On the 15th (Korean time), Korean professional baseball ‘Icon’ Lee Jeong-hoo was ranked 14th among the ’50 most interesting people in baseball’ selected by the New York Post, a leading media outlet. It was introduced along with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ranked 13th, and added an explanation that the two players will play in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March and advance to the Major League (MLB) after the 2023 season ends.
No. 1 on this list was Shohei Ohtani, a two-hit icon. Owner Steve Cohen, who led the New York Mets’ wild move in the Stove League this winter, ranked second, and infielder Carlos Correa, who was the biggest free agent but remained with the Minnesota Twins due to his physical condition, was ranked third.
4th place was MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, and 5th place was Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), a’clean giant’ who hit 62 homers last season (2022). In 6th place, Fernando Tanis Jr. (San Diego Padres), who was punished for taking a banned substance, is still recognized for his all-time talent. 먹튀검증
What draws attention are Francisco Alvarez (Mets) and Anthony Lope (Yankees), who are ranked 8th. Both players are ranked higher than Lee Jung-hoo and Yamamoto (born in 1998), and are younger.
Both players are top MLB prospects. In particular, catcher Alvarez was the player who ranked first in each media’s prospect list last season. He made his MLB debut on October 1 last year against the Atlanta Braves, and appeared in 5 games. He pitched 13 innings as a catcher and 12 at-bats.
The batting record is shabby. Batting average 0.167 (2 hits in 12 at-bats), 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. However, MLB.com paid attention to Alvarez’s ability to produce hits. A double hit that went 356 feet (about 108m) at 107.8 miles (about 173 km/h) and hit the wall of Citi Field (home of the Mets), a long hit that was caught by a center fielder but flew at 100.2 miles (161 km/h) and October 5, Washington Referring to the scene where he produced his 439-foot (133m) left-center debut against the Nationals.
When the New York Post ranked Alvarez at number 8, it was his power. He’s upping his expectations in his ability to make barrel batted balls. Even in MLB, a promising catcher with offensive power is valued. MLB.com also noted that Alvarez was overly aggressive, swinging the first pitch 10 times in 14 at-bats.
Álvarez showed off his long hitting power last season (2022) and has a strong physique condition (height 182 cm, weight 106 kg) like Alejandro Kirk (Toronto Blue Jays), who was selected as an American League (AL) All-Star catcher. Along with him, Adley Luchman (Baltimore Orioles), who was considered the best prospect catcher, has already risen to the team’s starting lineup. Attention is focusing on what Alvarez, who has been noticed as a more interesting player than Lee Jung-hoo, will show in the 2023 season.