"Lee Jung-hoo, batting average of .300 in trial games, will definitely become an ML All-Star." U.S. media is convinced

"Lee Jung-hoo, batting average of .300 in trial games, will definitely become an ML All-Star." U.S. media is convinced

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A U.S. media outlet praised Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants for his stellar performance in exhibition games. Following his stellar performance in the 2025 season, he is expected to become the first Major League All-Star.스포츠토토

U.S. media outlet Around the Poghorn on the 15th (Korea time) selected players who are expected to perform this season under the theme of "San Francisco players who can become the first All-Star of the year."

Last year, San Francisco produced two All-Stars, Eliot Ramos (26) and Logan Webb (29), even though they ranked fourth in the National League West with 80 wins and 82 losses. The two top prospects made their names known throughout the nation last year. Ramos posted a batting average of 0.269 in 121 games, 22 homers, 72 RBIs and six steals, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.792, while Webb displayed 13 wins and 10 losses with a 3.47 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 204 ⅔ innings in 33 games.

Lee Jung-hoo, along with starting pitcher Jordan Hicks and utility Tyler Fitzgerald, was named the Slipper who could become the first All-Star of the year. Slippers are a term that refers to players who do not get attention at first in American sports, but can expect a surprise performance during the season.

Around the Foghorn said, "Lee Jung-hoo has been very active in spring training. If he continues this performance through the regular season and records close to what he showed in the KBO League, he can surely become an All-Star. Lee's hits for contact, ability to get on base, and defense in center field provide a real opportunity to elevate him to one of the best center field."
Lee has a batting average of 0.300 (nine hits in 30 at-bats) in 12 games (two homers, five RBIs, nine runs scored, four steals, seven strikeouts, and a on-base percentage of 0.400 OPS of 0.967. Unlike last year when he was the first hitter in his debut season, he will start the regular season as the third hitter this year.

There is a reason why he chose "Slipper Pick" rather than a clear candidate. Around the Foghorn named catcher Patrick Bailey (26) and the club's highest-paid shortstop Willie Adames (30) and right-handed bullpen Ryan Walker (30) who made a surprise performance last year. These players definitely stood out in the big leagues last year.

Bailey, the catcher, debuted in the big leagues in 2023 after being drafted by San Francisco with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 MLB Rookie Draft. Although he had a poor batting average of 0.233 and an OPS of around 0.640 for the second consecutive year, he was noted for his outstanding catcher defense by steadily hitting more than seven home runs. Last year, he was recognized as a source of funding to become the true successor of Buster Posey, as he became the main character in the Gold Glove National League catcher category. Posey is currently the president of San Francisco and a catcher of an era who is likely to enter the Hall of Fame as a club member.

Adames is known as a shortstop who doubles as a ball and fielder. Since his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, he has posted a batting average of 0.248 with 150 home runs, 472 RBIs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.766 in 880 games while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. Having hit 20 home runs in his second year in the big league, Adames hit 30 home runs twice after moving to Milwaukee in 2021. The seven-year, 182 million U.S. dollars he signed with the San Francisco Giants in December last year is the highest in the club's history in 11 years, surpassing Posey's record of 9167 million dollars in 2013 to extend his contract.
The San Francisco Giants (SFG) team held their last spring training session at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona, the U.S. on Tuesday. Giants pitcher Ryan Walker is pitching hard against Lee Jung-hoo in a live BP game./Photo by Kim Jin-kyung
Walker is called the miracle of lower-rounders. After being nominated by San Francisco in the 31st round of the 2018 Rookie Draft, he made his big league debut last year and quickly emerged as the core of the bullpen. Notably, he had 10 wins and 4 losses with a 1.91 ERA in 76 games and 99 strikeouts in 80 innings as a bullpen last year, making him one of the top-rated players in the Major League. His fastball average of 95.6 miles per hour and elite slider was the reason why he is considered the best closing candidate in the league.

In comparison, Lee displayed little performance in the 2024 season. Lee, who made his Major League debut last year, ended the season early on due to a dislocated left shoulder in May. As a result, Lee posted a batting average of 0.262 (38 hits in 145 times at bat), two homers, eight RBIs and two steals (three failed attempts), and an on-base percentage of 0.310, an on-base hit ratio of 0.331 OPS of 0.641.

However, local media in the U.S. still have high expectations for Lee. For example, through its own performance forecasting program "Stimmer," the U.S. baseball statistics media reported that Lee will post a batting average of 0.294, 14 homers, 62 RBIs, 88 runs and 13 steals in 143 games in the 2025 season, 0.351 on-base percentage, 0.438 on-base plus slugging percentage, 0.789 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and 3.9 wins in contribution to victory (WAR) compared to replacement players. Lee's projected batting average of 0.294 is the second highest in the entire National League, with only Araez at 0.307.