San Francisco Giants Outfielder Breaking Out in Second Year in MLB

The San Francisco Giants are one of the stories of MLB early in the season, and a big reason why is the leap forward a second-year outfielder is taking.

Apr 7, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) on deck before batting against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Oracle Park. | John Hefti-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are proving to be one of the best stories in all of MLB in the first two weeks of the regular season.

After a disappointing campaign in 2024, franchise legend Buster Posey took the reins and got to work on crafting the team's roster in his vision.

With an 8-2 record that places them second in the National League, it looks like the Giants got their offseason moves right and could be on track to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

But while Posey's new acquisitions have played a major role in the team's improvement, some of the returning players have taken major steps forward to help fuel the growth.

Perhaps none moreso than Jung Hoo Lee, who struggled through an injury-plagued rookie season in 2024 after signing with San Francisco after a decorated seven-year career in the KBO in Korea.

The 26-year-old native of Nagoya, Japan faltered in a big way last year, appearing in just 37 games and producing a slash line of .262/.310/.331.

He popped a mere two home runs and stole only a pair of bases, all part of an OPS+ of 85 that marked him as a major disappointment.

But there was always hope that Lee would improve with another opportunity in 2025, and despite a minor injury scare in spring training, he's delivered on that promise so far.

Lee has already topped last year's stolen base output with three, and his slash line of .333/.385/.500 has positioned him as one of the best hitters in the league so far with an wRC+ of 151.

There's reason to believe things could get even better, too, as his strikeout rate of 15.4% is nearly double his 2024 mark and far higher than his career high in the KBO.

He is also yet to hit a home run or a triple, so his .500 slugging percentage has all come via singles and doubles.

With that sort of room for improvement, Lee has a chance to contend for an All-Star game appearance. His defensive game has been strong as well, as he's already been worth 0.5 fWAR through just nine games played.

On Monday night, Lee extended his early-season hit streak to eight games in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds in which the team mustered just four hits all game thanks to a dominant performance from Hunter Greene.

As a left-handed hitter, Lee could sit against another dominant Reds starter in southpaw Nick Lodolo, but if not, he'll look to extend that hitting streak and help get the Giants back into the win column.