Here is what Jung Hoo Lee say about his Transfer…
The San Francisco Giants outfielder had been stuck in a 3-for-22 slump in the first five games on the road trip. His on-base percentage over that span was .136. The baseline OPS+ for a league-average hitter is 100. For the season, Lee’s was down to 86. His batting run value, as calculated by Statcast, was minus-4. The Giants weren’t winning games, they weren’t scoring runs and they weren’t getting difference-making results from the leadoff spot after spending $113 mmilliono sign Lee in December.
The coaches wanted to meet with him. What message would await him when he connected with them in the batting cage? Were they demoting him from a primary leadoff role? Would he be asked to overhaul his approach? Did they want him to show up even earlier to the ballpark? Work even harder? Somehow run faster than a dead sprint down the first base line, which had become his custom even on the most routine ball in play?
Not quite.
“We hope you’re proud of what you’re doing,” Giants hitting coach Pat Burrell told Lee. “Because we’re thrilled with it.”
Barely a month into his career, Lee’s offensive impact on the club might be fairly described as negligible. Entering Wednesday’s game at Coors Field, only five of his 37 hits had gone for extra bases. He’d stolen two bases and been caught three times. He appeared especially discouraged last week at Fenway Park when he blistered the ball in three games against the Boston Red Sox, who have the lowest rotation ERA in the major leagues, yet had just a 1-for-12 to show for it.
