Introduction
Hak-ju Lee (Hangul: 이학주; Hanja: 李學周; Korean pronunciation: "Yi Hahk Joo"; born November 4, 1990) is a South Korean professional baseball shortstop for the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization.
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 Class-A Boise Hawks in 2009 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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 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 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 he and second baseman Tyler Bortnick were named Florida State League all-stars.
Lee started the 2011 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, leading the team in AVG (.318) and SLG (.443), and earning a mid-season promotion to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. He was caught stealing five times while playing in the Arizona Fall League where his average was .247.
For 2012, Lee returned to Montgomery.
Lee was optioned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on March 15, 2013. In late April 2013, he tore multiple knee ligaments and missed the remainder of the season.
Lee was optioned to Durham on March 13, 2014, and placed on the disabled list on March 30. He was activated on April 22.
The Rays designated him for assignment on September 1, 2015.
San Francisco Giants
On November 23, 2015, the San Francisco Giants signed Lee to a minor league contract, and played for the Sacramento Rivercats. He was released on June 3, 2016.
On March 2, 2017, Lee signed to play professional baseball in Japan Independent league. He is going to attend KBO draft in 2019 or so, as those who debuted in minor league baseball after 2008 have to wait for 2 years after released by their MiLB team to be able to attend the KBO draft.
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. Hak Ju-Lee tried to become the first Korean-born player to make the roster for the San Francisco Giants, but played in triple A during the 2015-2016 season with the Sacramento Rivercats.