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Giants Anticipate Success from Korean Superstar This Season

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The Giants hope Jung Hoo Lee can bounce back in 2025 after missing the majority of his rookie season due to injury.

Giants Anticipate Success from Korean Superstar This Season

The Giants blew all contract predictions out of the water when they signed Lee in 2024. He received a six-year, $113 million contract, including an opt-out in 2027. Unfortunately, though, his rookie season did not go according to plan. He played only 37 games before a shoulder injury ruled him out for the rest of the year.

Whilst this was a huge disappointment, we were able to learn plenty about him in that time. Leaving fans and management excited to see what’s in store for 2025.

What makes Lee so special?

Being a center fielder in the MLB is tough. Let alone when you play your entire career in another country and transition over. Lee handled that with ease. He didn’t make a single error in any game last year. Plus, he collected countless highlights in the process. His range only ranked as average. However, his 97th-percentile arm strength and 79th-percentile sprint speed proved his potential. Many expect him to compete for Gold Gloves in years to come.

The hitting side was a bit more of a struggle. He hit .262/.310/.331 in his brief stint, which gave him a wRC+ of 83, 17 percent below the league average. Again, the exciting signs remained there. He strikes out at only 8.2%, a trend many expect to stay consistent. Lee also hit the ball harder than many expected. He squared the ball up a whopping 37.1% of the time and collected two home runs in the process. Ultimately, he was unlucky in ending up with the results he had. His expected statistics painted a far brighter picture. His xBA reached .278, and his xSLG increased to .404, which would have placed him well above the league average. All projection systems predict he will improve on these stats, adding to the excitement. Showing the experts agree that Lee is a good hitter in the MLB.

Where does he fit in for 2025?

An issue any side would like is having two guys who would excel leading off, so I doubt Bob Melvin is losing sleep over it. He does, though, have an important decision regarding who the man to do so will be. LaMonte Wade Jr. was a star last year for the Giants, simply for getting on base so much. His walk rate of 15.5 percent ranked third in the MLB, and his .380 OBP ranked eighth. The first baseman once again dealt with some injury issues. He did, though, have over 400 PAs in consecutive seasons for the first time.

Melvin recently made the media aware of this, stating, “When we are lefty-righty, I’m going to talk to [Lee] a little bit about maybe the three-hole.” This is no insult to Lee, who said, “It does not matter what hole I play in the lineup.” He also had plenty of experience batting in the three-hole in Korea. Even if he doesn’t have elite power to get runners in, with Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos behind him, it creates a nice balance in the lineup.

What can we realistically expect from Lee?

Although expectations are sky-high, it is important to remain realistic. Projection systems help us do this and allow us to add our predictions on top. Most systems predict Jung Hoo Lee to play around 100 to 110 games, be above average offensively, and collect around 2.5 WAR. Steamer, though, takes things a step further. Through 143 games, they predict Lee will hit .293/.350/.437 with 14 home runs. This would leave him 21 percent above the league average, according to wRC+. They also project that he will collect 4.1 WAR, second only to Patrick Bailey for the Giants and ahead of last year’s leader, Matt Chapman. It’s safe to say that if you offered those stats to Lee and Melvin now, they would bite your hand off.

Main Photo Credits: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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