LEE, get out of the way! MLB's worst center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, SF is also looking for an alternative. He will likely be in right field next year

LEE, get out of the way! MLB's worst center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, SF is also looking for an alternative. He will likely be in right field next year



"Right field might be more suitable."

The San Francisco Giants, who have failed to advance to the Major League postseason for the last four consecutive years, are preparing for a major team transformation next season. The start of a drastic change is foreshadowed by the fact that Tony Bytelo, who is already a university baseball coach (University of Tennessee), took the helm.

Coincidentally, Lee Jung-hoo (27) stands at the center of this change. Lee Jung-hoo, who is in his second year of debut this year, practically saw 2025 as the full-time rookie season. Last year, his strengths and weaknesses were not properly revealed due to the early end of the season due to injuries, but Lee Jung-hoo's real appearance was revealed on the major league stage through the 2025 season.




In the 2025 season, Lee Jung-hoo had mixed reviews between heaven and hell. He showed strong batting skills right after the opening of the season until May, but he was in a severe slump from June to July. Then, as he revived at the end of the season, he ended the 2025 season with a batting average of 0.266 (149 hits in 560 at-bats) with eight home runs, 55 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.734.

In this way, while leaving regret and possibility at the same time in terms of hitting, he received a consistent evaluation of his defense. He played a full-time season as a 'main center fielder', and Lee Jung-hoo's defensive evaluation in center field was a failing score. The disastrous evaluation of the MLB's worst center field came out.

LEE, get out of the way! MLB's worst center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, SF is also looking for an alternative. He will likely be in right field next year
In the end, Lee Jung-hoo's move to the corner outfielder is being discussed as a focus among the various changes San Francisco must go through for a new rebound in the 2026 season. The center fielder is the center point of the outfield defense and one of the key lines of the team's defense. If the defense is poor in this position, the overall team's defense will also falter. Therefore, this is the most important point to pay attention to defense.




However, Lee Jung-hoo's defense in center field is at the lowest level in the league. Therefore, San Francisco is likely to try to supplement center field through winter meetings and stove league periods. The story is from the local media.

Susan Slesser, a reporter for San Francisco's local media outlet 'Chronicle', reported on the 8th (Korea time) that Harrison Bader is emerging as an object of interest for San Francisco, which is seeking to strengthen its outdoor defense.
LEE, get out of the way! MLB's worst center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, SF is also looking for an alternative. He will likely be in right field next year
MLB Trade Rumors also said `Vader has excellent defense. Even though the offense is jagged, the defense is excellent. For San Francisco, which uses Oracle Park as its home, Vader's recruitment is attractive.

Bader is a player who boasts outstanding outfield defense enough to receive the Gold Glove in the National League center field in 2021 when he was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the other hand, Lee Jung-hoo has already been determined as the lowest-level center fielder in MLB. MLB Trade Rumors said `Lee Jung-hoo played in San Francisco center field for two seasons, leaving a disastrous defensive indicator. Defensive Run Saves (DRS) was only -20, and Outs Above Average (OAA) was -6, below average"But because he has good throwing ability, right field (rather than center field) may be suitable." he evaluated.




LEE, get out of the way! MLB's worst center fielder Lee Jung-hoo, SF is also looking for an alternative. He will likely be in right field next year
Lee Jung-hoo returned home through Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on the afternoon of September 30. Lee Jung-hoo leaving the arrival hall.

Incheon International Airport = Song Jeong-heon, reporter song@sportschosun.com/2025.09.30/
Given these indicators, San Francisco is likely to send Lee Jung-hoo to the outside corner after all. There is no reason to insist on Lee Jung-hoo as a center fielder at the risk of disastrous indicators. Moreover, it is open to all new attempts to break the cycle of recent years of sluggishness.

Major League Baseball runs teams based on statistics thoroughly. As long as Lee Jung-hoo is in charge of center field, it has already been proven by figures that his defense is poor, the shift in defensive position is expected to take place inevitably. In 2026, there is a high possibility that we will meet 'right wing Lee Jung-hoo'.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.