Lee’s All That

 

Jung Hoo Lee (SFG): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB.

Expectations have been high for Jung Hoo Lee since he arrived in San Francisco in 2024. However, a shoulder injury and labrum surgery cut his stateside debut short.

The Korean-born outfielder only played 37 games and accumulated 158 plate appearances in his first season with the Giants. His numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping either, especially from a fantasy perspective. He hit .262 with a .641 OPS, only two home runs, and two stolen bases in his limited sample. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that he was ranked 164th in Yahoo and 143rd in NFBC in preseason hitter ADP rankings via Fantasy Pros.

That said, Lee is doing all he can to prove that he can still live up to the hype that surrounded him when he initially came to the United States from Korea a season ago.

On Sunday, Lee hit two home runs, scored two runs, and collected four RBIs in the Giants’ 5-4 win over the Yankees in the Bronx. In 14 games and 61 plate appearances with the Giants this year, he already has three home runs, scored 16 runs, collected 11 RBIs, and has a batting average of .352. Those are all considerable upgrades from what he did in 2024 before his shoulder injury.

Everything Lee is doing this season offensively seems legitimate.

According to Baseball Savant, his xBA ranks in the 99th percentile, and his xwOBA ranks in the 90th. He also has a 63rd percentile hard-hit rate, and his 9.3% barrel rate is nearly double his mark from a season ago (4.5%). He also has more stolen bases (3) and hasn’t been caught once. Last year, he was caught three times, resulting in a below .500 success rate.

There’s much to be encouraged about with Lee and his impact on the Giants. After Sunday’s win, San Francisco is 11-4, which puts them 1.5 games behind the first-place Padres and a half-game up on the Dodgers (though the Dodgers were finishing their series against the Cubs on Sunday night). Thus, fantasy managers who roster Lee need him to continue this torrid pace, as well as Giants fans (especially if they want to return to the postseason).

 

 

Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday.

 

Trevor Story (BOS): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Story has demonstrated this season to fantasy managers that he isn’t ready to escape the spotlight. After only accumulating 106 plate appearances last year, Story has stayed healthy (67 plate appearances) and is hitting .308 with an .805 OPS. On Sunday, he hit his third home run of the year (surpassing last year’s mark). With six stolen bases and eight RBI, the 32-year-old infielder may be on his way to a tremendous fantasy rebound in 2025.

 

Willson Contreras (STL): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

It hasn’t been an ideal start for Contreras in 2025, as he is hitting .158 with a .476 OPS in 62 plate appearances this season. However, on Sunday, he finally showed some signs of progress at the plate. He also hit his first home run of the year and collected two RBI. The barrel rate is down 8.1% from last year, and his hard-hit rate is also down 15.5%, both discouraging signs. That said, there is still a long way to go, and the Cardinals need Contreras’ bat if they want to be competitive.

 

Junior Caminero (TBR): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.

No more “Minor League Development” time for Caminero. He’s accumulated 54 plate appearances thus far this season, hitting .280 with an .815 OPS. Against Atlanta on Sunday, he hit his third home run of the year and collected three RBI. After only 177 plate appearances with the Rays in 2024 and 36 in 2023, Caminero seems ready to get a full playing slate in 2025.

 

Alejandro Kirk (TOR): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Kirk finally hit his first home run of the year on Sunday, and it was a big one in the Blue Jays’ 7-6 win over the Orioles. Power may not be Kirk’s strong suit anymore. He only hit five home runs last year in 386 plate appearances and eight in 2023 in 422 plate appearances. That said, he is hitting .261 in 49 plate appearances this season. That’s not bad for a catcher in two-catcher league formats.

 

Byron Buxton (MIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI.

Buxton had a solid year in 2024. In 388 plate appearances, he hit .279 with a .859 OPS and 18 home runs. It’s been a much colder start in 2025, as he is currently hitting .192 with a .673 OPS. On a positive note, the power has still been there for Buxton. His slugging is .423, and he hit his third home run of the year in Sunday’s series finale against Detroit.

 

Jordan Walker (STL): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Is this the year Walker finally becomes a star? The early results in 2025 for him aren’t bad. In 57 plate appearances, he’s hitting .275 with a .743 OPS. Those are significant improvements from his .201 and .619 marks a year ago. He also hit his second home run of the year on Sunday and increased his RBI total to six. Walker will get plenty of chances in 2025, especially with the Cardinals going through an “evaluation” season before Chaim Bloom takes over baseball operations next year.

 

Ryan Mountcastle (BAL): 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI.

The Orioles lost their ninth game of the year, but don’t blame Mountcastle, who hit his first homer of the season. Mountcastle is hitting .275 but isn’t showing much power, as his .675 OPS demonstrates. However, with his first home run of 2025 out of the way, perhaps Mountcastle can soon get on a power surge.

 

William Contreras (MIL): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RB.

The Brewers didn’t get much offensive help on Sunday, losing 5-2 to the Diamondbacks. Contreras was among the few Brewers hitters who had a stellar day at the plate. He hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the first off Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen. Contreras is only hitting .222 for the year, but he’s making up for it in the power department, as evidenced by his .754 OPS.

 

Salvador Perez (KCR): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBIs.

The Royals avoided getting swept by Cleveland on Sunday, winning 4-2. Perez only had one hit against the Guardians, but it was a big one: a two-run blast against Ben Lively that tied the game. The Royals’ captain is only hitting .213 with a .606 OPS in 65 plate appearances this year. Hopefully, his Sunday clutch home run can get him and his power stroke going.