In 2016, as a Whimoon High School shortstop, he was picked in the first round by the Nexen Heroes and signed with the team.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 19, he made his pro debut as a pinch hitter in the opener against the LG Twins, and that December he was named Rookie of the Year. He hit .324, and his 179 hits set a rookie record.
In 2018, he played as the leadoff hitter and won gold at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, a result that earned him a military exemption. He hurt his left shoulder in the postseason that fall and had surgery in November, and in December he won his first Golden Glove.
In 2019, he won a second straight Golden Glove, hitting .336 with 193 hits. In 2020, he set the KBO single-season doubles record with 49 and won a third straight Golden Glove.
In 2021, he played for the baseball team at the Tokyo Olympics, where Korea finished fourth and missed a medal. On the last day of the regular season he won the batting title at .360, becoming, after his father Lee Jong-beom, the first father and son in world baseball history to win it, and he took a fourth straight Golden Glove.
In 2022, his team, the Kiwoom Heroes, lost to the SSG Landers in the Korean Series and finished as runner-up. In the regular season he won five batting titles and was named MVP. He said he won the five titles at the same age as his father.
In 2023, he hit .429 in the middle of the national team lineup at the WBC. In July he hurt his ankle and was out for more than two months, and in December he moved to the majors with a six-year, $113 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.
In 2024, he made his major league debut and hit his first home run in his third game. He had surgery on his left shoulder, which he hurt during a game, and ended his debut season after 37 games.
In 2025, he came back healthy to play from opening day, and hit a home run on his birthday. His final average for the season was .266. In 2026, he had a multi-hit game in a home game the team designated as Korean Heritage Day, and in September he reached 10 home runs in a season for the first time in the majors. A groin injury put him on the injured list late in the regular season.
Jung Hoo Lee (born Aug 20, 1998) debuted in the KBO on Mar 31, 2017, the year he turned 19, and became known the same year when he was named Rookie of the Year. In 2022, the year he turned 24, he won five batting titles and the MVP award together, and at the end of 2023, the year he turned 25, he moved to the majors with a deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
As a Whimoon High School shortstop, was picked in the 2017 first round and signed for a 200 million won bonus. The pick was on June 27 and the contract on July 5.
Source 01 · STN Sports (Korean) · Nexen first-round pick · opens in a new tabSource 02 · STN Sports (Korean) · Signs for a 200 million won bonus · opens in a new tabMade his debut as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth in the opener against the LG Twins at Gocheok Sky Dome. He went 0 for 1.
Source 03 · Star News (Korean) · Pro debut · opens in a new tabHit .324 with 179 hits and 111 runs in 144 games. The hit total was a rookie record and the runs a high school rookie record, and he won the Rookie of the Year vote with 503 of 535 points, ahead of runner-up Choi Won-jun and third-place Jung Hyun.
As the team’s leadoff hitter, hit .400 (10 for 25) with 7 RBIs and 6 runs in six games. He and his father Lee Jong-beom, a 2002 Busan Asian Games gold medalist, became father-son gold medalists, and the medal earned him a military exemption.
Source 06 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Asian Games military exemption list · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Newsis (Korean) · Leadoff hitter at the Asian Games · opens in a new tabBadly hurt his left shoulder on a diving catch in Game 2 of the semi-playoff against Hanwha. He had labrum surgery that November.
Source 08 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · Rehab ahead of the 2019 season · opens in a new tab The articles give the surgery date only to the month.Hit .355 with 6 home runs, 57 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 109 games. He won in the outfield category without an individual title.
Source 09 · Mydaily (Korean) · First Golden Glove · opens in a new tabHit .336 with 193 hits, 6 home runs and an .842 OPS in 140 games. He received 315 of 347 valid votes, the most among outfielders.
Source 10 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · 2019 Golden Glove · opens in a new tabHit his 48th double of the season against Doosan, passing the 47 of Jared Hoying in 2018. He finished the year with 49 doubles.
Source 11 · Newsis (Korean) · New single-season doubles record · opens in a new tabSource 12 · Sports World (Korean) · 2020 Golden Glove · opens in a new tabHit .333 (181 for 544) with 15 home runs, 101 RBIs and a .921 OPS in 140 games. He was the fourth outfielder ever to win three Golden Gloves in his fourth year.
Source 12 · Sports World (Korean) · 2020 Golden Glove · opens in a new tabPlayed as a member of the national team. Korea lost 10–6 to the Dominican Republic in the bronze medal game and finished fourth at 3–4.
Source 13 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Back on the Tokyo Olympics roster · opens in a new tabSource 14 · SBS (Korean) · No medal at the Tokyo Olympics · opens in a new tabOn the last day of the regular season, went 3 for 5 with a two-run home run to win the batting title at .360. Oh My News wrote that, following his father Lee Jong-beom, a father and son both winning the pro baseball batting title was a first in world baseball history.
Source 15 · Oh My News (Korean) · Tiebreaker season review · opens in a new tabHit .360 with 7 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .960 OPS. He moved into a tie for second most consecutive wins by an outfielder.
Source 16 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · 2021 Golden Glove · opens in a new tabHis team, the Kiwoom Heroes, lost the series to the SSG Landers, two games to four, finishing as Korean Series runner-up for a third time.
Source 17 · OSEN (Korean) · 2022 Korean Series · opens in a new tabWon five batting titles with a .349 average, .421 on-base percentage, .575 slugging percentage, 193 hits and 113 RBIs, and was named regular-season MVP. He said he won the five titles at the same age as his father. He donated all 25 million won of the MVP and five-title prize money.
Source 18 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Five batting titles · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Edaily (Korean) · MVP and five-title prize money donated · opens in a new tabHit .429 in the middle of the national team lineup. Korea was eliminated in the first round.
Source 20 · Munhwa Ilbo (Korean) · Back after the WBC · opens in a new tab The articles do not give the game dates, so only the month is shown.Hurt his ankle in an away game against the Lotte Giants and missed more than two months afterward. His final line that year was .318 (105 for 330) with 6 home runs, 45 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 86 games.
Source 21 · Xportsnews (Korean) · 2023 season ankle injury · opens in a new tabSigned through the posting system for six years and $113 million (about 148.4 billion won). The deal has an opt-out after four years and was the largest ever for a Korean player who moved to the U.S. through posting.
Source 22 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Six-year deal with the SF Giants · opens in a new tabWent 1 for 3 with 1 RBI in his big league debut. The next day he had his first multi-hit game.
Source 23 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · MLB debut and first home run · opens in a new tabHit his first home run in his third game. He was the 15th Korean player to homer in the majors.
Source 23 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · MLB debut and first home run · opens in a new tabHurt his left shoulder in a collision with the fence while fielding against the Cincinnati Reds on May 13, and as the team announced, had surgery in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He ended his debut season after 37 games with a .262 average, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs and a .641 OPS.
Source 24 · News1 (Korean) · Shoulder surgery announced · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Mydaily (Korean) · Rehab begins after surgery · opens in a new tabSource 26 · SPOTV News (Korean) · Debut season ends at 37 games · opens in a new tabStarted in center field as the No. 3 hitter in the away opener against the Cincinnati Reds. He had no hits but was involved in two runs with two walks.
Source 27 · Ilyo Shimbun (Korean) · Back for the 2025 opener · opens in a new tabHit his seventh home run of the season on his birthday. He hit .344 in 17 games in August.
Source 28 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Birthday home run · opens in a new tabHit .266 (149 for 560) with 8 home runs, 55 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He had the best batting average among qualified hitters on the team.
Source 29 · KBS (Korean) · 2025 season wraps up · opens in a new tabHad a multi-hit game in a home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates that the team designated as Korean Heritage Day. His fans, known as “Hoo Lee Gan,” chanted his name.
Source 30 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Korean culture event at Oracle Park · opens in a new tabThe team officially announced he had been placed on the 10-day injured list with a groin contusion. On Sept. 19 against the Dodgers, he had reached 10 home runs in a season for the first time in the majors. His final line was .276 with 149 hits, 10 home runs, 57 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 143 games.
Source 31 · Star News (Korean) · Season ends with an injured list placement · opens in a new tabSource 32 · Oh My News (Korean) · 2026 season review · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2016–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
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Sports · South Korea
Aug 20, 1998 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1998: the year of the event minus 1998, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.28 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.