Lee Jung-hoo’s status is so high…SF has already announced recruitment, and the president is into it. “A great player, Kim Ha-sung effect, too.”

Interest in Lee Jung-hoo (25, Kiwoom Heroes), a “genius hitter” who is aiming to advance to the U.S. Major League this winter, is rising. In particular, the San Francisco Giants’ general manager, who is considered one of the candidates for recruitment, praised Lee Jung-hoo and did not deny his keen interest in him. In fact, he declared competition to recruit Lee Jung-hoo. 스포츠토토

On the 6th (Korean time), the podcast “Giant’s Talk,” run by “NBC Sports Bay Area,” released an interview with Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations in San Francisco. Reporter Alex Pavlovic asked President Zaidi in a one-on-one interview how much he was interested in Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix Buffaloes) and Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo in the Major League FA market this winter.

Mayor Zaidi said, “They are both incredible players. Lee Jung-hoo is likely to raise his profile further by Kim Ha-sung’s success with the San Diego Padres, who was a teammate in Korea. We have visited Korea several times and learned a lot about Lee Jung-hoo. “I missed a lot of time in the second half due to injury, but I expect to be healthy,” he said.

San Francisco visited the camp site of Kiwoom and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team in Arizona in February and observed Lee Jung-hoo from close range. Even after the opening of the season, a high-ranking official visited Korea and continued scouting Lee Jung-hoo. It was considered a team that would be interested in Lee Jung-hoo because it needed to reinforce the batting lineup and the outfield was weak, but President Zaidi also admitted in an interview on the same day.

On the 29th of last month, “The Athletic” said, “Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs) in the FA market and Lee Jung-hoo, a 25-year-old center fielder who won the KBO MVP last year, are one of the few fielders that San Francisco wants.” Lee Jung-hoo, who is young in his mid-20s and has speed, is a perfect player for the type San Francisco needs.

It is also noteworthy that President Zaidi even mentioned Kim Ha-sung. President Zaidi, who also found out that the two players shared a room with Kiwoom for four years between 2017 and 2020, has different positions, but Kim Ha-sung’s success in the Major League will have a positive effect on Lee Jung-hoo as he is from the same KBO League.