Another article calling for the reunion of Kim Ha-sung (San Diego Padres) and Lee Jung-hoo (Kium Heroes) came out in the U.S. Yard Barker picked Lee Jung-hoo, Max Kepler (Minesota Twins), and Lucas Giolito (Cleveland Guardians) as the players the San Diego Padres should target in the 2023-2024 FA market on the 15th (Korea Standard Time).
There are constant rumors that they are interested in Lee Jung-hoo, especially in western Major League Baseball clubs. Former Hanwha manager Carlos Subero, who is well aware of major and minor league situations, also predicted that clubs familiar with recruiting international FA could eventually come out at the spring camp in February.스포츠토토
In that sense, San Diego is just right for Lee Jung-hoo. San Diego boasts a super-luxury lineup, but the center fielder is somewhat weak. There is Trent Grisham, who has excellent defense. But the blow is not good. In 141 games this season, he has a batting average of 0.202 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 62 runs, and an OPS of 0.674. His career performance is 0.217 batting average and 0.702 OPS. No matter how much Lee Jung-hoo needs time to adapt to the Major League, will he be worse than Grisham.
“Kim Ha-sung was one of the best hitters in the KBO even before joining San Diego,” Yard Barker said. San Diego could once again turn to Asia to fill the roster’s need. Lee Jung-hoo’s offseason posting is a highly anticipated event for international baseball fans. Lee Jung-hoo, who just turned 25 in August, is probably the most talented Korean batter to enter the Major League.
Yard Barker called Lee Jung-hoo a “true contact hitter with gap power.” At the same time, he brought up the story of his father, Lee Jong-beom, LG’s first base coach. “In baseball, legacy is meaningful, and Lee Jung-hoo has a famous lineage. His father, Lee Jong-beom, played in the KBO and Nippon Professional Baseball and won several awards, including the KBO MVP in 1994. Lee Jong-beom is considered one of the most talented players of his generation,” he said.
San Diego’s 2023-2024 FA market move is in the fog. We have to wait and see if we will take another presidential drive with the Payroll already full. The biggest variable is the stance decision on Juan Soto, a year before his FA qualification. Lee Jung-hoo is the right card for San Diego, but it remains to be seen whether it will lead to actual recruitment.
If Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo eat together from the 2024 season, it will be the first time in four years since 2020. The two of their best friends, Kwange, also work out together every off-season. Even for Lee Jung-hoo, who has to adapt to the Major League, going to San Diego, where Kim Ha-sung is, is not bad. As San Diego will play the opening game of the regular season against the LA Dodgers on March 20 next year, it is also interesting that Lee Jung-hoo’s major league debut stage is likely to be a very familiar Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome.
In addition, it remains to be seen whether Lee Jung-hoo will actually be able to sign a $100 million contract. However, it is true that Kiwoom’s performance this season is less than last year’s, when he was selected as MVP with five gold medals in batting, and that he was out of the season after undergoing surgery due to an ankle injury in July. At this point, it is expected that only Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) of the international FA that will move from Asia to the Major League this winter will be safe to sign a $100 million contract.