Lee Jung-hoo has emerged as one of the best international baseball prospects in recent years, dominating in the Korea Baseball Organization. Coming off a career-best season, the star outfielder already has his eyes on MLB.
The 24-year-old outfielder has already proven to be one of the best baseball players outside the United States. Since making his KBO debut in 2017, baseball fans have witnessed the left-handed hitter demonstrate his outstanding skills at the plate on a yearly basis.
- Lee Jung-hoo stats (2022): .349/.421/.575, .996 OPS, 23 home runs, 10 triples in 553 ABs
Coming out of high school, Lee was selected by the Nexen Heroes in the 2017 JKBO Draft and made their Opening Day roster as an 18-year-old. While it’s exceptionally rare for a teenager right out of the draft to skip over the KBO Futures League, his talents proved to be worth it.
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He earned KBO Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 after slashing .324/.395/.417 with a .817 OPS, 28 doubles, 12 steals and a 67/60 K/BB ratio in 552 at-bats. The following year, he earned the KBO Golden Glove Award and posted a .355/.412/.477 slash paired with a .889 OPS.
He is now a star for the Kiwoom Heroes, one of the top teams in the KBO. After leading the league in batting average in 2021, Lee became the league’s best player this past season. According to Sung Min Kim, Lee earned 104-of-107 KBO MVP votes after leading the league in WAR (10.25), OPS, BB/K (2.06), wOBA (.441) and wRC+ (182.5). Furthermore, he only struck out in 5.1% of his plate appearances and he won a Golden Glove Award for the fifth consecutive year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee recently informed Kiwoom that he wants to play in the majors and wants to be posted by the team next winter. He first becomes eligible for posting next year and could make his MLB debut in 2024.
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While Lee isn’t a power hitter, he boasts an outstanding hit tool with the feel and eye that allow him to adjust the path of his bat. He is viewed as an above-average athlete and profiles nicely in the corner outfield, but he does have experience playing in center.
Considering his age and advanced hitting ability, Lee could be one of the most sought-after MLB free agents next winter. Once he is posted, it wouldn’t be a surprise if multiple MLB teams are willing to offer him a $100 million contract like the contract Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida signed with the Boston Red Sox. Lee would be 25 if he makes his MLB debut in 2024.
