Kiwoom Heroes’ Lee Jung-hoo, who is rehabbing from ankle surgery, is reportedly the second most sought-after outfielder in Major League Baseball’s free agency market later this year.
On Aug. 8 (KST), ESPN published a feature article titled “Early rankings for 2023 free agency: Oh Oh leads the top 10”.
Instead of the top 10, Lee was listed as an outfielder in the “Players Who Could Receive $10 Million or More Guaranteed” section. ESPN listed Lee as the first outfielder, followed by nine others: Harrison Bader (New York Yankees), Jacob Pederson (San Francisco), Tommy Pham (New York Mets), Kevin Kiermaier (Toronto), Hunter Renfroe (Los Angeles Angels), Michael Taylor (Minnesota), Randall Grichuk (Angels), Adam Duvall (Boston), and Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh). He didn’t provide any explanation for any of them.
Lee is the second outfielder to be rated in the top 10, behind the Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger, who was ranked ninth. This shows that the evaluation of Lee, who recently underwent ankle surgery and is out for the season, hasn’t changed much. The view is that Lee is still an attractive outfield option.
Lee was substituted in the eighth inning of a game against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium on March 22 after complaining of ankle pain while fielding.
He underwent a medical examination the next day and was diagnosed with a damaged extensor tendon, a membrane that wraps around the tendon in his left ankle. He underwent suture surgery on Sept. 27 and is expected to spend three months rehabilitating. His participation in the Hangzhou Asian Games, which begin on Sept. 23, is out of the question, and a comeback before the end of the regular season in early October is virtually impossible. With Kiwoom in ninth place with 41 wins and 57 losses, the chances of them making the postseason are slim, so Lee won’t be playing any more games this year.
Nevertheless, ESPN lists Lee as a player to watch in the outfield market.
Earlier this year, Fangraphs ranked Jung-Hoo Lee fourth in their International Prospect Scouting Report, saying, “Like Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Jung-Hoo Lee has a baseball pedigree. He won the MVP award in 2022 after hitting 23 home runs and 60 RBIs, and has drawn more walks than strikeouts in each of the last three years.” “He has one of the most beautiful swings on the planet, and while his fastball adjustment issues remain to be seen, he will be on the radar of many teams in free agency later this year.
It’s unlikely that an injury would change this assessment of Lee. While injury risk could be a factor in negotiations, it’s hard to see a team signing a player to a major league deal to a minor league contract.온라인카지노
Meanwhile, ESPN ranks the top 10 as Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Matt Chapman (Toronto), Blake Snell (San Diego), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix), Aaron Nola (Philadelphia), Josh Hader (San Diego), Eduardo Rodriguez (Detroit), Julio Urias (Los Angeles Dodgers), Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs), and Lucas Giolito (Angels).
“In a survey three months ago, 26 Major League Baseball insiders projected an average 11-year, $524 million deal, which has now jumped to at least $600 million,” he said of Ohtani, and “He’s five years younger than Senga Kodai (five years, $75 million), has considerable stuff and better command,” he said of Japanese pitcher Yamamoto. Expect a $100 million-plus contract, excluding posting fees.