Outfielder Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO League will miss the next three months due to an ankle injury that requires surgery, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency. There’s less than two months remaining in the KBO regular season schedule, meaning this will effectively end his season.
Lee, 24, has already established himself as one of the better players in the KBO League despite his young age. He won Rookie of the Year in 2017 after hitting .324/.395/.417 when he was just 18 years old for much of the year. He continued to improve his game in subsequent seasons, including last year. He hit 23 home runs and produced a batting line of .349/.421/.575 for a wRC+ of 175. He struck out in just 5.1% of his plate appearances while walking in 10.5% of them. He also stole five bases and won a Gold Glove for a fifth straight year, with his combined efforts leading to a Most Valuable Player award.
He was surely hoping for another strong season here in 2023, since the Heroes announced in January that he will be posted for major league clubs afterwards, allowing him to attempt to make the move to North America at the age of 25. But it’s not going to end up playing out in ideal fashion for Lee. In 85 games this year, he still played well, but at a level below his MVP campaign last year. His walk rate ticked up to 12.7% but he hit just six home runs, leading to a .319/.407/.456 batting line. His 142 wRC+ indicates he’s still been way above average but not quite as outrageously as last year.
On top of that relatively diminished output, he’ll now have to miss the final few months of the season and will likely go into the winter with uncertainty surrounding his health status. It’s obviously an ill-timed development for Lee, who was surely hoping to earn a significant contract in making the jump to Major League Baseball. Since he turns 25 in August, he will no longer be considered an “amateur” by MLB rules and won’t be subject to the bonus pool system.
He will therefore be free to sign a contract of any length or dollar amount, with the signing club also responsible for paying a posting fee to the Heroes. That’s tied to the size of the contract itself, with the MLB team owing the KBO club 20 percent of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5 percent of the next $25MM and 15 percent of any dollars thereafter. That fee is on top of any dollars guaranteed to the player himself, and subsequent earning (e.g. performance incentives, contract options) are also subject to the posting system once they become guaranteed to the player.
Lee seemed to be set up to be one of the more intriguing free agents this winter, especially since the class seems heavy on pitchers and light on position players. That might still be the case, though it’s possible that this injury situation has an impact on things, depending on how he progresses between now and the winter.
Ha sun Kim is having a great year and this guy is probably a better hitter than him plus has great speed and defense. He could be a pretty good centerfield lead off guy for a lot of teamd in MLB.
Future padres you say
League would probably love that with the Korean series they have scheduled for next year
Who?
Low effort trolling
Oh come on. The dude has a funny name.
Exactly. “Who” was my first thought too and I’ve been watching MLB for 40+ years.. Many people have paper thin skin unfortunately.
Horton heard it.
He’s on first
I thought this was Josh Jung when I first glanced at the headline. Seconds later, I was relieved to find out that Jung is a quite common name, even in various different countries.
Josh Jung sure doesn’t like to walk. Does he train with Javier Baez in the offseason?
Trea Turner
Josh Jung’s walk rate this year is higher than any individual season of Baez’s career.
Gold Glove is not an award for defense in KBO
Eighty Raw: Then what is it for?
In Korea “Gold gloves” means you are incredibly rich, because you can afford gloves made out of solid gold. You’re welcome, lol.
It’s an award for best overall (as opposed to best defensively) at that position, like being named to the All-NBA team. There is a Gold Glove for DH.
Thanks, Eighty Raw.
You could say that about Derek Jeter’s gold gloves too
If MLBTR covers Korean bb, why can’t cover European soccer?
Because soccer in USA is minor leagues.
Different “sport” (if you consider soccer to be a real sport)
Soccer is for the groomers.
Isn’t that what college campuses are for?
Like it or not, more kids I’m the USA play soccer than any other sport.
“He was surely hoping for another strong season here in 2023, since the Heroes announced in January that he will be posted for major league clubs afterwards,…”
How is this not extremely relevant to this site’s mission?
Won’t affect his market any; there will be teams lining up by the door. If teams hadn’t been scouting before, the WBC should have opened everyone’s eyes.
Want the Padres to to sign him as Kim Ha-Seong and Lee Jung-Hoo were former teamates in the KBO for the Heroes.
And then have the Padres Sign Ohtani who played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters like Darvish.
Sell a uniform patch to an Asian conglomerate like Lotte or Samsung to pocket at least half of Ohtanis salary.
Should be a perfect fit in Anaheim after Ohtani leaves! And he’s got the risk factor they love!
Lookin to sign in N America , always wanted to go to Hooters.