Lee Jeong-hoo Wearing SF Uniform My Prime is Yet to Come
‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jeong-hoo (25) wore a San Francisco Giants uniform and gave her first greeting.
Lee Jeong-hoo held her San Francisco induction ceremony at Oracle Park in California, USA on the 16th (Korean time). 지울프-토토
Lee Jeong-hoo, wearing the orange tie that symbolizes San Francisco, cautiously began his speech by saying, “Hello Giants,” with a somewhat flushed expression.
Even after giving her first greeting, Lee Jeong-hoo continued to introduce himself and express his gratitude in English.
“My name is Lee Jeong-hoo. After announcing himself as “the grandson of the wind” in Korea, he thanked the team owner’s family and agent Boras for recruiting him.
“I am also thankful to my father and mother. I am happy that I was able to achieve my dream of playing in the Major League. I came here to win. I will do my best for my colleagues and fans. “Let’s go Giants,” he continued his prepared English greeting for quite some time.
Farhan Zaidi, president of San Francisco’s baseball operations division, and agent Scott Boras gave a big round of applause to Lee Jeong-hoo, who delivered a heartfelt greeting, although not fluent.
After saying hello, Jeong-hoo Lee wore the San Francisco uniform and hat given to him by President Zaidi. He then asked the on-site reporters if he was handsome, saying, “Handsome?” and made them laugh.
Lee Jeong-hoo, who debuted in the KBO League as a first-round pick for Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) in 2017, took on the big league challenge this winter through the posting system (private competitive bidding).
Lee Jeong-hoo joined the hand of San Francisco, which showed such proactiveness that general manager Pete Putilla personally visited Korea to see him last October.
Lee Jung-hoo’s contract with San Francisco was first announced through local media on the 13th. And on the 15th, the club revealed the details of the contract.
The club signed a six-year contract with Lee Jung-hoo worth a total of $113 million (about 147.3 billion won). After the 2027 season, an opt-out is included to cancel the remaining contract and become a free agent.
Lee Jung-hoo receives $5 million (about 6.5 billion won) as a signing bonus.
He will receive an annual salary of $7 million (about 9.1 billion won) next year, his debut season, and $16 million (about 20.8 billion won) in the 2025 season. The annual salary was set at $22 million (28.7 billion won) each for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
If Lee Jung-hoo does not opt out, he will receive an annual salary of $20.5 million (about 26.7 billion won) in the 2028 and 2029 seasons.
Lee Jeong-hoo, who pointed out that “adapting to a new environment is the biggest task,” expressed his determination by saying, “It is important to set a goal for next year, but I will make adaptation a top priority and do my best every day.”
Why did you choose San Francisco?
“As a fan who has been watching MLB since I was young, San Francisco is a team with a long history and many legendary players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. They had won a lot recently and were my favorite team. I am honored to have been selected by such a team and to play for such a historic club.”
-What do you need to prepare for when coming to the major league?
“Adapting to a new environment is a big task. You have to adapt to new pitchers, environment, and baseball stadium. In Korea, you always travel by bus, but (in the big leagues) you travel by plane, and the time difference is different. I think we need to prepare well so that we can quickly adapt to these things.”
-What are you looking forward to ahead of the first season?
“Early this year, I toured an American baseball stadium during Kiwoom’s spring training. This was my first time coming to Oracle Park since then. “I’m looking forward to it because it’s my first time at every stadium.”
Kennedy English