The newest San Francisco Giant, Jung Hoo Lee, made an impression in his introduction at Oracle Park.
While the 25-year-old Korean center fielder may have arrived with relative anonymity to many Americans, it won’t stay that way for long. If his first press conference was any indication, fans will fall in love with the speedy contact hitter.
If you haven’t already, get to know him below. (Lee’s words were translated by Jeeho Yoo, a Korean journalist who provided a more accurate summary than the live translation initially available Friday.)
He is ‘Grandson of the Wind’
When Jung Hoo was named the 2022 Korea Baseball Organization Most Valuable Player, it wasn’t the first time in family history.
His father, Jong Beom, won the award in 1994 while stealing a KBO-record 84 bases, earning him the nickname “Son of the Wind.”
Beginning his remarks Friday in English, Jung Hoo introduced himself to Giants fans as the “Grandson of the Wind.”
It was only natural to pass the moniker down to the next generation, though Jung Hoo hasn’t shown quite the same speed, totaling 69 stolen bases in seven seasons. Farhan Zaidi said he graded out as a 60-65 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale, or well above average, instantly making him one of the fastest players on the roster.
The Giants stole a league-low 57 bases last season, something Zaidi has repeatedly brought up as area to address this offseason.
“He hasn’t stolen a lot of bases over there … (but) he’s certainly fast enough to become a base stealer,” Zaidi said. “It’s going to be up to working with him on leads, jumps, those types of things. We’d love to see him be aggressive on the base paths.”
More importantly, he has a nickname to live up to.
“It sounds cheesy and corny in Korean,” Lee said, “but it sounds cool in English.”
The meaning behind his No. 51 jersey
His father’s 19-year playing career began in Korea, for the Kia Tigers, but eventually took him to the Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya, Japan, where Jung Hoo was born.
That was in 1998, when Ichiro Suzuki was on the rise with the Orix Buffaloes, three years before becoming the first position player to make the leap from Nippon Professional Baseball to the major leagues. Lee admired him ever since.
His Kiwoom Heroes number was also 51.
“When I first started playing baseball, I watched Ichiro and he was one of my favorite players growing up,” Lee said. “I’ve been a fan of this number since I was a kid.”
The number on the back of his jersey isn’t the only trait Lee shares with Ichiro.
Lee topped out at 23 homers, and his exit velocities aren’t popping off the charts. But he batted .340 and got on base at a .403 clip over his career in Korea while hardly ever striking out.
“When I thought about what I could do well as a kid, I decided it was to make contact. I felt it was important to make contact while still taking full swings,” Lee said. “Striking out means you’re just going down without a fight. But once you put the ball in play, you never know what’s going to happen. So I’ve always tried to do whatever it takes to make contact, and I think that’s how I’ve become so good at it.”
When his undersized frame steps into the left-handed batter’s box, and he drops his barrel into the far reaches of the strike zone to poke a ball into the outfield grass, the comparison doesn’t look like such a stretch.
“You can see he’s patterned his game off of him and has a lot of the same skills,” Zaidi said. “I think it’s an increasingly rare skill.”
He’s a certified star in Korea
While it remains to be seen how Lee’s transition to the major leagues will go, there’s no questioning the amount of eye balls that will be tuned in to it. Desperately seeking a face of the franchise, the Giants got themselves one with experience as one of the most popular players in Korea, a country of more than 50 million people.
Lee was confident and charismatic at his news conference Friday, even while delivering his opening remarks in English, a foreign language.
The spotlight isn’t new for the son of one of his country’s top players, who has been among the best in the KBO since he entered the league at 18 years old. Lee was named Rookie of the Year in 2017 and awarded the Golden Glove as the league’s top all-around center fielder the next five seasons.
Lee even had his own anthem, which fans would sing during his at-bats.
He’s best friends with Ha-Seong Kim
The Giants open next season in San Diego, and you can bet the two former Kiwoom Heroes teammates will grab a meal together. It’d better be Lee picking up the check, as a thank you to Kim’s four-year, $20 million contract paving the way to his $113 million payday over the next six years.
That contract looks like a bargain now for Kim, who turned into a 5-win player after he was given an everyday opportunity.
The Padres’ shortstop is set to be a free agent next winter, and a reunion might not be out of the cards, especially if Marco Luciano doesn’t seize the Giants’ shortstop job.
After all, the manager who oversaw Kim’s breakout in San Diego, Bob Melvin, is now in San Francisco.
“Ha-seong reached out to congratulated me and told me I will be playing under a great manager,” Lee said. “He was my spiritual leader in Korea. I was able to start dreaming big dreams thanks to his great advice. It’s at once surreal and exciting to put aside our friendship and face each other. I’ll be asking him a lot of questions.”
He’s excited to be in San Francisco
Amid talk of downtown’s decline and the city’s reputation driving free agents away, the Giants landed a player who seemed genuinely excited to be here.
“I’ve been a fan of MLB and the Giants have been one of my favorite teams,” Lee said. “They have a rich history, with many legends inducted into the Hall of Fame. They’ve won a lot of championships in recent years. It’s a great honor for me that such a team chose me and that I will have a chance to play for this historic organization.”
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Lee spoke fondly of visiting the city as a child, though he later clarified it was on a trip to Fresno to play an international tournament when he was a teenager.
Asked about the franchise’s history, the kid who grew up on the other side of the ocean listed off Willie Mays and Buster Posey and the club’s three World Series titles. In fact, as a former shortstop, Lee said he admired Brandon Crawford. (They likely won’t get a chance to connect, but Lee did meet Austin Slater, who was at the ballpark for a workout.)
Mostly playing in domes in Korea, Lee has been to only one MLB park prior Friday, visiting Chase Field on his KBO team’s trip to Arizona for spring training. While he was excited to see the other parks, he was most enthused about the unique opportunity afforded to left-handed hitters at the Giants’ waterfront ballpark.
“I am really happy to be playing at a home park with natural grass,” Lee said. “The most famous feature of this unique stadium is Splash Hit. I am most looking forward to that.”
