At a press conference held in Seoul on Nov. 3, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks slugger Lee Dae-ho announced his intention to play in the U.S. major leagues next year. Lee, 33, said that as he neared his mid-30s, he wanted to “take his devotion to baseball to the next level”. He first came to Japan from the Korean Baseball Organization in the 2011 off-season. In 2012 he led the NPB in RBIs as a member of the Orix Buffaloes, and in 2013 he signed with the Hawks. He batted .282 with 31 homers and 98 RBIs this season before leading the Hawks to their second straight Japan Series victory. He hit cleanup in all five games of the Japan Series, swatting two homers and 8 RBIs, a performance that earned him MVP honors. He will be declining his player option for 2016 to make the jump to the majors. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 11/3
(C)SoftBank HAWKS
