Giants' Lee details adjustments during first month in big leagues

Giants' Lee details adjustments during first month in big leagues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordan Hicks' reaction said it all.

As his sinker was crushed out to dead center at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night, Hicks dropped his head, grimaced and nodded. He had badly missed his location, leaving the pitch up to Johan Rojas, and as the ball left the bat at 102 mph, Hicks' expression seemed to say, "Yep, I paid for that one."

The right-hander turned and watched, and soon he had a different look on his face. When Jung Hoo Lee chased the liner down and made a backhanded catch at the warning track, Hicks almost seemed ready to laugh. "Holy f--k," he said on the mound.

Hicks later found Lee in the dugout to express his appreciation.

"It's unbelievable what he's doing," Hicks told reporters in Philadelphia. "[It] looked like he was flying with the wind. I understand that nickname now."

There have been ups and downs through Lee's first six weeks in the big leagues, but that catch was the kind of play that reinforces the Giants' belief that he's going to be a major contributor over time. It also was one of the rare highlights for the team during a four-game sweep. The Giants gave Lee a nine-figure contract in hopes that they were landing a star, but in Philadelphia, it was the other team's stars who made the biggest impact.

Bryce Harper hit a pair of game-swinging three-run homers, Zack Wheeler struck out 11 in the final game and Trea Turner scored from second on a passed ball Friday night, providing a crucial run in a game the Phillies won by a run.

As Lee recently discussed the start to his big league career with NBC Sports Bay Area's Laura Britt, it was that overall quality of play that stood out.

"I feel like this is the pool of all the elite players playing in one league," he said on "BP With Britt." "And that's the biggest difference that I can feel right now."

That perhaps has shown up in Lee's numbers thus far. He reached base in each of his first six big-league games, but MLB pitchers have adjusted quickly.

Through 34 appearances, Lee is hitting .252 with a .623 OPS, two homers and a wRC+ that is 16 points below league average. He has been the third-toughest hitter to strike out, ranking behind only bat-to-ball wizards Luis Arraez and Steven Kwan, but that carrying skill has thus far not translated to as much overall success as the Giants might have expected when Lee hit the ground running in San Diego earlier this season.

Lee has a good sense of the strike zone and is in the 99th percentile when it comes to whiff percentage, but his OBP is at just .304 heading into a three-game series at Coors Field. He generally has hit the ball hard, but he has had trouble finding the gaps, and it didn't take long for opposing teams to figure out that putting their shortstop up the middle will rob him of a few hits.

Lee is slugging just .319, although his expected slugging percentage is .426, so the Giants are hopeful that some of the early numbers are simply due to poor luck. The .260 batting average on balls in play is sure to rise, too, as Lee gets down the line well and rates above average on sprint speed.

In theory, this upcoming three-game series should be a perfect platform for Lee, who is an aggressive baserunner and should get some extra hits from the hard infield dirt at Coors Field. The Giants have not yet seen that speed on balls hit into Triples Alley, but the massive outfield in Denver should benefit a player who always puts the ball in play.

The thin air at Coors Field also will provide a different environment for Lee, who has had to learn big-league ballparks on the fly. He is at zero Outs Above Average and negative-two Defensive Runs Saved, but the Giants have been pleased with his defense overall. The two big mistakes came in new situations for a player used to fielding fly balls in domes; he lost a ball in the lights during his first night game at Oracle Park and another in the unforgiving sun at Fenway Park.

For Lee, all of this is new. The adjustments aren't just being made in the batter's box.

"There are a lot of changes: The food, language barrier, environment, and also the game schedules are way different," he said through interpreter Justin Han. "Yeah, a lot of differences here."

Giants manager Bob Melvin knew the adjustment might be just as hard off the field, and he dealt with something similar with Ha-Seong Kim in San Diego. Melvin committed early to riding it out, saying in the spring that the only way for Lee to be the best version of himself is simply to play every day.

Because the KBO has a shorter season, Lee never has appeared in more than 144 games. He has started 33 of the first 36 for the Giants and is third to Matt Chapman and Thairo Estrada in innings played. Lee and Chapman are tied for the team lead in plate appearances.

This is what the Giants expected when they signed Lee to be their everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter. Melvin gave him a couple of days off against lefties on the last homestand, but for the most part, the Giants are going to roll with the ups and downs with a player who has a physical style of manning center field. Melvin expects to lean on him heavily as he gets more comfortable with Major League Baseball.

"When you lead off you get a ton of at-bats, and when you play center field, which is a premier position, you're running around quite a bit," Melvin said. "We're just trying to ease him into it a little bit, but there will be a point where we push him a little bit harder."

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