Are you already falling in love with Lee Jung-hoo, referring to his Rookie of the Year candidacy?

“A sparkplug of a player.”

MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, on Wednesday predicted the winners of the major awards for 2024. Rookie of the Year, MVP, Cy Young Award, and Manager of the Year are up for grabs.

There are three players from each of the three divisions in both the National League and American League.

Jung-Hoo Lee, 26, of the San Francisco Giants, was named Rookie of the Year in the National League West.

MLB said, “San Francisco added a lot of players this offseason, but Lee could make the biggest difference for the club,” and looked forward to his performance.

“With quick feet and good contact, he’ll fit in perfectly and be a spark plug,” the outlet continued, “and before you know it, he’ll be a favorite.

After finishing last year, Lee qualified for the major leagues through the posting system. As one of the best shifters in KBO history, multiple teams were interested, and San Francisco was the winner. The Giants signed Lee to a six-year, $113 million contract. It’s the largest contract ever for an Asian beast.

San Francisco’s interest in Lee is high. The Giants initially projected Lee as a first baseman and center fielder.

He got off to a good start in the exhibition games. In eight games, Lee is batting 3-for-8 (7-for-22) with one home run and three RBIs. San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said, “Jung-Hoo Lee is off to a great start in exhibition play. He’s getting good contact on all of his pitches, fastball, breaking ball,” said manager Bob Melvin.

“I hit a heating machine ball during the offseason. I think I can adapt well if I see a lot of actual pitching in the early stages of the exhibition games.” “Major league pitchers have the same velocity, but they are taller and have a higher release point. So the ball looks faster. It’s a different type of movement (from the KBO), and it flies differently.” “I trained last winter with those things in mind. I’m happy with how it turned out. But I don’t know what will happen in the future, so I have to keep working hard,” he said.

In the other five districts, Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), Colt Keith (Detroit Tigers), Evan Carter (Texas Rangers), Max Meyer (Miami Marlins), and Shota Imanaga (Chicago Cubs) were selected.

Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) is considered a strong Rookie of the Year candidate, but he didn’t make the cut this time around.

MLB.com had different teams in all four categories. Mookie Betts (Dodgers) was the favorite to win the NL West MVP, so he was replaced by Jung-Hoo Lee.

MLB stated that “Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) would have been a strong MVP candidate if he had also pitched this season,” and that “Betts will add to his value by playing shortstop this year.

Zack Gallon of the Arizona Diamondbacks was mentioned as a candidate for the Cy Young Award. “For most of last season, he was the favorite to win the Cy Young Award, but he fell off down the stretch and finished third,” MLB said. But for a team headed to the World Series, Gallon is the unquestioned ace. If Arizona goes back to fall ball, Gallon will be at the center of it.

San Diego manager Mike Shields, whose team features Ha-Sung Kim and Woo-Seok Ko, is a favorite to win Manager of the Year.

San Diego, which finished third in the district last season (82-80), lost all of its key players in the offseason, including Juan Soto. Even 바카라 the starting rotation is not fully assembled. Soto, in particular, was mentioned as a favorite to win the American League East MVP award after joining the New York Yankees. He’s likely to be healthier than Aaron Judge, and if the Yankees make the postseason, he could have a lot to do with it. He’s never won MVP, and he could win it this year.

On the flip side, San Diego is missing a ‘key hitter’. MLB.com said, “Sylt has a tough task in the competitive NL West,” and that “if the Padres improve, he could emerge as a savior.