Hak-ju Lee (; Korean pronunciation: "Yi Hahk Joo"; born November 4, 1990) is a South Korean

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants () are a South Korean professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation. From 1982 through 1985, they played at Gudeok Baseball ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

. He signed with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

as an international free agent in 2008. He has previously played in the KBO League for the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Cha ...

Career

Chicago Cubs

Lee was signed out of South Korea by the

in May 2008 at age 17, receiving a signing bonus of $1.15 million. He made his debut in the Cubs system for the Low-A

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in unincorporated Ada County, Idaho, near ...

in 2009 after recovering from

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. He batted .330/.399/.420 with 2 home runs and 33 RBI in 68 games for Boise. Lee played for the World team in the 2010

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

, going 1-for-2 with a single, and making a fielding error. He spent the 2010 season with the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

, posting a .282/.354/.351 batting line with 1 home run and 40 RBI. He was ranked by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

as the fourth-best prospect in the Cubs' system going into 2011.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 7, 2011, Lee was traded to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

along with fellow prospects

Chris Archer Christopher Alan Archer (born September 26, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. Archer attended Clayton High School ( ...

Brandon Guyer Brandon Eric Guyer (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and mental strength coach for the Los Angeles Angels and the University of Virginia Cavilers Baseball team. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

Robinson Chirinos Robinson David Chirinos González (; born June 5, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball former catcher and current bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Ranger ...

and Cubs outfielder

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current executive for the Philadelphia Phillies organization of Major League Baseball (MLB), where he most recently served as the team's gener ...

for pitcher

Matt Garza Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas ...

, outfielder Fernando Perez and minor league pitcher

Zac Rosscup Zachary Martin Rosscup (born June 9, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles ...

. Lee started the 2011 season with the High-A

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

, leading the team in AVG (.318) and SLG (.443), and earned a mid-season promotion to the Double-A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

, where he went 19-for-100 in 24 games. He was caught stealing five times while playing in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

, where his batting average was .247. Lee played for the World team for the second time in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game, going 0–2 with a strikeout. When the 2011 season was over, Lee and second baseman Tyler Bortnick were named

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

all-stars. He spent the 2012 season with Montgomery, hitting .261/.336/.360 with 4 home runs and 37 RBI in 116 games. On November 20, 2012, Lee was selected to the 40-man roster. Lee was optioned to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

on March 15, 2013. In late April 2013, he tore multiple knee ligaments in a collision at second base and missed the remainder of the season. Lee was optioned to Triple-A Durham on March 13, 2014, and placed on the disabled list on March 30. He was activated on April 22 and spent the remainder of the year with the team, posting a .203/.287/.276 slash line with 4 home runs and 23 RBI. He was assigned to Durham to begin the season, and spent the year with the team, batting .220/.303/.304 with 3 home runs and 27 RBI. The Rays designated Lee for assignment on September 1, 2015. He was outrighted to Durham 3 days later and elected free agency on November 7, 2015.

San Francisco Giants

On November 18, 2015, Lee signed a minor league contract with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. He did not make the club and was assigned to the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

to begin the season. Lee logged a .265/.344/.377 batting line with Sacramento before exercising a June 1 opt-out clause in his deal and electing free agency.

Samsung Lions

Lee became eligible for the 2019 KBO Draft, as those who debuted in minor league baseball after 2008 have to wait 2 years after released by their MLB team to be eligible for the KBO draft. Lee was picked #2 by the Samsung Lions, behind top pick Rhee Dae-eun who was also a former

prospect, on September 10, 2018 in the 2019 KBO Draft. At the time of the draft, Lee had accumulated 23 homers, 209 RBIs, 169 steals and averaged .269 in 678 games from his eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Cubs, Rays, and Giants organizations. In 2019 with Samsung, Lee posted a .262/.332/.369 slash line with 7 home runs and 36 RBI in 118 games. He played in 64 games in 2020, batting .228/.314/.340 with 4 home runs and 28 RBI.

Lotte Giants

On January 24, 2022, Lee was traded to the

in exchange for a Ha-Neul Choi and a 2023 3rd-round pick.

Personal life

When he came to America, he fell in love with the culture, especially with American-Korean restaurants. He said he was in need of a translator and that he would like to try North Carolina style barbecue some day. Lee was charged with a DUI in May 2017 when he was without a club and has expressed regrets for his misconduct.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Hak-ju 1990 births Baseball shortstops Boise Hawks players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Durham Bulls players Living people Minor league baseball players Montgomery Biscuits players Sportspeople from Jeju City Peoria Chiefs players Phoenix Desert Dogs players South Korean expatriate baseball players in the United States KBO League shortstops Samsung Lions players Lotte Giants players Chung-am High School alumni