francisco needs to develop more good hitters from within. When Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford all came up together, they won the World Series three times. The top task that Posey considers as the president of baseball operations is to revitalize the hitter development pipeline. The starting point for that is top prospect Bryce Eldridge.' He emphasized the need to develop hitters centered around the promising player Eldridge.
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