Could we see a major league leadoff battle?
Could we see a major league leadoff battle between the ‘Heroes’ stars?
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, predicted the starting rotations and lineups of all 30 major league teams on the 13th (KST).
Two teams in the National League West have Korean major leaguers batting leadoff.
The San Francisco Giants projected Lee Jung-hoo as their leadoff hitter and center fielder.
Lee signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants after last season with a posting system.
The money was expected.
Lee joined the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) as a first-round pick in 2017, and until last year, he had a career batting average of .340, ranking first in the KBO’s all-time list (based on more than 3,000 at-bats). He underwent surgery for an ankle injury in July of last year and was lost for the season, but San Francisco made a strong pitch for him, with general manager Pete Putilla personally visiting the Gocheok Dome.
MLB.com wrote, “Lee could experience growing pains coming from the KBO to the majors. His elite contact skills will make San Francisco’s lineup dynamic for years to come.
“I’ve done all the training I can do in Korea,” Lee said before departing for the U.S., “and all I can do is work on my skills outside.” “There are good predictions out there, but I’m not really paying attention to them. The most important thing is to adapt. I will try to adapt well so that I can become that (good evaluation).”
The media projected a starting lineup of Jung-Hoo Lee 온라인카지노 (center field)-Tyro Estrada (second base)-Lamont Wade Jr. (first base)-Wilmer Flores (designated hitter)-Michael Conforto (left field)-J.D. Davis (third base)-Mike Yastrzemski (right field)-Patrick Bailey (catcher)-Marco Luciano (shortstop).
For the San Diego Padres, Ha-Sung Kim is listed as the leadoff hitter. He will play second base.
San Diego’s projected batting order is Ha-Sung Kim (second base), Fernando Tatis Jr. (right field), Manny Machado (designated hitter), Xander Bogaerts (shortstop), Jake Cronenweth (first base), Luis Campusano (catcher), Jurickson Profar (left field), Matthew Batten (third base), and Jose Azocar (center field).
Kim, now in his fourth year in the majors, was a breakout player for San Diego last year. In 152 games, he batted .266 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases.
His solid defense all over the infield earned him a Gold Glove for utility. He is the first Asian infielder to win a Gold Glove.
He has plenty of motivation this season. Kim signed a 4+1 year contract with San Diego. He can opt for a one-year extension after this season, but it’s unclear if the team will try to keep him in San Diego, which has recently entered a period of “austerity”. The local media is even talking about a trade.
“It’s my last year in San Diego, and I’ll be eligible for free agency. Actually, every season is important to me. I think this season is the same. I’m looking forward to the Seoul Series in March, so I’m not too worried about the trade.”
Kim said he will be focusing more on his hitting this season, so we can expect to see an increase in his overall stats.
“Since I started playing in Korea, it was my goal to grow every year, and I had a resolution. I think I’m growing a little bit in the U.S., too, so I think this year will be better,” he said. “Last year, I said I wanted to improve my long ball percentage, but it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, so this year I worked out a lot with weights and bulked up. This year, I’ll have to work out in the U.S. to see if I can get the long hit I want,” he explained.
Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Ha-seong, who had a close friendship while playing together in Kiwoom, will cross swords in the same National League West division. Lee and Kim exchanged words of encouragement before their departure.
“I really wanted (Lee) to come to our team,” Kim said. I’m so glad he signed a good contract in San Francisco. I think it’s great because in the end, a sports player’s contract is his own value. If we meet during the season, I will catch everything he hits, no matter how hard he hits.”
Lee Jung-hoo replied, “I think that’s exactly how it should be. It would be disrespectful to the pitchers on the same team, and it would be disrespectful to the fans who came to watch us play. When I play, I don’t have any personal feelings, I play as a player against a player, so if my brother hits me, I will catch it with my teeth,” he laughed.