"He's my favorite player" - Jung Hoo Lee admits Ichiro Suzuki's influence after Giants deal

The San Francisco Giants have introduced their newest member, 2022 KBO MVP Jung Hoo Lee. Lee agreed to a six-year deal worth $113 million and will start his major league journey with the Giants in 2024.

He signed the franchise’s second-largest free-agency contract and became the largest contract holder among Korean players even before his MLB debut.

Last month, Lee arrived in San Francisco for an introductory conference where he put on his new MLB jersey, which has the exact number (51) as one of his childhood heroes, Ichiro Suzuki. Suzuki was a major league star for the Seattle Mariners and a Japanese baseball legend.

“When I first started baseball as a child, the first player I saw was Ichiro Suzuki. He’s my favorite player,” Lee said to reporters. "And because of him, I always loved his uniform number and I started to play with the same number.”

Jung Hoo Lee also shared how Suzuki helped him in his switching to become a left-handed batter due to his father's insistence.

Ichiro Suzuki won a batting title, Rookie of the Year, and the MVP honor in his first season. He later became a member of the 3,000 hits club, so it's hard not to admire him and his influence can be seen in the Giants’ newest recruit.

San Francisco Giants’ probable lineup with Jung Hoo Lee

The SF Giants' lineup in Bob Melvin’s vision will include LaMonte Wade Jr. at first base, Thairo Estrada at second base, and J.D. Davis at third base, while Marco Luciano will cover the shortstop position.

Patrick Bailey will fill the catcher role while in the outfield, Mitch Haniger or Mike Yastrzemski will play right field, and Michael Conforto or Austin Slater will be left field. Jung Hoo Lee will be in charge of the center field for San Francisco.

During the offseason, the Giants made several additions to their team. They acquired starting pitcher Ronnie Ray from the Mariners and outfielder T.J. Hopkins. They also claimed Devin Sweet off waivers from the Oakland Athletics and signed a two-year contract with catcher Tom Murphy.

The Giants last appeared in the postseason in 2021 and won the World Series in 2014 against the Kansas City Royals. In 2023, San Francisco finished second to last in the NL West division with 79 wins. Fans are placing their faith in Jung Hoo Lee to be the star who will lead the team into the postseason next season.