San Francisco Giants Outfielder Will Be Under Microscope After Disappointing 2024

A San Francisco Giants outfielder was referred to as the team's biggest failure in the 2024 season.

May 7, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) looks on from the dugout in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The 2024 season will go down as one of the more disappointing in recent San Francisco Giants history.

Not only are they missing the postseason for a third straight year, and seventh time out of the last eight, but they could see their win total decrease for a third season in a row as well. This is a major step backward given how aggressive the team was in the offseason.

After finishing 79-83 in the 2023 campaign, a playoff push was expected after some big offseason spending. Ace Blake Snell, third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Jorge Soler were signed in free agency. 

Former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray was acquired in a trade from the Seattle Mariners. Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was signed after seven seasons in the KBO. The two sides agreed to a six-year, $113 million deal with $18.825 million being paid to the Kiwoom Heroes as a posting fee.

It would be fair to say those additions haven’t been as impactful, as a whole, as the franchise had hoped.

Snell has been dominant since returning from a second injured list stint in July. Chapman has been the team’s MVP and inked a long-term extension midseason.

To save some money, Soler was traded to the Atlanta Braves ahead of the deadline. The team received seven starts from Ray, who is on the injured list again.

But, in the opinion of Bradford Doolittle of ESPN, Jung is who has been the biggest failure in 2024.

“So far, the signing of Korean star Jung Hoo Lee has not worked out. The glaring caveat is of course injury -- Lee's season ended on May 12 because of shoulder surgery. Lee had an 86 OPS+ over 158 plate appearances when he was injured, so his Giants career already was off to a slow start. He, and the Giants, have a lot riding on his 2025 performance,” Doolittle wrote in his stock watch update.

An adjustment period to the MLB from the KBO is expected. Unfortunately, that wasn’t fully afforded to Lee, who will now spend the offseason completing rehab from his shoulder injury instead of continuing to hone his craft.

He possesses elite skills, as he owns the highest batting average in KBO history by anyone with at least 3,000 at-bats and won five Gold Glove awards. But, it is fair to wonder if those skills will translate over to the Majors.

If he cannot find his groove in 2025, San Francisco may have an unexpected hole to fill atop their lineup at a key position in the field.