SEOUL, Even with a most valuable player (MVP) award and eye-popping statistics to his name in the top South Korean baseball league, outfielder Lee Jung-hoo believes he can still get better.
And the 25-year-old can't wait to see just how much more growing he will do with his new team, the San Francisco Giants.
Lee was formally introduced as the newest Giant at a press conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Friday (local time), a day after the club finalized its six-year, US$113 million contract with the South Korean star.
Lee played the past seven seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The 2017 Rookie of the Year and the 2022 regular season MVP has been one of the country's top players over that span, best known for his contact abilities and plate discipline. Lee has a lifetime .340 batting average, the highest mark among all players with at least 3,000 plate appearances in KBO history.
Asked to describe himself as a ball player for American fans not yet familiar with his game, Lee began his response with a succinct statement, "I am still young."
"I think I haven't reached my peak yet," he continued. "I believe I can get even better here. I will try to become the type of player who can deliver wins for this team. I am ready to pour out everything I have to help the team win."
In this EPA photo, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants poses in his new team's uniform during his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Dec. 15, 2023.
Lee smiled and said sheepishly that he was "embarrassed" to discuss his own skill set.
"I hope the fans will get to see for themselves from Opening Day next year," Lee added.
Since he arrived in 2017, Lee has been one of the toughest batters for pitchers to strike out in the KBO. Over 3,947 plate appearances, Lee has struck out 304 times but drawn 383 walks. Lee had more walks than strikeouts in each of the past five seasons. He has a career .407 on-base percentage in the KBO and finished a season at below .390 just once.
Lee said he tried to mold himself into a strong contact hitter from a young age.
"When I thought about things I could do well as a kid, I decided it was to make contact, and 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."
Lee won the 2022 MVP in the KBO after leading the league in batting average, hits, RBIs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He stumbled out of the gate in 2023, though, and batted just .218 in April, the lowest monthly average of his career, while working on a swing change that he felt would benefit him in MLB.
In this EPA photo, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants poses on the field at Oracle Park in San Francisco after his introductory press conference on Dec. 15, 2023.
Lee went back to his old swing and finished the year with a .318 average in 86 games. Lee said not everything was lost during those early days of the season.
"I think I shouldn't be afraid of change if I want to get better," he said. "I felt bad about all the people who tried to help me along the way. I had never struggled like that before, and it was an opportunity for me to grow and to have belief in myself become even stronger. I realized I had a good swing mechanism and good foundation to begin with."
Lee's season was cut short in July with an ankle injury, and following his summer surgery, he only made one plate appearance on Oct. 10.
Lee declared himself "100 percent recovered" from the injury.
"A lot of people helped me during rehab, and I want to have a great season next year for them," Lee added.
The Giants' six-year commitment to Lee, not to mention the dollar figures, indicates they are counting on significant production from the South Korean star.
When asked about his goals for 2024, Lee declined to offer any specific numbers. Instead, Lee said he wants to make adjustments to his new surroundings as quickly as possible and fit in as seamlessly as possible.
In this EPA photo, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants (R) speaks during his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Dec. 15, 2023, as Farhan Zaidi (L), president of baseball operations for the Giants, looks on.
"I will be facing new pitchers and playing in new ballparks," Lee said. "In Korea, I always traveled by bus, but I will be flying here and also traveling across time zones. There are all the things I have to get used to. I will do my best each and every day. The most important thing is for the team to win."
Lee, who spent his entire KBO career playing home games on artificial grass at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, said he was looking forward to competing on natural grass at Oracle Park, one of the most aesthetically pleasing and unique stadiums in Major League Baseball (MLB). Its most prominent feature is the right field wall standing in front of a section of the San Francisco Bay, dubbed McCovey Cove after the former Giants star Willie McCovey. When a home run ball by a Giants player clears the fence and lands in the cove on the fly, he is credited with a "Splash Hit." The stadium even has an electronic counter on the right field wall.
"I am most looking forward to trying to get a Splash Hit in such a unique ballpark here," Lee said with a smile. "I played inside a dome in Korea, and I am really happy to be playing on natural grass here."
As an MLB fan growing up in South Korea, Lee said he may not be familiar with the Giants' early years but he did drop the name of Willie Mays, the legendary center fielder whose big league career began in 1951. Lee, however, certainly remembers the Giants' World Series title years in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
In this EPA photo, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants (L) speaks with Giants CEO Larry Baer after his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Dec. 15, 2023.
"This is a historic organization with so many legends in the Hall of Fame. They've won a lot of championships in recent years. I am honored to have a chance to play for a team with such a rich history," he said, also adding that he admired former MVP-winning catcher Buster Posey and All-Star shortstop Brandon Crawford. Lee himself was a shortstop growing up.
Lee will don the same No. 51 that he has worn throughout his career. Lee said it comes from his admiration for Ichiro Suzuki, a former American League MVP known for his uncanny ability to put the ball in play.
"When I first started playing baseball, he was my favorite player," Lee said. "I've been a fan of No. 51 since I was little."
Source: Yonhap News Agency