SF Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee has already quieted fears over position change

Whenever a player changes positions, there are naturally going to be fears of a bumpy transition. It’s only been one game, but SF Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee made everyone feel better about his shift to right on Sunday.

In San Francisco’s home Cactus League home opener at Scottsdale Stadium, all the attention went towards a little league triple play that occurred in the first inning. But the play that probably means a lot more for the Giants as they get ready for 2026 occurred in the sixth inning.

Jung Hoo Lee already looks solid for SF Giants in right field

With one out and a runner on third base, a fly ball was hit into foul territory in right field. Lee’s speed got him under the ball with relative ease and as the runner tagged up he fired an accurate one-hop throw to home to get the runner out.

Sure, it was just one play in a meaningless spring training game but any confidence Lee can build out in right field ahead of the regular season is a big deal. 

It might be easy for an outfielder to have his confidence shaken by being moved off center field. Usually that’s something that happens to a veteran when they hit their thirties, not to a guy in his mid-twenties like Lee.

But the advanced stats from last season bore out that Lee was more of a hindrance than a help in center field. That’s not a knock on him and may have more to say about how tough it is to play center field at Oracle Park than his skills, but the Giants saw a clear way to upgrade their outfield defense by bringing in center fielder Harrison Bader and that is exactly what they did.

Instead of having his confidence shaken, Lee handled the move like a professional and did not complain at all publicly. He took it all in stride and even said that he would reach out to his former teammate Mike Yastrzemski for some pointers on how to handle a notoriously tricky right field in Oracle Park as players have to deal with swirling winds, a brick wall, and a chain-link fence.

Maybe this move will do wonders for him, though. Perhaps he will have a little less wear and tear by not having to track down balls from gap-to-gap which could help him out on offense. The Giants saw flashes of what Lee can do offensively last year in his first full season after he was robbed of most of 2024 due to injury. It’s just a matter of doing those things more consistently in 2026 so maybe with a different challenge defensively it will help him out.

Lee wears No. 51 to honor his hero Ichiro Suzuki so in some ways it is fitting that he is now in right field. It may have happened faster than many would have thought, but he seems to be taking to it quite well which is a great sign early in spring training.