Lee_Jung-hoo

Jung-hoo Lee

Jung-hoo Lee

South Korean baseball player (born 1998)

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Jung-hoo Lee (Korean: 이정후; born August 20, 1998) is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes.

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Lee won the KBO League Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 and the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award in 2022. He won five consecutive Golden Glove Awards from 2018 to 2022. Lee has also played for the South Korean national baseball team at the 2019 WBSC Premier12, 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

He is the son of Lee Jong-beom, who starred in the KBO League and earned the nickname "Son of the Wind,"[2][3][4] earning the younger Lee the moniker "Grandson of the Wind."[5][6]

Early life

Lee was born on August 20, 1998, in Nagoya, Japan, when his father was playing in NPB for the Chunichi Dragons.[7] In a profile of his father when Lee Jung-hoo was seven years old, he was already attracting attention for his devotion to baseball and his skill at the game.[4]

Professional career

Nexen / Kiwoom Heroes

The Nexen Heroes selected Lee in the 2017 KBO League draft (held in 2016), as an infielder. Following spring training, Lee was included on the team's Opening Day roster at age 18 without going through the KBO Futures League. Converted to an outfielder, Lee became the first rookie out of high school to appear in every game for a KBO team. He finished the season batting .324/.395/.417 with 2 home runs, 47 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and 179 hits, which set a new rookie record for hits. At the conclusion of the season, Lee was voted KBO League Rookie of the Year.[8]

In 2018, Lee batted .355/.412/.477. In 2019 he batted .336/.386/.456. In 2019, he won series MVP in the playoffs. His father, Lee Jong-beom, won the MVP award in the 1993 Korean Series, with a batting average of .310 (9 hits in 29 at-bats) and three steals, the most in a game. With Lee Jung-hoo's selection, it became the first time in the KBO that both father and son won a postseason MVP award.[9] Lee won another Golden Glove Award in 2020[10] with a batting line of .333, 15 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a career-high OPS of .921.

In the 2022 season, Lee played in 142 games and hit .349/.421/.575 with 23 home runs and 113 RBIs. After the season, he won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award.[11]

In 2023, Lee played in 85 games for Kiwoom, and hit .319/.407/.456 with six home runs and 45 RBIs. On July 25, 2023, it was announced that Lee would undergo season–ending surgery after suffering a fractured ankle.[12] On December 4, Lee was officially posted to Major League Baseball (MLB) by the Heroes.[13]

San Francisco Giants

On December 14, 2023, Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.[14][15] The Giants also had to pay an additional posting fee of $18.825 million to the Kiwoom Heroes.[16]

Lee hit his first home run in the MLB on March 30, 2024, vs the San Diego Padres. Family members, including his father, were in attendance to witness the event.

International career

References

  1. [1]
    "네이버 뉴스 라이브러리". Naver Newslibrary (in Korean). Aug 21, 1998. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  2. [2]
    "Power rankings, top players, key storylines and more: Everything you need for KBO opening day". ESPN.com. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  3. [3]
    Yoo Jee-ho (July 4, 2020). "2nd-generation KBO star wants to see more sons of ex-players thrive". Yonhap News Agency.
  4. [4]
    Chang Hye-soo; Limb Jae-un (April 25, 2005). "Kia Tigers outfielder invigorated after last season's slump, pay cut". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  5. [5]
    "Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo takes lessons learned from legendary father to MLB". Yonhap. Dec 16, 2023.
  6. [6]
    Kim Jin-hee (2017-09-08). "[KBO] '바람의 손자' 이정후 "이종범 뛰어넘기보다 저 자체로 인정받고파…새로운 별명 공모합니다!"" [[KBO] ‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jeong-hoo, 'Rather than surpassing Lee Jong-beom, I want to be recognized for who I am... I’m running a contest for a new nickname!']. Etoday (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  7. [7]
    Spradling, Shawn [@Shawn_Spradling] (December 13, 2023). "Fun fact: Jung-hoo Lee is Korean. But, he was born in Nagoya, Japan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. [8]
    "Park, Baek end Dark Ages for local aces". The Korea Times. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  9. [9]
    "부전자전 이정후, 이종범과 최초 부자 PS MVPI" [The first father-son PS MVP with Lee Jeong-hoo and Lee Jong-beom]. Dailian (in Korean). 18 October 2019.
  10. [10]
    [email protected] (December 11, 2020). "(LEAD) Star catcher earns near-unanimous support for KBO's Golden Glove". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  11. [11]
    "Lee Jung-hoo named 2022 KBO MVP". 17 November 2022.
  12. [12]
    "KBO star Jung-hoo Lee expected to miss remainder of season with ankle injury ahead of MLB posting". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Jung Hoo Lee posted to MLB: Former KBO MVP could set new contract record for Korean player". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  14. [14]
    "Giants agree to six-year contract with outfielder Jung Hoo Lee". sfgiants.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Giants tout Korean star Jung Hoo Lee as 'absolutely perfect fit'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  16. [16]
    https://theathletic.com/5139416/2023/12/15/giants-jung-hoo-lee-contract-korea/
  17. [17]
    "2018 아시안게임 야구 대표팀 선수 교체" (in Korean). Korea Baseball Organization. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  18. [18]
    "Lee Jung-hoo delivers game-winning triple in sixth inning as South Korea nips Taiwan". The Japan Times. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
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