| Jung-hoo Lee | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Jung-hoo with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| San Francisco Giants – No. 51 | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: August 20, 1998 Nagoya, Aichi, Japan[1] | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| KBO debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 1, 2017, for the Nexen Heroes | |||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics (through 2023 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .340 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 65 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 515 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
KBO
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Medals
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.svg.png.webp){kind=icon}
| Jung-hoo Lee | |
| Hangul | 이정후 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李政厚 |
| Revised Romanization | I Jeong-hu |
| McCune–Reischauer | I ijŏn-hu |
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 has previously played in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes.
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 is nicknamed "Son of the Wind," so he is called "Grandson of the Wind."[2]
Early life
Lee is the son of Lee Jong-beom, who starred in the KBO League and earned the nickname "Son of the Wind,"[3][4][5] and was born on August 20, 1998 in Nagoya, Japan when his father was playing in NPB for the Chunichi Dragons.[6] 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.[5]
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.[7]
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.[8] Lee won another Golden Glove Award in 2020[9] 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.[10]
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.[11] On December 4, Lee was officially posted to Major League Baseball (MLB) by the Heroes.[12]
San Francisco Giants
On December 14, 2023, Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.[13][14]
International career
- He represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games.[15] He delivered the winning RBI against Chinese Taipei on November 17.[16]
- He played for Team Korea at the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament, and led the tournament with five doubles.
- He represented South Korea at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
References
- ↑ "네이버 뉴스 라이브러리" (in Korean). Newslibrary.naver.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
- ↑ "[KBO] '바람의 손자' 이정후 "이종범 뛰어넘기보다 저 자체로 인정받고파…새로운 별명 공모합니다!"". 이투데이 (in Korean). 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ↑ "Power rankings, top players, key storylines and more: Everything you need for KBO opening day". ESPN.com. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ↑ Yoo Jee-ho. "2nd-generation KBO star wants to see more sons of ex-players thrive," Yonhap News Agency (July 04, 2020).
- 1 2 Chang Hye-soo, Limb Jae-un. "Kia Tigers outfielder invigorated after last season’s slump, pay cut," Korea JoongAng Daily (April 25, 2005).
- ↑ https://x.com/Shawn_Spradling/status/1734726686745264142?s=20
- ↑ "Park, Baek end Dark Ages for local aces". koreatimes.co.kr. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ↑ "부전자전 이정후, 이종범과 최초 부자 PS MVPIdate=2019-10-18". 18 October 2019.
- ↑ jeeho@yna.co.kr (December 11, 2020). "(LEAD) Star catcher earns near-unanimous support for KBO's Golden Glove". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ↑ "Lee Jung-hoo named 2022 KBO MVP". 17 November 2022.
- ↑ "KBO star Jung-hoo Lee expected to miss remainder of season with ankle injury ahead of MLB posting". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Jung Hoo Lee posted to MLB: Former KBO MVP could set new contract record for Korean player". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ↑ "Giants agree to six-year contract with outfielder Jung Hoo Lee". sfgiants.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ↑ "Giants tout Korean star Jung Hoo Lee as 'absolutely perfect fit'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ↑ "2018 아시안게임 야구 대표팀 선수 교체" (in Korean). Korea Baseball Organization. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ↑ "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.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- "선수(타자) | 기록실 | KBO". koreabaseball.com.