“Lee Jung-hoo, you’ll be a ‘favorite’ before you know it.”
The San Francisco Giants’ Lee Jung-hoo has been touted as the favorite to win Major League Baseball’s Rookie of the Year this season.
MLB.com, the official website of MLB, announced the 2024 Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player (MVP), Cy Young Award, and Manager of the Year candidates for each of the six districts in both leagues on Wednesday (June 13). Among them, Jung-hoo Lee was named as a candidate for Rookie of the Year in the National League (NL) West, which includes San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies.
MLB.com wrote, “San Francisco made a number of offseason additions, but Lee could make the biggest difference for the organization. With his quick feet and good contact, he’ll fit in perfectly and be the ‘sparkplug’ that brings energy and life to the team.” “Before you know it, he’ll be your favorite player,” added MLB.
Lee is 7-for-22 with seven doubles (one home run), three RBIs, three runs scored, a .318 batting average, a .375 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage in eight games. He started at first base and center field against the Dodgers on April 13 and went 0-for-3, but he’s adjusting well.
In his first official big league game against the Seattle Mariners on March 28, Lee got off to a strong start, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He went 2-for-3 with one home run, one RBI, and one run scored against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 1, recording his first home run, first double, and first multi-hit game, and then went 1-for-3 against the Texas Rangers on April 2.
Against the Cleveland Indians on April 4, he went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. It was his first walk and first stolen base. Against the Colorado Rockies on May 5, he went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to five games. After a brief respite with a hitless game against Oakland on Oct. 10, Lee went 1-for-3 against Seattle on Oct. 11, continuing to prove his value as the starting center fielder and leadoff man.
In the other five districts, MLB lists Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), Colt Keith (Detroit Tigers), Evan Carter (Texas Rangers), Max Meyer (Miami Marlins), and Shota Imanaga (Chicago Cubs) as Rookie of the Year candidates.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), who is in the same district as Lee, appears to be out of the running early. MLB.com avoided overlapping teams in the four categories, as Mookie Betts (Dodgers) is the favorite for NL West MVP.
“Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) would have been a strong MVP candidate if he was also pitching this season,” MLB wrote, “but Betts will add to his value by playing shortstop 카지노사이트 this year.”
San Diego manager Mike Shields, whose team features Kim Ha-seong and Go Woo-seok, was mentioned as a possible manager of the year. San Diego, which finished third in the district last season (82-80), lost ace Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in the offseason.
“Sylt has a tough task in the competitive NL West,” the publication said, “and if San Diego can show improvement, he could emerge as the savior of the franchise.”
The Padres will play Major League Baseball exhibition games through the 14th before arriving in Korea on the 15th to prepare for the regular season opener. The Padres will open their official season in Korea against the Dodgers in the MLB World Tour Seoul Series 2024 with Coupang Play.
The series will be held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on April 20 and 21 at 7:05 p.m. Prior to the opening game, four special games will be held at Gocheok Dome on the 17th and 18th. On Sunday, the Dodgers will face the Kiwoom Heroes at 12 p.m. and Team Korea and San Diego at 7 p.m. On the 18th, San Diego will take on the LG Twins at 12pm and Team Korea and the Dodgers at 7pm.