Ryu Hyun-jin (36‧ Toronto) is a veteran of veterans who survived 11 years in the tough big leagues after advancing to the major leagues in 2013. You can also feel its status at the Toronto Clubhouse. He is one of the few players to be allocated two lockers.
He has faced numerous hard hitters in the major leagues. He is also the owner of a great brain that can see at a glance the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents as well as his pitches. It is a special thing to be recognized by Ryu Hyun-jin. Lee Jeong-hoo (25, Kiwoom), who is aiming to advance to the major leagues through the posting system (private competitive bidding) after this season is over, is also that special player.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who is accelerating rehabilitation after elbow surgery, was the first to name Lee Jeong-hoo when asked to select a player who can succeed him in the major leagues among current KBO league players.
Ryu Hyun-jin played in the KBO League until 2012 and then went to the major leagues, and Lee Jung-hoo, who was a middle school student at the time, joined the professional league in 2017. Of course, we never played against each other. However, Ryu Hyun-jin recognized Lee Jung-hoo’s talent at once based on the evaluation of the people around him and the video he saw. He spared no thanks saying that he would be able to become a good player in the major leagues as well.
Ryu Hyun-jin said, “I have never played against Lee Jung-hoo. But all the pitchers said it was the most difficult, and (Kim) Gwang-hyun seemed to be very difficult.” . 스포츠토토
The reason Lee Jung-hoo is scary is that despite already being at the top of the KBO league, he breaks through that ceiling every year. According to the tally of Stat Teas, a site specializing in statistics, Lee Jung-hoo’s adjusted scoring production (wRC+) in 2017, his rookie season, was 112. This figure gradually rose to 127.4 in 2018 and 135.1 in 2019. It was the point at which Lee Jung-hoo was recognized as an outstanding hitter who could represent the league.
Considering that normal runners cross uphill and downhill, the graph only broke once here. However, Lee Jung-hoo maintained his strengths and improved his weaknesses. In 2020, wRC+ rose to 142.8, in 2021 it rose again to an MVP-level grade of 165.2, and last year it topped the league with a score of 182.5.
Major League scouts are also giving high marks to Jung-Hoo Lee’s basic batting talent as well as his continuing improvement. He is still a 25-year-old player, so there is an evaluation that there is room for further improvement in terms of long hits. Lee Jeong-hoo is also working hard to make better quality in-play batting balls by revising his batting form this year. It is not an exaggeration to say that the day when Lee Jung-hoo can confidently face off against Ryu Hyun-jin is approaching little by little.