The San Francisco Giants have acquired home run slugger Jorge Soler (32) to back up Jung-Hoo Lee (26).
MLB.com, the official media outlet of Major League Baseball, reported on March 13 (KST), “The Giants have added much-needed power to their lineup. The Giants have agreed to terms with slugger Jorge Soler on a three-year, $42 million contract. The club has not yet announced the deal.”
Soler is a home run hitter who has a career batting average of .244-33 (3030-736) with 170 home runs, 452 RBIs, and a .797 OPS in 870 career major league games. He doesn’t have a high batting average or slugging percentage, but he has the power to produce 20+ home runs. In 2019, he led the American League in home runs with 48 while playing for Kansas City. He had a down year in 2022 with 13 homers, but last year he hit .504 (126-for-504) with 36 homers, 75 RBIs, and an OPS of .853 in 137 games.
Soler’s power has shined in the postseason.
In 28 career postseason games, 바카라사이트 he is 20-for-73 with six home runs, 11 RBIs, and a 1.021 OPS. He won World Series championships with the Cubs and Atlanta in 2016 and 2021, respectively, and was named World Series MVP in the 2021 World Series after batting .325 (6-for-20) with three home runs, six RBIs and a 1.191 OPS in six games.
MLB.com reports, “Soler hit free agency without exercising his $13 million player option with Miami. San Francisco sent outfielder Mitch Haniger in exchange for left-hander Robbie Ray. With the addition of Soler, the Giants acquired a right-handed bat. Soler is expected to serve as the designated hitter and bat center field in the lineup with Jung-Hoo Lee.”
San Francisco, which ranked 24th in the majors in runs scored last year (674), bolstered its lineup this winter with the addition of Lee. Lee is one of South Korea’s top hitters with a career average of .344 (3476-for-1181), 65 home runs, 515 RBIs and an OPS of .898 in 884 KBO games. He had his best season in 2022, when he batted .344-for-9 (553-for-193), 23 home runs, 113 RBIs and an OPS of .996 in 142 games, winning five batting titles (batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs and runs scored) and the league MVP award.
Last year, Lee’s season ended early after he suffered an ankle injury that limited him to 86 games (330 at-bats, 105 hits) with a .861 OPS with six home runs and 45 RBIs, but he was highly sought after when he hit the market as a free agent, signing a six-year, $113 million deal with San Francisco. It is the largest contract ever for a KBO player to reach the major leagues.
San Francisco has high hopes for Lee.
Manager Bob Melvin has already expressed his intention to use Lee as the starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. The Giants’ expectations are reflected in the fact that Lee’s contract ranks fifth on the team’s all-time list, behind Buster Posey (nine years, $167 million), Johnny Cueto (six years, $130 million), Matt Cain (six years, $127.5 million), and Barry Zito (seven years, $126 million).
MLB.com projects San Francisco’s lineup this year to be Jung-Hoo Lee (center field)-Tyro Estrada (second base)-Dwyane Wade Jr. (first base)-Wilmer Flores (designated hitter)-Michael Conforto (left field)-J.D. Davis (third base)-Mike Yastrzemski (right field)-Patrick Bailey (catcher)-Marco Luciano (shortstop). 토토사이트 추천 While Soler’s contract hasn’t been officially announced yet, so it hasn’t been factored into the projected lineup, the addition of Soler will not change Lee’s position or batting order.
While Lee is a highly touted prospect who lacks power, Soler is the opposite of Lee in that he struggles with contact but can provide the power San Francisco needs. Fans are eager to see if Lee and Soler can synergize in the San Francisco batting order.