No participant desires to undergo a major, season-ending damage like Jung Hoo Lee did final Could, particularly of their rookie yr. However when gamers do discover themselves in that scenario, they’ll at the very least use the time to mirror on their efficiency and make changes that they assume will enhance their sport upon their return. Regardless of it being early within the season, plainly is precisely what Lee has achieved.
The Giants middle fielder’s offensive enhancements warrant a glance beneath the hood to see precisely what he has modified, as a result of proper now, he looks like a totally completely different participant from the one we noticed final yr. Up to now this season, Lee is sporting a 192 wRC+, a .394 xwOBA (86th percentile), a 43.1% sweet-spot fee (87th percentile), and a .446 xwOBACON. These are all massive enhancements in comparison with his restricted 2024 pattern.
In churning via Lee’s video this season, one factor caught out to me above all else: his skill to get his torso and arms absolutely prolonged whereas sustaining a fantastic bat path. This has allowed him to cowl the outer third of the plate at a excessive degree. I’ve a specific affinity for hitters who attain throughout the zone with their arms and nonetheless make flush contact. It may be tough to maintain your bat on a optimistic slope whereas reaching that far out in entrance – hitters are inclined to roll these pitches over as a result of their path begins to work in a horizontal course as an alternative of a vertical one. However when you’ve got the higher physique mobility and power to take care of a direct, upward path to the ball earlier than rotating open, then you definitely’re going to be a nightmare to pitch to. Right here’s a fast abstract of how Lee’s outer third efficiency compares to final season:
Jung Hoo Lee Outer Third Efficiency
| Season | xwOBA | Swing% | Swing Size | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | .271 | 50.0% | 7.3 | 8.2% |
| 2025 | .450 | 57.4% | 7.5 | 5.7% |
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
It’s at all times gratifying when your preliminary learn on a hitter’s swing fashion matches the info, even in a restricted pattern. The takeaway is that to this point, Lee has been a bit extra aggressive on the outer third, is performing considerably higher, and has barely lengthened his swing. That stunned me, although, as a result of throughout spring coaching, Lee spoke about how a number of the swing adjustments he made would result in a deeper level of contact. When doing participant evaluation, I attempt to hunt down any conversations the participant has had about their swing mechanics. With Lee, that supply simply occurred to come back from a Reddit thread the place a consumer translated the interviews Lee did in spring coaching (there are YouTube movies linked within the submit).
To summarize, Lee’s focus heading into the season was to shift his level of contact again. Final yr, he tried to make contact farther out in entrance than in he did within the KBO to regulate for the upper velocities in MLB, however he stated that change led to pushy swings and a number of groundballs. This yr, he’s shifted his mentality to a deeper level of contact, which has performed out with the info up to now. His intercept level in 2024 was 32.7 inches relative to his middle of mass. This season, it’s 31.1 inches. And whereas he’s making deeper contact relative to his middle of mass, he’s additionally shifted again within the field. Total, he’s given himself extra space (and time) to create line drive elevate on pitches, which has helped a ton on the outer third.
Earlier than turning to some video, let’s take a look at Baseball Savant’s new device, which highlights a hitter’s preliminary stance (place of the toes) and the way that adjustments at contact, in addition to their common level of contact relative to their physique and residential plate. The primary picture is final season and the second picture is that this season:
That is fascinating to me. Lee’s stance angle has opened up from 33 levels to 40, and he’s touchdown together with his plant foot ever so barely extra closed regardless of his stance nonetheless being open. It is a essential distinction. Together with his entrance foot in a distinct place, he modified the course of his rotation. As a left-handed hitter, touchdown too open can shift your rotational course towards proper area, which might result in many groundballs. Closing off his foot aligns his course towards the middle of the sector and due to this fact places him in a greater place not solely to guard the outer third, but in addition to do injury there.
However how does Lee handle to maintain his stance open at touchdown? Sure, he’s closed it relative to final yr, however it’s nonetheless open. Nicely, that brings us again to his higher physique mobility, the bodily trait that carries his profile and permits him to land open and nonetheless have superb rotational course. Let’s take a look at some video from this season to see that mobility in motion:
On the finish of every swing, Lee’s higher physique is guiding the angle of his barrel both on a flat path (like on the road drive in opposition to Will Warren within the first GIF) or on an upward path with numerous torso extension (like in opposition to Steven Okert within the second GIF). When a hitter is ready to bend their torso backwards to the extent Lee can, it permits them to create a bat path that begins deep within the hitting zone (assume a optimistic assault angle nearer to the catcher), which in flip not solely lets them elevate pitches on the high of the zone with authority, but in addition elevate pitches at deeper contact factors.
Lee’s swing in opposition to Hunter Greene, seen within the closing GIF, is most indicative of the depth he creates in his bat path. The truth that he was even capable of muster laborious contact on this pitch is ridiculous. This season, solely 4 left-handed hitters have base hits on pitches at the very least 99 mph on the outer third in opposition to right-handed pitchers. Lee’s hit in opposition to Greene is without doubt one of the 4, and it’s one in all solely two such hits that additionally had an exit velocity above 95 mph, with the opposite coming from Freddie Freeman.
Principally, it isn’t regular for a hitter to execute such a unbelievable swing in opposition to 99 mph warmth on the nook. You have to steadiness higher physique mobility and extension with having a agency base that retains your decrease physique steady all through your rotation. The latter speaks to the ultimate level of how a couple of slight changes to Lee’s stance aided these swings. On high of adjusting his stance angle and the place of his entrance foot, he has widened out by 3.2 inches. Every of those items works collectively to provide Lee a stronger base to work from, which helps him keep on aircraft longer by not rotating too early in his swing and pulling off these pitches.
It is rather, very early. However based mostly on the logic of Lee’s changes, I really feel fairly assured that he’s a greater hitter now. Pitchers will inevitably alter to him, taking their flip within the cat and mouse sport of batter versus pitcher, but when his early efficiency is any indication, he has markedly improved his plate protection. That alone ought to assist him be extra adjustable as pitchers tinker with their strategy.