Ji Han-pa, Williams Coach, Lee Jung-hoo, a Great Player Who Can't Do Anything
MLB, the official website of Major League Baseball, posted a video of Lee Jung-hoo (25, San Francisco Giants) batting training. Although he wore a shirt with the San Francisco logo on it, it was a normal video of him hitting at an indoor training ground in light clothes. However, Lee Jung-hoo is already a hitter that MLB is paying attention to. MLB.COM gave meaning to the "ordinary batting training video" on the 9th as "Lee Jung-hoo's first batting training with San Francisco." Lee Jung-hoo, who signed a six-year $113 million (about 150.3 billion won) contract with San Francisco in December last year, left for the United States on the 1st and unpacked at the San Francisco club's spring camp training ground in Scottsdale, Arizona. The team's official training starts on the 21st, but Lee Jung-hoo has begun adapting to the big league at the club's facilities. Matt Williams, the former KIA Tigers coach and current San Francisco third base coach, who knows Lee Jung-hoo best, was confident of Lee Jung-hoo's soft landing in the big league. "There are only 10 teams in the KBO League, so I've seen Lee Jung-hoo a lot during the period (2020-2021) when I was the manager of KIA," Williams told The Athletic on Sunday. "Lee Jung-hoo is a really good hitter. When I see him, I'm amazed that he is good at everything." "Lee is a good outfielder and the best hitter in the KBO League. He also has excellent base running skills. Even when he is not holding a bat, he contributes to his team (by coming on base, running on base, and playing defense)," Lee said. "He has a high understanding of baseball and is loved by his teammates in the clubhouse." Coach Williams, who played as a teammate with Kim Byung-hyun during his active days, served as a KBO league manager, and after returning to the Major League, met with Kim Ha-sung at the San Diego Padres, which can be of great help to Lee Jung-hoo's adaptation to the big league. "The San Francisco scout has been watching Lee Jung-hoo for a long time. I didn't need my opinion on recruiting Lee Jung-hoo, but I expected it would be of great help to the team," Williams said. "Lee Jung-hoo will play a role as a link to lead San Francisco to the World Series championship." The Athletic presented Lee Jung-hoo's talent in the KBO League as a "ground for sure of a soft landing in the big league." Lee Jung-hoo struck out 7.7 percent (304 strikeouts/3,947 at-bats) during his seven seasons in the KBO. His overall batting average is 0.340, the highest among batters who have played more than 3,000 at-bats. "The Major League's forecasting system, including ZiPS, Pikota, and Steamer, expects Lee to hit 0.275 to 0.291 in 2024 and strikeout rate to 7.3 to 11.3 percent," The Athletic said. "Lee's winning contribution (WAR) is 2.5 to 3.5. Wilmer Flores recorded the highest WAR among San Francisco's fielders last year, with 2.7." U.S. media and statistics sites also expect Lee Jung-hoo's successful big league settlement with "eye" that separates strikes and balls and "hand" that follows the ball.