DETROIT \u2014 When Hao-Yu Lee steps to the plate, the unmistakable sound of Soulja Boy reverberates over the Comerica Park speakers.<\/p>\n
Ahhhh \u2026. Yuuuuu<\/p>\n
Lee was down in the Tigers\u2019 batting cage one day when the \u201cCrank That (Soulja Boy)\u201d came on. Teammates, including Spencer Torkelson, took note of the song and how it fit Lee\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can make that your walk-up song,\u201d someone said, \u201cthat\u2019d be sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOK,\u201d Lee said, \u201cI\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few months later, Lee not only has one of the most banging walk-up songs on the Tigers. He\u2019s also a player who overflows with energy and enthusiasm. He has the word \u201cPersistence\u201d tattooed down the left side of his neck<\/a>. He has helped bring a defiant fire to a team that sorely needed it earlier in the summer.<\/p>\n Saturday against the Rockies, Lee battled through a 12-pitch at-bat before shooting a dart into the right-field corner. He slid into third base, helmet flying off, and emerged in a cloud of dirt, pumping his fists and roaring at the fired-up crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cThey showed me love,\u201d Lee said of the fans, \u201cand I felt the love.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee\u2019s vibe is part of what makes him so intriguing. Throughout his rise through the minors, there were legendary stories about his trash-talk and competitiveness.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t suffer from a lack of edge,\u201d manager A.J. Hinch said.<\/p>\n Lee, who is from Taiwan, does interviews with the help of interpreter Peter Lin. But behind the scenes, he\u2019s plenty comfortable with English, unafraid to razz his teammates over lackluster performances in video games or anything else that might arise.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t need translation behind the scenes with the boys when he\u2019s comfortable,\u201d Hinch said. \u201cI really enjoy his personality on this team.\u201d<\/p>\n On the field, Lee remains a fascinating case. Acquired from the Phillies in the 2023 Michael Lorenzen trade, the Tigers were long higher on Lee than many in the scouting community. Watching Lee through his first 102 MLB games, the debate remains. He hit only .205 through his first 32 contests and was sent down. He reemerged 10 days later and proceeded to hit .326 over a 53-game span in the big leagues.<\/p>\n Lee has admitted he was trying to do too much when he was promoted for the first time. Harnessing his energy and resisting this urge to do too much has helped him settle in.<\/p>\n \u201cEver since my second time getting called up, I\u2019ve just focused on the day to day,\u201d Lee said. \u201cEvery player has their ups and downs.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee still has plenty of rough edges in his game. At second and third base, his range (minus-12 outs above average) ranks in the league\u2019s bottom first percentile. His arm does not grade out especially well. He\u2019s prone to overaggressiveness on the bases and has made a few questionable decisions, like cutting off an outfield throw that could have resulted in a close play at the plate.<\/p>\n He still has some glaring mechanical imperfections, namely a stride that tends to leak toward the third-base side, opening up his hips, sometimes pulling him away from the ball and exposing him on the outer third of the plate. He steps in the bucket, as it\u2019s commonly called in Little League parlance.<\/p>\n IT’S A FIESTA IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT!! pic.twitter.com\/t8xfEyb39v<\/a><\/p>\n