You can't play in April? Is this what you're talking about? Lee Jung-hoo's RBI eating 259.4 billion FA's shabby excuse, SF's stomach is burning

Apr 22, 2025

"I've never played well in April. I'm not worried."

The mega FA star, who was recruited by the San Francisco Giants for as much as $182 million (about 259.4 billion won) in the last stove league, opened up about the severe slump at the beginning of the season. He didn't feel sorry for the team. The gist is that it's not a big deal that happens all the time. However, considering the fierce global ranking competition from the beginning of the season, it is a good sound to sell.

Willy Adames is an FA star recruited by San Francisco for a whopping seven years and $182 million. San Francisco, which originally sought to recruit Kim Ha-sung, changed its direction and recruited Adames, a big-handed infielder who hit more than 20 home runs for four consecutive years with the Milwaukee Brewers. It was aimed at strengthening the destructive power of the team's batters.

Adames wasn't just power. He also stole 21 bases last season. His feet were fast, too. So San Francisco placed Adames in the second batting order this season. After that, Lee Jung-hoo went in.

However, while Lee Jung-hoo showed tremendous batting skills from the beginning of the season, Adames remains silent. Adames has a batting average of only 0.194 (18 hits in 93 at-bats) in 23 games since the opening of this season. The on-base percentage is only 0.262. San Francisco's expected 'strong second hitter' is not coming out at all.

As a result, the team's scoring ability is hardly recovering. Moreover, Adames' poor performance is even more painful because Lee Jung-hoo, the third batting order, is wielding almost 'hit king level' at the beginning of the season. If Adames had gotten more on base in the front batting order of Lee Jung-hoo, Lee Jung-hoo's RBI would have been much more than now, which would have led to San Francisco's rise in offensive indicators.

In particular, this year's National League West entered an abnormal competition system from the beginning. As many as four of the five teams have a winning rate of more than 509%. San Francisco also has a winning percentage of 0.652 (15 wins and 8 losses), but it is only ranked third. San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for first with 16 wins and 7 losses. This phenomenon is likely to continue until the end of the season.

Therefore, we have to continue to be competitive from the beginning. In order to do so, the revival of Adames is desperately needed. It is a severe loss for a batter with a level of 100 million to stay in the 10% range.

However, Adames has plenty of room. It can be seen as a sign of confidence, but it is also true that it feels cheeky somewhere.

In an interview with MLB.COM, he said, `Originally, it takes me a while to get it right. As you can see from my career, I've never played well in April. That's why I'm not worried. He said he's not worried because the initial slump is always repeated. Then "Of course, I'm not saying it's okay. I want to do well, too. I hope you don't misunderstand. I'm trying to keep getting used to it. If the right moment comes, it will continue to be maintained.' Sooner or later, he said, he will find a sense of hit.

Whether this is Adames bluster or true confidence will prove in time. If Adames recovers as he said, Lee Jung-hoo can also sweep more RBIs.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.