'Grandchild of the wind, ready to launch,' SF director Bob Melvin said. "Spring camp is going out in perfect condition"

Dec 10, 2024

Sportschosun DB

'The grandson of the wind is coming back. Healthy'

Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants), who showed excellent adaptability from his first year in the Major League and left due to a sudden shoulder injury, will fully recover from his injury and enter his second season.

It's not just a prediction, it's a definitive state. This is because San Francisco coach Bob Melvin, no one else, said it himself. Strong gusts are likely to hit the San Francisco Bay Area.

Coach Melvin answered reporters' questions about next season at the Major League Winter Meeting in Dallas, Texas on the 10th (Korea time).

In the process, a question about Lee Jung-hoo was raised. The Mercury News, a San Francisco-area newspaper, reported "Melvin said about Lee Jung-hoo "He will enter the spring camp in perfect condition"

With this one word, it can be seen that Lee Jung-hoo has fully recovered from his shoulder injury and recovered his normal condition. Lee Jung-hoo signed a six-year-old $113 million (about 161.3 billion won) mega-contract with San Francisco through posting in December last year to be able to re-challenge the big league on equal terms with other competitors in the spring camp. It was expected to create a wind on the big league stage with his batting ability and baseball sense that dominated the KBO League.

The initial adaptation process was not bad. Lee Jung-hoo played well in the exhibition game after safely holding spring camp. He played in 13 games and had a batting average of 343 (12 hits in 35 at-bats) with five RBIs and six runs scored. He also showed off his slugging power, including one home run and two doubles, and hit an OPS of 0.911.

Sportschosun DB

Thanks to this, he started as the first batter and center fielder in the four consecutive away games against the San Diego Padres on March 28. It was the 27th time that he became the 27th Korean player to take the major league stage. On March 30, he even hit his first home run since his MLB debut.

However, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 12, he hurt his shoulder when he collided with the fence while trying to catch a home run hit during defense in the top of the first inning. A dislocated left shoulder occurred, and eventually he underwent surgery and ended the season as it was. However, the fact that Lee Jung-hoo, a right-handed left-handed hitter, injured his left shoulder, which was relatively small in damage, made him expect a quick recovery.

As expected, Lee Jung-hoo seems to have completed shoulder rehabilitation perfectly. If he is in normal condition from the spring camp, it is worth looking forward to returning to the starting lineup for the opening game again.

Although the rookie season ended early due to an unexpected injury, Melvin's expectations for Lee Jung-hoo are still high. Attention is focusing on whether Lee Jung-hoo will show his real skills in the second season. The statistics site FanGraph.COM also predicted that Lee Jung-hoo will play in 143 games with a batting average of 294, 62 RBIs (14 home runs)-88 points, and an OPS of 0.789 on the assumption that he will recover from his injury in the 2025 season. This is a successful Sophomore season.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.