Hak-ju Lee
Hak-ju Lee is a South Korean professional baseball shortstop for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League. He signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2008. He has previously played in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions.
Career
Chicago Cubs
Lee was signed out of South Korea by the Chicago Cubs 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 in 2009 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. 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, going 1-for-2 with a single, and making a fielding error. He spent the 2010 season with the Single-A Peoria Chiefs, posting a.282/.354/.351 batting line with 1 home run and 40 RBI. He was ranked by Baseball America 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 along with fellow prospects Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos and Cubs outfielder Sam Fuld for pitcher Matt Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and minor league pitcher Zac Rosscup.Lee started the 2011 season with the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs, leading the team in AVG and SLG, and earned a mid-season promotion to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, where he went 19-for-100 in 24 games. He was caught stealing five times while playing in the Arizona Fall League, 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 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 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.