The San Francisco Giants continue to play some good baseball with the team trying to keep pace in the National League West. After 26 games, the Giants have been one of the most significant surprises in baseball with a 17-9 record. With some good pitching and an improved lineup, San Francisco might be a legitimate playoff contender with Buster Posey running the show as the new president of baseball operations.
The culture has certainly changed for the Giants early on, with the team pitching well and focusing on playing good defense. As the team has seen improvements, it has been because of a couple of players stepping up and having strong starts to the year. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the best thing for the Giants’ fanbase this season being the performance of second-year outfielder Jung Hoo Lee.
“A right shoulder injury prematurely ended Jung Hoo Lee's first MLB season, but he's making up for lost time in his second campaign.” After being one of the top signings for the team a couple of winters ago, Lee unfortunately missed most of last year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. This limited him to just 37 games, making his rookie campaign rather minimal.
However, the young outfielder has been making up for lost time in 2025 and is proving to be a potential cornerstone piece for the team in the future. So far, the talented outfielder has slashed .333/.
398/.583 with three home runs, 16 RBI and 11 doubles. The start to the campaign has been fantastic for Lee, who has emerged as one of the best hitters in the lineup early on.
With a great mix of power and hitting for average, he has quickly become a fan-favorite in San Francisco. When looking at the numbers from 2024 to 2025, the difference is night and day. He has already totaled six more doubles in 13 fewer games, showing vast improvements in that area.
Furthermore, he has also had a better eye at the plate so far, drawing almost as many walks as he did the year before in far fewer games. As the Giants hope to contend in 2025, Lee is going to be a critical part of that success. While he has emerged as arguably the best hitter on the team, he also plays well in center field in one of the biggest outfields in baseball.
Even though the rookie campaign was one to forget, he has been making up for lost time to start this season. Hopefully, he can keep up this level of production throughout the remainder of the year. Recommended Articles.