| Lee Jung-hoo | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jung-hoo with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Kiwoom Heroes – No. 51 | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: August 20, 1998 Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan[1] | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| KBO debut | |||||||||||||||
| April 1, 2017, for the Nexen Heroes | |||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics (through 2022) | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .342 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 59 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 470 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
KBO
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Medals
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Lee Jung-hoo (Korean: 이정후; born August 20, 1998) is a South Korean outfielder who plays for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League.
He is the son of former KBO League MVP Lee Jong-beom.[2][3][4] nicknamed "Son of the Wind," so he is called "Grandson of the Wind."[5]
Professional career
In a profile of his father when Lee Jung-hoo was seven years old, he was already attracting attention for his devotion to baseball and his skill at the game.[4]
Lee was selected by the Nexen Heroes in the 2017 Draft (held in 2016), as an infielder. Following a great spring training, Lee was included on the team's opening day roster at age 18 without going through the KBO Futures League. Converted to an outfielder, Lee became the first rookie out of high school to appear in every game for a KBO team. He finished the season batting .324/.395/.417 with 2 home runs, 47 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, and 179 hits, which set a new rookie record for hits. At the conclusion of the season, Lee was voted KBO League Rookie of the Year.[6]
In 2018, he batted .355/.412/.477. In 2019 he batted .336/.386/.456.
In 2019, he won series MVP in the playoffs. His father, Lee Jong-beom, won the MVP award in the 1993 Korean Series, with a batting average of .313 (9 hits in 29 at-bats) and three steals, the most in a game. With Lee Jung-hoo's selection, it became the first time in the KBO that both father and son won a postseason MVP award.[7]
Lee won another Golden Glove Award in 2020[8] with a batting line of .333, 15 home runs, 101 RBI, and a career-high OPS of .921.
In the 2022 season, Lee won the KBO League Most Valuable Player Award.[9]
In 2023, Lee played in 85 games for Kiwoom, and hit .319/.407/.456 with 6 home runs and 45 RBI. On July 25, 2023, it was announced that Lee would undergo season–ending surgery after suffering a fractured ankle.[10]
International career
- He represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games.[11] He delivered the winning RBI against Chinese Taipei on November 17.[12]
- He played for Team Korea at the 2019 WBSC Premier12 tournament, and led the tournament with five doubles.
- He represented South Korea at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
References
- ^ "네이버 뉴스 라이브러리" (in Korean). Newslibrary.naver.com. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
- ^ "Power rankings, top players, key storylines and more: Everything you need for KBO opening day". ESPN.com. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Yoo Jee-ho. "2nd-generation KBO star wants to see more sons of ex-players thrive," Yonhap News Agency (July 04, 2020).
- ^ a b Chang Hye-soo, Limb Jae-un. "Kia Tigers outfielder invigorated after last season’s slump, pay cut," Korea JoongAng Daily (April 25, 2005).
- ^ "[KBO] '바람의 손자' 이정후 "이종범 뛰어넘기보다 저 자체로 인정받고파…새로운 별명 공모합니다!"". 이투데이 (in Korean). 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Park, Baek end Dark Ages for local aces". koreatimes.co.kr. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ "부전자전 이정후, 이종범과 최초 부자 PS MVPIdate=2019-10-18". 18 October 2019.
- ^ [email protected] (December 11, 2020). "(LEAD) Star catcher earns near-unanimous support for KBO's Golden Glove". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ "Lee Jung-hoo named 2022 KBO MVP". 17 November 2022.
- ^ "KBO star Jung-hoo Lee expected to miss remainder of season with ankle injury ahead of MLB posting". cbssports.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ "2018 아시안게임 야구 대표팀 선수 교체" (in Korean). Korea Baseball Organization. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ "Lee Jung-hoo delivers game-winning triple in sixth inning as South Korea nips Taiwan". The Japan Times. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- "선수(타자) | 기록실 | KBO". koreabaseball.com.
This page was last edited on 5 November 2023, at 13:15