Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants), the grandson of the wind, has received a flurry of compliments. Pat Burrell (48), San Francisco’s batting coach who had won the World Series twice by hitting 292 home runs in the Major League, praised Lee so much that his mouth was watery.
The San Francisco Chronicle of the U.S. said on the 25th (Korea Standard Time), “Do you want to see contact, speed, and pleasure? Giants Lee Jung-hoo under the title of “Cure for Bored Baseball,” “If hustling is an infectious disease that afflicts Major League Baseball, Lee Jung-hoo can be an antidote. Let me introduce Lee Jung-hoo’s prescription for boredom and inactivity that has become widespread with strikeouts today,” and highlighted that Lee Jung-hoo is a player who adds to the fun of watching baseball with extreme bat contact and speed.
The San Francisco Chronicle said, “Lee Jung-hoo seems like he is playing tee ball. He swung 37 times (including one bunt attempt) in the last five games before the game on Saturday, but he never missed a swing. His strikeout ratio is the highest in the big leagues at 8.7 percent,” adding, “After failing to recruit FA for several years, San Francisco seems to have finally signed a clear contract. It has only been a month since the season started, but things that seemed difficult to adjust to are going really well.”
Then came coach Burrell’s assessment. “Lee Jung-hoo’s technique of hitting the ball with a bat is beyond this world,” Burrell said. “I didn’t know what to expect (at first), but it is much better than I would expect in every aspect. I saw him make efforts during the spring training, and I saw him relax when the game started. Lee’s productivity has been on an upward curve steadily, but there has been no significant decline. A batter with few strikeouts is unlikely to experience a slump.”
According to MLB Statcast, Lee had only 15 swings and misses while watching a total of 375 pitches before the game on the 25th. The San Francisco Chronicle said, “Lee Jung-hoo, who uses various swings depending on the situation, does not stop at simply touching the ball,” explaining that he knows how to exert his power on the ball unlike ordinary teaching hitters.
Lee replied, “There is no secret. I have always wanted to hit the ball since I was little. I tried to make all the balls in-play. I think I naturally developed that skill.”
“It’s really impressive to do this against unknown pitchers. Every game, every series basically means that he’s facing a new pitcher that he’s never seen before. But few players are able to swing the bat so consistently. It’s quite impressive to see him perform so quickly against pitchers he doesn’t know about with faster balls at the big league level,” Melvin said.
The San Francisco Chronicle said Lee’s mental approach is one of the keys to his initial success, stressing his mental health as well. “Major League pitchers are different. The pitches that I’m seeing right now are different types of pitches that I’ve never seen in my baseball life. But all the pitchers here are people, and I’m making an effort thinking that I can hit the pitches as well,” Lee said. 메이저사이트
The coaching staff also acknowledged Lee’s capability and did not touch him technically at all. Asked if he had taught Lee anything or changed his swing or approach, Burrell said, “Nothing. The first thing we all tried to do was to make him feel comfortable. Baseball is the second time. A player has to get used to life. We have to give a lot of credit to our players. They immediately accepted Lee. The fact that he felt like he was a part of the team gave Lee a lot of strength.”
The San Francisco Chronicle said, “Lee is fast enough to rank 10th in the speed of MLB sprint (based on statcast), and the time to reach first base from home is also tied for 10th. Lee recalled the fact that his father, Lee Jong-beom, recorded 84 stolen bases in the 1994 KBO MVP season. Since his father’s nickname was the son of the wind, Lee became the grandson of the wind. He also tied for sixth in throwing capability,” in highly evaluating Lee’s performance from outfield defense to throwing capability.
As of Wednesday, Lee’s performance in 24 games was 269 (25 hits in 93 times at bat) with two homers, seven RBIs, 13 runs scored, nine walks, nine strikeouts and two steals, and a .333 slugging percentage with .366 OPS.699. Although his performance is not noticeable, the San Francisco coaching staff values Lee’s skills and mentality more than his simple record. “I try to devote 100% of my passion every time I run,” Lee said. “I enjoy everything I do here from going to work. I feel like my dream has come true,” he said.