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Lee Jung-hoo (28 years old) of the San Francisco Giants will no longer serve as a center fielder in the 2026 season, but will serve as a right winger. Gold Glove outfielder Harrison Bader (32 years old) also joined the team. Faced with the sudden proposal to change his position, Li Zhenghou happily nodded for the team, and the team leadership also gave him deep trust.
On the 31st (Korean time), San Francisco Baseball General Manager Buster Pozzi (39) disclosed his conversation with Lee Jung-hoo on the change of defensive positions in a video interview with a group of reporters entering and leaving San Francisco including NBC Sports Bay Arena.
Pohang Steelers said: “Lee Jung-hoo showed a very good attitude. Through dialogue, Lee Jung-hoo and the Korean team also understood each other about the possibility of participating as a midfielder. Lee Jung-hoo also readily accepted the news during the dialogue with team leader Jack Minasian and coach Tony Vitello.”
The San Francisco Giants officially announced the introduction of Wade on the 31st. According to local media such as MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, Beida’s contract period is two years and the total contract value reaches 20.5 million US dollars (approximately 29.7 billion won). As a result, he appears to be starting to tighten up the outfield defense, which is the most tight end of the off-season.
San Francisco’s outfield defense, with Lee Jung-hoo as the backbone in the 2025 season, ranks last in Major League Baseball and has received harsh reviews locally. In particular, Lee Jung-hoo and left-winger Elliott Ramos (27) are considered to be the main culprits. According to The Athletics, the combined OAA (Outs Above Average, a defensive indicator that shows more outs than the league average, 0 average) set by Lee Jung-hoo and Ramos in the 2025 season reached -14. In particular, Lee Jung-hoo left behind indicators of OAA-5 and DRS (Defensive Run Saved, an indicator indicating how many points the defense prevented)-18.
In the end, the team decided to move Li Zhenghou to the right wing to reduce the defensive burden. Captain Pogi also confidently said, “Lee Jung-hoo has the potential to become the top right-hander in Major League Baseball.” Captain Minasian also said, “We conducted a thorough examination of Lee Jung-hoo’s hitting judgment, path setting and delivery ability. The results of the analysis of the data showed that Lee Jung-hoo has an advantage over other right-wingers in Major League Baseball. He will definitely perform well.”
Local analysts in the United States also believe that the movement of Lee Jung-hoo’s right fielder will maximize his offensive power. There is even data that among right-wingers with more than 400 at-bats in the 2025 season, Lee Jung-hoo ranks first in the least strikeouts, fifth in batting average, and tied for sixth in runs scored. Because Lee Jung-hoo has less pressure on the defensive range, it creates an environment where he can focus more on his original strengths of exquisite batting and base-leaving ability.
If, as the team envisions, Wade shows solid defense in the center field and Lee Jung-hoo shows solid defense and sharp hitting in the right wing, then San Francisco’s outfield is expected to rise to the highest level in the league in both offense and defense.
Lee Jung Hoo dedicated himself to the team and started a new challenge. Fans are looking forward to whether he, who has transformed into the “main right-hander”, can become the new protagonist of Oracle Park in the 2026 season.
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*This content is generated by AI translation.
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