WBSC Premier12 and Tokyo 2020 star Jung-ho Lee to join MLB's San Francisco Giants

The 25-year-old star outfielder's deal is the most significant contract signed by a KBO posted player.

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<p><strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2019-premier12/teams/1548/players/27466" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">WBSC Premier12</span></a></strong> and <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/events/2021-baseball-olympic-games/teams/1797/players/74564" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games</span></a></strong> alum Jung-hoo Lee has agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) on a six-year deal worth US$113 million. It is the most significant contract awarded to a posted KBO player, surpassing the six-year, $36 million pact signed by pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2013 season. </p>

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<p>Lee has played for the Kiwoom Heroes (Nexen Heroes before 2019) from 2017 to 2023. He has a .340 career batting average over 884 games and 3,476 at-bats, the highest in the KBO's 41-year history among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances. He is not considered a power hitter (65 career home runs) but struck out only 304 times, approximately one every 12 at-bats.</p>

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<p>The Giants project him as their starting centre fielder.</p>

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<p>"In centre field, we've been average at best over the last few years defensively," said the Giants president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, to the <em>Yonhap News Agency</em>.</p>

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<p>The Giants used 11 different players in the position during the 2023 season.</p>

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<p>The Kiwoom heroes <strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="posted Lee (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/korea-baseball-organization-makes-olympians-woo-suk-go-jung-hoo-lee-available-to-mlb-teams" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">posted Lee</span></a></strong> in November and will allegedly receive a release fee exceeding US$ 20 million.</p>

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<p>Lee (25) was born in Japan while his father, Jong-beom Lee, a five-tool shortstop who retired after the 2001 season, played for the Chunich Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).</p>

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<p>Both Lee Senior (1994) and Junior (2022) earned KBO's MVP honours. Since Jong-beom Lee was nicknamed <em>The Son of the Wind</em>, fans started calling Jung-ho Lee <em>The Grandson of the Wind</em>.</p>

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