If it was Korea, I already went to the second division and had no hits in three times at bat. SF Lee Jung-hoo, is the slump for two months a problem with my skills?

Jun 30, 2025

'Is this really a slump?'

If the slump continues for two months, it would be good to ask questions at least once now. Is this a temporary phenomenon caused by a slump, or is it a real skill with the bubble lifted.

Lee Jung-hoo (27) of the San Francisco Giants in the Major League Baseball bowed again without a hit. It is no longer in a situation to recover from the batting order adjustment. As the slump continued for two months from the beginning of May, he soon became a batter of 'below average'. His batting average of 240 is also in jeopardy.

Lee Jung-hoo started as the sixth center fielder in an interleague away game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, early on the 30th (Korea time), but had no hits in three at-bats. He added one strikeout, and all he did was step on first base with one dune. If you are the sixth batter, you are still the center hitter, and if you have this grade, your contribution to the attack is the same.

His first at-bat came at first base with no outs in the top of the second inning when he was trailing 0-1. A double play against opposing right-hander Jonathan Cannon poured cold water on the team's chasing atmosphere. In the top of the fourth inning, he struck out against the opponent's left-hander, bullpen Brandon Acert. I just watched the slider go through the strike zone.

The third at-bat in the top of the fifth inning was the worst. San Francisco succeeded in turning the tables 2-1 with a walk and Lee Jung-hoo came out to the plate when the bases were loaded with one out. It is a situation where a single hit can run away.

However, Lee Jung-hoo seems to have lost his composure when Jordan Ledger's first pitch high ball was declared a strike. He forced a low slider on the second pitch. It's a hit that can't make a good hit. In the end, he increased only one out count without any income with a fly ball to shortstop.

San Francisco, which failed to score due to Lee Jung-hoo's misfire in the `Chance to Run', eventually lost 2-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning, dedicating a large number of four points. Lee Jung-hoo came out as a leadoff hitter in the top of the eighth inning when the tide turned upside down and stepped on first base with a hit ball. San Francisco, however, failed to score even then. Lee Jung-hoo was one of the main culprits of the team's defeat.

However, Lee Jung-hoo's poor performance is nothing new. For now, he started all three consecutive away games against the White Sox, but he did not get any hits. He has one hit in 10 at-bats for 11 at-bats. His batting average for this season dropped to 0.243 (74 hits in 304 times at bat) and his OPS dropped to 0.713. He has a batting average of less than 10 percent in the last 15 games. He is only 0.094 (5 hits in 53 at-bats).

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Lee Jung-hoo's slump has been around for a long time. It has been on a steady decline since May 10 when his batting average of .300 collapsed due to no hits in four at-bats against Minnesota.

Lee Jung-hoo, who raised expectations for a 'MLB .300 hitter' with a monthly batting average of 0.324 (33 hits in 107 times at bat) in April, saw his pace drop sharply with a monthly batting average of 0.231 (25 hits in 108 times at bat) in May. Then, his monthly batting average in June got worse at just 0.150 (12 hits in 80 at-bats).

San Francisco coach Bob Melvin is giving Lee Jung-hoo a chance by continuing his batting order to revive his batting sense. However, it is nothing more than an empty flame. There is no sign that Lee Jung-hoo will survive anywhere.

When Lee Jung-hoo entered the batter's box in the top of the fourth inning, White Sox third baseman Josh Rojas was shifting on the grass in front of the 2-3rd base line and caught and handled when a ground ball came out. Photo = MLB.TV Capture

Even now, it has spread to the opposing team 'How to attack after Lee Jung-hoo'. Even infield-only shifts have appeared. He came out against the White Sox on the 28th. At the top of the fourth inning, third baseman Josh Rojas advanced to the infield turf between 2-3 bases and settled down during Lee Jung-hoo's at-bat. Lee Jung-hoo's shift appeared. And Lee Jung-hoo was out by sending a pitch exactly in front of Rojas. Major League Baseball's microscopic analysis can also predict the direction of batting.

Under these circumstances, it is expected that it will be quite difficult for Lee Jung-hoo to return to the '300 hitter'. We need to worry about maintaining 240 percent, let alone 30 percent.

This is a phenomenon that cannot be explained by the word 'slump'. It is reasonable to say that significant problems have been exposed in the hitting mechanism or preparation. Usually, in this situation, methods such as waiting on the bench or moving to the minor leagues appear to reorganize.

What would have happened if there was a similar situation in the KBO League. You can make an interesting assumption.

He hired a batter from the major leaguers at a high price. It hit well in March and April and fell into a long-term slump from May to June. The team continues to be pushed out of the ranking competition as it only gives disappointment at every opportunity. Under these circumstances, most coaches will order the player to join the second team.

David McKinnon. Sports Chosun DB

In fact, there are not a few foreign hitters who went to the second division for similar reasons. A close example is David McKinnon, who was recruited by the Samsung Lions last year. McKinnon, who has MLB careers such as the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland, was active in offense and defense from the beginning of the season to May, being mentioned as a candidate for batting king.

However, he fell into a slump for more than a month and a half from mid-May, and eventually said goodbye to the KBO League with the first wave of foreign hitters at the start of the second half.

Although the environment and system of the KBO League and the Major League are very different, the concerns about the players in the long-term slump will be similar. Maybe Melvin is also mulling over Lee Jung-hoo 'minor league'. If it was the KBO League, it would already be in the second division.

Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.