Lee has high chance of success in Japan

Lee has high chance of success in Japan

Lee Dae-ho has shown solid performances in pre-season training with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. / Korea Times file By Cho Mu-hyun Orix Buffaloes infielder Lee Dae-ho has performed well during recent practice matches and has received numerous positive comments that hint at a successful career in Japan. Korean and Japanese baseball commentators are predicting a better career for the former Lotte Giants slugger than those of his countrymen Lee Seung-yeop and Kim Tae-kyun and predict a successful first year in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Japanese media outlet Sportiva chose Lee along with Yomiuri Giants outfielder John Bowker as two foreign imports most likely to succeed this year. According to the Japanese media, most overseas players who go to the NPB for the first time face difficulties with the Japanese pitchers' different styles, and inevitably have lower batting averages than they are used to. Therefore, they argue that the real criteria to measure possible success should be on-base percentages. Lee had the highest on-base percentage with Lotte in 2011 at .433, while his career total is .395, which is high for a batter who succeeds in big hits almost every other at bat. His current on-base percentage during practice matches is .720. The 11-billion-won, two-year contract between Lee and Orix is known to include bonuses every time he gets on base. The Buffaloes obviously acknowledge their new signing’s abilities. Orix has put a good eye for the ball as priority over big hits or home runs but Lee’s batting average is not low either. Though the 29-year-old had no hits in Tuesday’s practice match against the Yakult Swallows at the Kyocera Dome, Osaka, he was successful in his eight previous pre-season outings. His batting average for the 11 practice games so far is .667 and he has only struck out once. “Lee Dae-ho has a near-perfect batting form and has an eye for the ball,” said SBS sports commentator Yang Jun-hyuk. “He has had no sudden drops in performance or long-term slumps. I expect better results from him than his two predecessors in Japan.” Besides the promising performances, he has been praised for his successful adaptation to the different culture of Japan. Known for his optimism and laidback attitude, he jokes around with teammates during practice. “I think Lee Dae-ho is more sociable than Lee Seung-yeop,” said interpreter Jung Chang-yong, who also assisted Lee Seung-yeop during his seven years in Japan. “It mustn’t have been easy approaching the (Japanese) players. But Lee Dae-ho did it. Everybody is comfortable around him.” Jung also mentioned that Lee never over trains to maintain a good physical condition. But there are still some things left to overcome such as the different ball park designs and adapting quickly to the different pitches that the other sides are obviously concealing until the season begins on March 30. “I was confused as this was the first time I played in a dome. I felt like a hick,” Lee said after the game on Tuesday. And he knows that nothing is certain until the real matches. “It is just practice. When the season starts, it will be different.” We will know what he is really made of soon, as Orix’s season opener is against last year’s Japanese Series winners the Softbank Hawks. The Osaka-based club has not won the domestic series since 1996, and are known for their multiple recruits of Korean players including Park Chan-ho and Lee Seung-yeop.