Seattle Mariners: Dae-ho Lee better than anyone remembered
Typically, when a major league fan thinks of Dae-ho Lee, they think of his one year with the Seattle Mariners. The then 34 year old had signed a one year deal worth $1 million, spending time at first and as a pinch hitter in Seattle. He had a solid enough showing, with a 102 OPS+ and 14 homers in his 317 plate appearances before heading back to the Korean Baseball Organization.
Lee is now in the final year of his career as he is set to retire at the end of the 2022 campaign. He has spent all 17 of his seasons in the KBO with the Lotte Giants, with that time sandwiched around his year with the Mariners and four years in Nippon Professional Baseball. His baseball odyssey, lasting 22 years in various major leagues, has brought Lee plenty of stories and experiences.
Former Seattle Mariners first baseman Dae-ho Lee had impressive career
That journey brought Lee plenty of success as well. He has a lifetime .304/.379/.506 batting line in his 10,696 plate appearances, hitting 478 homers and 451 doubles, driving in 1783 runs while notching 2852 hits. Although he is going to fall short of 3000 career professional hits, it does not lessen how impressive of a career he has had.
His impact in the KBO is palpable as well. Lee was part of his tenth KBO All Star Game this season, setting a new league record. He is one of 16 players in KBO history with at least 2000 hits in the league, his 2142 hits ranking ninth all time. Lee is fourth all time with 1380 RBI and third with 364 homers. He was also a six time Golden Glove winner and won the Triple Crown twice (2006 and 2010) winning the MVP in that latter season. Lee also took home a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics. There is no question that he is one of the all time greats in Korean baseball history.
Success followed in NPB as well. He was a three time All Star in Japan and was named to the Pacific League Best Nine in 2012. Not only was he a part of the Japan Series champions in 2014 and 2015, but he was named the MVP of the series in the latter year. Lee led the Pacific League in RBI in 2012 and was a fearsome slugger during his time in Japan.
His career is now down to its final weeks. The Giants are battling for one of the last spots in the postseason, currently sitting in seventh in the KBO. Maybe Lee will get one final chance at postseason glory, but the rest of the team will need to step up as well.
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Dae-ho Lee is remembered stateside for his decent season with the Seattle Mariners. His overall career was better than fans may realize.