Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has decided to appeal his DUI sentence in South Korea, reports Jee-ho Yoo of Korea’s Yonhap News Agency (Twitter links). The appeal decision on Kang’s behalf was made in an effort to get his sentence reduced to a court fine, which would expedite his visa acquisition process and allow him to join the Pirates more quickly. The 29-year-old Kang admitted guilt following what was reportedly his third DUI arrest and received an eight-month sentence that was suspended for two years earlier this month. Kang can reportedly avoid any jail time if he does not violate the terms set forth as part of the agreement to suspend his sentence. The Pirates placed Kang on the restricted list over the weekend, as Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote, and as of that writing it had yet to be determined precisely how long Kang would require to secure his work visa. The infielder hoped to resolve the issue within a week, per Adamski, but Pirates president Frank Coonnelly chose not to comment on the matter. It’s not yet known if Kang will face any type of punishment from the team upon arriving in the U.S.
Here’s more from the NL Central…
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty is working to correct some bad habits in his swing that were related to the movement/placement of his back leg. Piscotty and hitting coach John Mabry break down some previous mechanical flaws in the 26-year-old’s swing to Goold, with Piscotty adding that his goal is to be able to elevate the ball more often. With his previous swing mechanics, Piscotty feels that he focused too much on his upper half and would subsequently roll over too many pitches and hit too many grounders. Mabry notes that Piscotty would like to boost his home run total from the low 20s to 30 or more. Per Goold, Piscotty is likely tabbed as the Cardinals’ cleanup hitter heading into the 2017 campaign.
- Goold also reports that 20-year-old Low-Class-A outfielder Magneuris Sierra has turned heads in Cardinals camp with his speed and defensive prowess. While Sierra isn’t pushing either Tommy Pham or Jose Martinez for a spot in the team’s Major League bench, he could move quickly through the organization and jump to Double-A to open the current season. Manager Mike Matheny lauded Sierra for his defensive ability and noted that his bat and approach give him a chance to be a well-rounded player in the Majors. Last season in the Class-A Midwest League, Sierra batted .307/.335/.395 with three homers and 31 steals in 122 games.
- Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians this winter, is having a strong enough spring to force himself into the mix for a roster spot, writes MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Aguilar, who has homered three times this spring and cracked a pair of doubles as well, tells McCalvy that he’s grateful for the opportunity to compete for a bench role after being largely blocked by players like Carlos Santana, Mike Napoli and, this offseason, Edwin Encarnacion in Cleveland. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for a new opportunity for a while, and thankfully I’m in an organization that is giving young players a lot of opportunity,” said the 26-year-old slugger. Aguilar mashed 30 homers last year in Triple-A Columbus, though his .247/.319/.472 slash line isn’t quite as impressive as that round home run total may immediately indicate. As McCalvy notes, though, the right-handed-hitting Aguilar could be a nice complement to lefty swinging Eric Thames.
His sentence is pretty light to begin with. Don’t violate the terms in your agreement.
He already knows he will drink and drive again in that time I guess.
Are you familiar with sentencing in South Korea?
Is that like your catch phrase or something? It seems like you say it a lot lol
No. Please enlighten all of us.
“goal is to be able to elevate the ball more often.”
So fascinating to keep seeing this line after reading the excellent JD Martinez interview on fangraphs, and Josh Donaldson’s very loud hatred of grounders and liners. There really is an pro-flyball offense revolution going down right now, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Piscotty got near 40 bombs this year, when his profile never previously showed that he would.
That’s pretty wild. He’s appealing his own guilty plea because his special treatment ended up being insufficiently special.
Exactly! Gets no jail time for a 3rd DUI, & his reaction is to say “but this makes getting a visa to go make millions overseas HARD. Change it!!” Ridiculous and pathetic. I’d love to see the appellate court reply “You’re right, the sentence is incorrect. Instead, you get 10 years. Report to prison on April 3rd.”
Foreign criminal justice systems can seem strangely unfair… oh wait… ours is just as bad.
Not to get into politics here, but in a time where we are supposedly so worried about the people that get into the country, it’s baffling that someone with a history of Kang’s will undoubtedly be allowed because he can hit a baseball.
I’ve always wondered how convicted felons like Matt Bush are allowed into Canada.
Yeah that’s good point I never thought about
He’s a big taxpayer for this country. If he wasn’t employed he would have been kicked to the curb a long time ago.
Don’t forget that the USA only speaks one language… money.
Kang is a useless piece of trash. You get a reduced sentence, if you can even call it a sentence and then you want to appeal it?? Complete and utter garbage
He appears to have a drinking problem. But he isn’t a piece of trash for taking advantage of the justice system afforded to him.
Would any of us behave any differently when millions are at stake and the opportunity is there to get back to baseball and earning income
Totally agree JFactor, so many people want to act like if they were in this position they wouldn’t be fighting for the most lenient sentence possible. Kang’s definitely got problems but let’s not pretend we’re some moral police that would accept the most brutal punishment just because it would better fit the crime. And that’s before you even add in the millions he could lose.
Exactly
So you think a suspended sentence is the most brutal penalty possible for a 3rd, repeat 3rd, DUI conviction? It’s not like he’s fighting to cut his jail time down, or even to avoid jail time. He’s fighting to make his visa paperwork easier, and to avoid losing some money (when there will be lots left) and a few games. I feel perfectly comfortable being the “moral police” in this situation.
And if you were in his shoes you’d be doing the same thing. My point was every single one of us if charged with a crime would fight for the most lenient sentence. I think he should have gotten a lot more for his 3rd DUI but acting like we wouldn’t be fighting like hell to get the charges reduced is just a lie. Cmon man.
Agreed, and if you’ve been unfortunate enough to have legal troubles yourself, then you would understand.
Don’t blame the player when its the game you have a problem with.
I’m guessing Aguilar will make the Brewers OD roster, won’t play much and then get DFA’d by the end of April.
why would they get rid of him that is just plain stupid as they can always send down to the minors This how you build a good ball club if him and Thames are both doing well one of them will get traded DUH
Jim, he is out of options, you can not send him down without exposing him to waivers DUH.
very good didnt know he was out of options my guess he makes the club if they had to expose to waivers then then they could put him to triple a correct
He should make the opening day roster but won’t be DFA’d by the end of April. He’s 26 with potential to provide some good pop off the bench. He can easily get 200 AB in backing up Thames and filling in the DH spot during interleague.