Melvin sees Lee taking on the leadoff role for the Giants in the 2024 season.
Jung Hoo Melvin sees Lee role with the Giants in the upcoming 2024 MLB season and beyond is becoming increasingly clear.
Melvin sees Lee
Following his substantial six-year, $113 million deal with San Francisco, Lee was formally introduced to the Giants’ fanbase during a recent press conference. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi affirmed the team’s strategy to deploy the 25-year-old as the everyday center fielder for the upcoming season.
In a conversation with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on the latest episode of “The TK Show,” Giants manager Bob Melvin disclosed that he envisions Lee as both the starting center fielder on Opening Day and the leadoff batter. Melvin expressed confidence in this decision, stating, “As of right now, I don’t see why not. I’ve written some lineups out since we acquired him, and all of them have him leading off at this point in time. That’s what he’s comfortable doing, and that’s what he’s done before. I think, as of right now, for sure.”
Although Melvin was unable to attend Lee’s press conference, he had the opportunity to connect with the new outfielder via FaceTime and is enthusiastic about Lee’s compatibility with the Giants. Melvin shared his impressions, saying, “Ton of personality there, loves being a Giant, and that really resonates with me. It’s going to resonate with our guys too. This is a place he wanted to be, a team he wanted to be with. Looks good in black and orange, and I’m really excited about having him on the team. We talked about him early in the offseason; this was a guy Farhan [Zaidi] really wanted to sign. He checks a lot of boxes for us, so it’s a great start to the offseason for us.”
