Jung Hoo Lee Scouting Report: Meet The New Giants Outfielder
Image credit: (Photo by Yuki Taguchi/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Giants have agreed to sign star Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Lee, 25, hit .340/.407/.491 in six seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization and has long been viewed as a candidate to jump to MLB. He set a KBO rookie record for hits when he was 18 years, won the KBO MVP Award in 2022 and starred against current and former major leaguers in international competition. He played only 86 games this year before suffering a fractured left ankle that required season-ending surgery.
Lee’s deal includes an opt-out after four years, according to Heyman. The Giants will also pay a posting fee to Lee’s KBO team, the Kiwoom Heroes. Lee is one of several notable foreign prospects who could sign lucrative deals with MLB teams this winter. We have scouting reports on all seven of them here.
Below is a full scouting report on Lee.
JUNG HOO LEE, OF
Born: Aug. 20, 1998. B-T: L-R. HT: 6-1. WT:.189.
Track Record: Lee is the son of Korean baseball icon and former Korea Baseball Organization MVP Jong-Beom Lee, who was nicknamed “Son of the Wind” for his legendary speed. The younger Lee emerged early as a baseball prodigy and skipped the Korean minor leagues to jump straight from high school to the KBO. He set a KBO rookie record for hits as an 18 year old, winning rookie of the year, and blossomed into a superstar in his 20s. Lee hit .340 over six seasons with the Kiwoom franchise, starred for Korea at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Baseball Classic and won the 2022 KBO MVP award after batting .349 with a career-high 23 home runs and 113 RBIs. He played only 86 games in 2023 after he suffered a fractured left ankle in July and had season-ending surgery.
Scouting Report: Lee is an exemplary hitter with a fast lefthanded swing and elite-hand eye coordination. He identifies pitches quickly and consistently gets the barrel to the ball, driving hittable pitches on a line to all fields. Lee controls the strike zone with a mature, patient approach, hits both lefties and righties and makes consistent contact against both fastballs and breaking balls. He has the athleticism and bat speed to adjust to higher velocities in MLB and projects to be an above-average-to-plus hitter once he settles in. Lee doesn’t hit the ball overly hard, but he has enough strength to yank balls over the fence to his pullside. He primarily projects to rack up doubles while hitting 10-15 home runs per season. Nicknamed “Grandson of the Wind” in homage to his father, Lee is more of an above-average runner than a true burner. He has solid instincts and runs good routes in center field, but his range is a tick short, particularly on balls hit over his head. Lee has reliable hands and projects to be an average defender in center field, though he may have trouble in more expansive outfields. He has fringy arm strength that will force him to left field if he has to move.
The Future: Lee projects to be a leadoff-hitting outfielder who hits for a high average and gets on base at a high clip. He’ll be 25 most of next season and still has his prime years ahead of him.
BA Grade: 55/High
Scouting Grades
Hit: 60. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
