Outlook for baseball performance prediction system ‘Steamer’
Lee, last year’s shoulder surgery season ended early… Kim Ha-seong, who is looking for a new team, is also ‘up’ compared to last year.
Otani returns to the mound and resumes ‘dual swords’… Dodgers may have most wins in a single season
The wind blows again. One of the reasons why domestic American professional baseball Major League (MLB) fans are waiting for the opening of the 2025 season is the return of ‘Grandson of the Wind’ Lee Jeong-hoo (27). On the 1st, MLB.com selected one player to watch for from each club in the new season and mentioned San Francisco’s Lee Jung-hoo.
Baseball performance prediction system ‘Steamer’ is also optimistic about Lee Jeong-hoo’s performance in the new season. Steamer predicted that Lee Jung-hoo will play in 143 games this year and record a batting average of 0.294 (175 hits in 660 at-bats), 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, 89 runs, and 13 stolen bases. The expected batting average ranks 5th overall in the big leagues, following last year’s National League batting leader Luis Araes (San Diego, 0.307). Steamer predicted that Lee Jung-hoo’s strikeout rate would be 9.7%, the third lowest in the entire league. The win contribution (WAR) compared to replacement players was rated at 4.1.
Lee Jung-hoo, who signed a contract with San Francisco for 113 million dollars (about 165.9 billion won) over 6 years, injured his left shoulder when he crashed into the fence while playing outfield defense during a home game in May of last year, his debut season in the big league, and ended up on the operating table. Last year, he appeared in 37 games and finished the season early with a batting average of 0.262, 2 home runs, 8 RBI, and 15 runs.
After a disappointing season, Lee Jung-hoo returned to Korea in October of last year and has been preparing for his return following the club’s rehabilitation program in Korea. Since the end of November last year, he has been training individually at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the home stadium of Kiwoom, where he played during his Korean professional baseball days. MLB.com said, “Lee Jung-hoo is expected to participate full-time in spring camp and must fill the center field and leadoff positions. “San Francisco still believes that Lee Jung-hoo will show off a dynamic offense with his excellent contact ability,” he said.
Infielder Kim Ha-seong (30), who is looking for a new team, is expected to play in 123 games this year and leave behind a batting average of 0.248, 12 home runs, 52 RBI, 60 runs, and 22 stolen bases. This is a slight increase from last year’s record (batting average of 0.233, 11 home runs, 47 RBI, 60 points, 22 stolen bases). Ha-seong Kim was on the operating table after injuring his right shoulder while running a base in a game in August last year while playing for San Diego. Ha-seong Kim has received interest from multiple clubs since he entered the market as a free agent (FA), but his future has not yet been decided. Recently, the possibility of going to the New York Yankees has risen rapidly.
Shohei Otani (31), the Japanese star of the LA Dodgers who won the World Series last year and was named the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), returns to the mound this year and challenges the ‘two-hit two-dou-ryu’ game again. Steamer predicted that Ohtani would have a batting average of 0.280, 43 home runs, 104 RBI, 123 runs, and 34 stolen bases at the plate this year. He recorded 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, falling short of last year’s performance when he became the first MLB player to join the 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases club, but it is still the best record in the league. Even on the mound, where he was unable to climb last year due to elbow surgery, he is expected to make a stable comeback with 10 wins, 7 losses, 163 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.49.
Last year’s World Series champion Dodgers recruited two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell (33) from the free agent market, and with Ohtani returning to the mound, they are also expected to break the record for most wins in a single season (116 wins). Otani’s Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) is also expected to have 11 wins, 8 losses, 167 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.57.
Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]
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