Under Pressure
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
An inconsistent 2007 season had some wondering whether the world had already seen the best of Yomiuri Giants slugger Lee Seung-yeop.
The sweet-swinging 32-year-old with a thick bat and thin skin is sure to suggest otherwise, but his numbers so far in the new season hardly conjure a debate.
With an offseason spending spree adding ammunition to an already lavish lineup, the Giants had bold predictions for 2008, and Lee, desperate for redemption, vowed to carry the team on his back in its quest for a championship.
After the first nine games, however, a struggling Lee is now taking the blame for guiding the Giants to a downward plunge.
The Giants have holed themselves with a 2-7 start, and Lee, hitting .176 and managing just a single RBI while appearing mostly in the cleanup spot, is identified among the main culprits for the team's troubles. The first baseman has struck out eight times in 36 at-bats and his ugly on-base percentage of .222 is actually higher than his slugging percentage of .206.
It is the first time since Lee's rookie year with South Korea's Samsung Lions in 1995 that he failed to register a home run in the first nine games of the season.
Under the Magnifying Glass
Although it's too early to push the panic button after less than 10 games in a 144-game regular season, manager Tatsunori Hara can't afford to have too much patience for inconsistency in the middle of the order.
The media, both Japanese and South Korean, is spending massive amounts of ink and electrons to discuss Lee's plight at the plate. Haruki Ihara, Hara's top lieutenant, suggests the problem is mechanical.
``There is a technical flaw in his swing," the Giants coach told Japanese reporters.
``Lee is committing to the ball with the core of his body staying behind. He could get better if he recaptures his timing."
It would be a stretch to say that Lee's struggles are solely responsible for the team's skid. The Giants' lineup, with basher Yoshinobu Takahashi slotted at the leadoff spot, isn't built to generate runs with legs and is effectively muted on nights the bats go quiet.
However, constant pressure is just part of the job description as a high-profile player for the Giants.
The Tokyo-based club, the Japanese equivalent of the New York Yankees, is spending heavily in a win-now mode. And Lee, whose 650 million yen ($6.3 million) salary makes him the most expensive player in Japanese baseball, is the Giants' version of Alex Rodriguez.
Kim Sung-keun, the manager of South Korea's SK Wyverns who coached Lee during his days with the Chiba Lotte Marines, suggests that Lee's participation in the Olympic qualifiers last month have disrupted his rhythm.
``Lee now seems to have problems readjusting to Japanese pitchers, who are a lot better than anybody he faced in Taiwan, as he is committing too early in the counts instead of waiting for good pitches to hit," said Kim.
``It would be important for Lee to regain his confidence, as he is always a better player when he has the right dose of arrogance in him. He may be just a monster game from breaking loose.''
Adjustments Necessary?
Although there is enough time for Lee to recover and post gaudy numbers, not many are betting on him to duplicate his monster 2006 season when he hit 41 home runs and had 108 RBIs.
Lee, struggling through numerous hitting slumps and an injury to his left thumb that required offseason surgery, did manage 30 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2007.
But it remains to be seen whether Lee would be open to making mechanical adjustments to break out from his funk, just like the way he shortened his stance in midseason last year before reverting to his old form after the all-star break.
Lee always has been known for his unorthodox swing, where he stands back on one leg, a la Sadaharu Oh, before striding forward to attack the ball.
Although the one-legged stance keeps Lee from committing too early on breaking balls, it could leave him vulnerable to pitches inside and high in the strike zone, with the dramatic stride pushing his head downwards and altering his vision.
To cope with the hole in his swing, Lee tends to stand further from home plate to adjust to pitchers attacking him inside. Although this allows him to pull pitches inside, it compromises his plate coverage and reduces his ability to hit the ball to the opposite field.
``He is not attacking the left-hand part of the infield anymore," said Park Jong-hoon, a manager for the Doosan Bears' reserve league squad.
``He is not getting a good torque on his swings and just seems to be throwing his arms in the ball's way."