They referred to as his father the “Son of the Wind,” and now Jung-Hoo Lee is breezing into MLB stardom because the “Grandson of the Wind.” After a quiet and injury-shortened rookie season with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, Lee is quickly rising as certainly one of baseball’s early breakout stars in 2025. By means of his first 18 video games, the 25-year-old middle fielder is slashing .348/.403/.652 with three house runs, 10 doubles, a triple, and 14 RBIs — numbers that haven’t solely solidified his place within the Giants’ lineup but additionally launched him into the nationwide highlight.
“It’s simply cool to see him [succeed],” ace Logan Webb mentioned. “He’s such an incredible man, nice teammate and brings numerous power.”
Lee’s ascent is especially important for a franchise that’s missed out on a number of famous person pursuits lately — from Bryce Harper and Aaron Choose to Carlos Correa and Shohei Ohtani. However the place others mentioned no, Lee has mentioned sure to the problem — and he’s thriving.
Jung-Hoo Lee is growing into the face of the Giants franchise
After signing a six-year, $113 million deal out of the KBO, there have been preliminary doubts surrounding Lee’s lack of energy and his restoration from ankle surgical procedure. Then got here a shoulder damage in 2024 that restricted him to only 37 video games. The .641 OPS he posted didn’t precisely encourage confidence that his KBO dominance — the place he hit .340 throughout seven seasons — would translate to MLB.
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However 2025 has informed a distinct story. Absolutely wholesome and fine-tuned on the plate, Lee has refined his mechanics in refined however essential methods. He’s adjusted his stance, shifted his level of contact deeper, and leveraged his elite higher physique mobility to enhance protection on the outer third of the zone. The consequence? A major uptick in line drives, improved contact high quality, and a barrel price that ranks amongst MLB’s greatest.
“It is fairly outstanding,” supervisor Bob Melvin mentioned. “He hasn’t seen most of those pitchers earlier than, however his bat-to-ball abilities are elite.”
Past the numbers, Lee has grow to be a fan favourite. Giants followers created cheering sections dubbed the “Jung Hoo Crew” and the “Hoo Lee Gans” — with followers donning fire-colored wigs and matching shirts in middle area. His two-homer recreation at Yankee Stadium — together with a go-ahead three-run blast — was an announcement to the league: Lee is for actual.
Whereas some stay skeptical about Lee’s early energy surge — noting his common fly ball exit velocity might not maintain slugger-level manufacturing — few doubt his contact capacity and instincts. He’s drawing comparisons to Purple Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida however with higher pace and protection. Whether or not he stays within the three-hole or settles right into a leadoff position long-term, one factor is obvious: Jung Hoo Lee is already value watching — and will quickly be value each penny of his contract.