In 2nd season, Giants' Jung Hoo Lee makes impact on field, team's branding in Korea
Each time Jung Hoo Lee steps up to the plate for the San Francisco Giants, there's a cadence and energy that erupts, as fans cheer on number 51.
Garrett Ryan just bought his first Lee jersey.
"He just brings a very new energy to the team that I feel like we haven't seen in a long time," said Ryan.
Giants games are now broadcast in Lee's homeland of South Korea, where he and his father were both baseball stars.
Hailey Whitten brought her parents to see Jung Hoo Lee. She's not shy about why.
"He's really handsome and he's a really good player," said Whitten.
His popularity is translating to revenue for the team. Lee's jersey is selling at a rate six times greater than the next most popular player.
The Giants have also inked major advertising deals with Korean companies like Hanwha Insurance and say they're continuing to pursue other partnerships.
Rachel Heit is the chief marketing officer for the Giants.
"The last few years, MLB has been very focused on bringing the game of baseball internationally, and we're just excited that we have an amazing player that allows us to really go into the Korean market with confidence," said Heit.
Besides multiple promotional giveaways this season including "Jung Hoo Crew" shirts and other wearables, Heit and her marketing team are aggressively highlighting Lee on social media.
"We're very active on all social channels. YouTube does really well in Korea, and any Jung Hoo Lee highlight is honestly baseball gold," Heit told CBS News Bay Area.
Heit says the Korean market for the Giants is an important one.
Michael Goldman is a professor of sports management at the University of San Francisco.
"I think teams recognize that when they're able to attract superstars and develop superstars that come from specific places, they're able to unlock additional fandom and therefore additional customers from those places," said Goldman.
Look no further than Shohei Ohtani. Analysts say merchandise, ticket sales, advertising, and TV ratings have spiked because of the Dodgers star, who was already an elite player in Japan before coming to the United States.
Many believe Ohtani will be worth well over $1 billion to the franchise during his decade-long $700 million contract.
"It's not a new phenomenon, but certainly, Ohtani has focused everyone's attention at the dramatic returns that can happen when someone like that performs so well," said Goldman.
Goldman says it's too early to determine Lee's value to the Giants since this is his first full season after an injury sidelined him during his rookie year.
For fans, rooting for Lee is much simpler than analyzing dollars and cents.
"I think it's the way he presents himself, that's what people connect to. That's why a lot of people are drawn to him," said Goldman.
He's drawing in fans, and the Giants are ready to capture the market.
Lee's six-year, $113 million deal with the Giants is the most ever for a Korean position player.
This season, the Giants have designated section 142 as the Jung Hoo Crew with tee-shirt giveaways for weekend games. There's also a fan coordinated section in 325 for some games called the "Hoo-Lee-Gans."
