In the Outfield
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 04: Harrison Bader #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies dives to make a catch in centerfield in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 04, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
It’s no secret that the Giants had arguably the worst defensive outfield in Major League Baseball last season. Heliot Ramos was undoubtedly the worst of the bunch, but Jung Hoo Lee wasn’t too far behind him.
Whether it was hesitancy due to his season-ending injury in 2024 or a simple lack of good reads off the bat, the former KBO MVP struggled manning center field for the Giants.
His -18 Defensive Runs Saved and -5 Outs Above Average both ranked last in terms of qualified center fielders, while his Fielding Run Value of -2 barely inched out league-worst Trent Grisham.
While the organization expected him to improve after an entire offseason’s work on that side of the ball, they still decided to shore up the position and bring in one of the best outfield defenders in the sport across the last decade.
Since the start of 2017, Harrison Bader leads all outfielders (min. 4,000 outfield innings) in Outs Above Average with 77. Now, he’ll be patrolling one of the biggest outfields in the league at Oracle Park for half his games.
This move was a clear signal of the front office’s belief in prioritizing outfield defense, but it could be seen as a blessing in disguise for Lee. Of course, he’ll have to quickly attempt to learn the dimensions of Oracle Park’s right field before the start of the season, but fortunately, his first full MLB season made it clear that he profiles as more of a right fielder anyway.
Right field is widely known to be the one outfield position where you absolutely need a strong arm. In 2025, that ended up being the best part of Lee’s game on the defensive side of things.
His arm strength ranked in the 91st percentile, while his arm value ranked in the 87th. With his sub-par range in center field, this should provide hope for the Giants that Lee can slide over to right successfully.