There are many Japanese players in the FA market who want to advance to the Major League, and Lee Jung-hoo, the best batter in the KBO League, is challenging as a fielder. It is another point to watch the FA market.

Players who played in Japan or Korea have no major league or minor league experience. There is a lack of data directly comparable to big league players. No matter how long you scout, it's clear that it's an uncertain world. Nevertheless, Asian players, led by Lee Jung-hoo and Yamamoto Yoshinobu (Orix), are receiving great attention in this market. The skills shown in the league, the competitiveness shown in international competitions, and the relatively young age compared to the existing players seem to appeal.

Yamamoto is in the top five in the "FA Power Ranking" set by most media outlets. Quite a few media outlets are even showing the unusual scene of putting Yamamoto after Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels), the biggest fish of all time. It has reached a level where there is no disagreement that it is the pitcher's biggest fish. Lee Jung-hoo is the next big contractor to connect Yamamoto. He also showed competitiveness in the international arena, including the World Baseball Classic (WBC), as the best hitter in the KBO League.

Moroshi also introduced Lee Jung-hoo after Yamamoto in this column. Morosi noted, "The 25-year-old Lee Jung-hoo will be an interesting choice for Major League teams considering the relative lack of top-class hitters in the FA market." Lee Jung-hoo, a left-handed batter, has mainly played center field in the KBO League. "He hit a career-high 23 home runs in 2022 and represented Korea at a high level in the international stage, including the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he hit 0.429 in four games."

Lee Jung-hoo then selected Ander Inciarte, who won gold gloves for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. Insiarte, a Venezuelan who made his major league debut in Arizona in 2014, is a center fielder who boasts excellent defense and won a gold glove for three consecutive years since 2016 when he was a member of Atlanta, and also served as an All-Star in 2017.

Inciarte was not a batter with a high on-base percentage and was not a familiar player with double-digit home runs. Instead, he was a good player with a batting average and accuracy.


He batted .303 in 132 games in 2015, 0.291 in 131 games in 2016 and 0.304 in 157 games in 2017. On top of that, he had the highest level of defense and the highest level of focus. There is a similarity to Lee Jung-hoo, who is considered to have more than average center field defense in sophisticated hitting.

Morosi announced that "Kium Heroes will post Lee Jung-hoo in January (last year) to prepare for the superstar's departure. The KBO League postseason is underway, so Lee Jung-hoo's official posting is about two weeks away, he said, adding, "St. Louis, New York Yankees, San Diego, and San Francisco are expected to find influential outfielders in this offseason," adding that they need to pay attention to their moves.


The procession of Major League Baseball clubs to watch Lee Jung-hoo lasted a long time. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that almost all of the 30 clubs have completed the evaluation of Lee Jung-hoo. In particular, there are not many good sales in the center field market this year. This is why market Lee Jung-hoo can be expected to heat up. Among the teams mentioned by Morosi, San Francisco and San Diego are the clubs that have watched Lee Jung-hoo most closely, while the New York Yankees are focusing on influential New York media, with rumors of Lee Jung-hoo's interest.

Some predict that the treatment will not be disappointing. Keith Law, a renowned columnist for the North American sports media "The Athletic," ranked Lee Jung-hoo 10th in the FA rankings he ranked on the 3rd. He is second among outfielders after Cody Bellinger. Tim Britton, a statistical analyst with the same media, saw Lee Jung-hoo as worth around $16.5 million a year through case comparisons. Considering that Lee Jung-hoo is still in his mid-20s, it is also possible to predict that if a team comes out to give him a six-year contract period, the total amount, including posting expenses, could exceed $100 million. This is not a disappointing treatment.

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