Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang has received a work visa and is expected to resume his career with the team, according to a report from Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. Kang had not been able to secure a visa for quite some time after being convicted of a DUI in his native South Korea.
Kang ended up missing the entire 2017 season. He did play briefly in the Dominican Winter League recently, but that stint was cut short when he failed to perform with his new team. The Bucs control him for the 2019 season via club option, valued at $5.5MM, and he’ll play the remainder of the 2018 season on a pro-rated $3MM salary. While there was some question as to how the Pirates would handle the situation if Kang were to receive a visa, it appears as though the team is willing to welcome him back into the fold without issuing any discipline of its own.
“We are encouraged by the steps that Jung Ho has taken to date and are hopeful that having the game he loves taken away from him for more than a year has driven home the reality that he must make better life decisions as we move forward together,” Pirates president Frank Coonelly said in a statement issued via press release. “As we have communicated to him throughout this process, we will work to provide Jung Ho with the resources and support necessary for him to meet the high expectations that we have for him as a member of our organization and our community.”
For the time being, Kang will remain on the restricted list as he works his way toward MLB readiness with in extended Spring Training at the Pirates’ complex in Bradenton, Fla. There’s no indication from the team as to how long he’ll spend ramping up in Florida.
A healthy and effective Kang would be an unexpected boost to the Pirates, as the former KBO superstar was quite productive in his first two big league campaigns prior to his legal troubles. In 837 MLB plate appearances, Kang has slashed .273/.355/.483 with 36 homers, 43 doubles and a pair of triples. He’ll give the Pirates an option at multiple infield positions, as he’s seen action third base and shortstop in his two seasons and can also be entrusted to handle second base duties.
Does Pittsburgh still want him after over a year and a halfish?
your answer is in the article if you read it
Anybody know how to say name. It spell Jung Ho Kang but I hear peoples say ” Young Hoe Gun”
I’ll bet Bob Nutting is pissed. Now he’s gonna have to pay his salary!
Hahahaha.
Drive safe, Pittsburgh.
Lol
You know what…I’ll take Jung Ho Drunk over the various driverless cars being tested here any day (…or the “hat drivers”…or the suburban women texting while driving their 6 ton SUV’s, for that matter). Jung Ho still waiting for his first fatality unlike Uber, Tesla, etc.
The debate over driverless cars is real, but don’t use it to defend drunk driving. I don’t care if he’s never killed anyone, he’s still put a number of lives in danger
I feel safer around the “driverless” Volvo’s had going (I believe they are now off the road. Used to see numerous ones until the fatal pedestrian accident.. The people texting (there are male and female texters out there) while driving. You can tell the texters with out seeing them doing it. They are the ones constantly looking down and you have to hit the horn on them because they are not paying attention to the “light is GREEN now, OY!!!” They are every bit as bad as the DUI people. All deserve to loose their licenses permanently.
At no point did I use driverless cars to defend Jung Ho…I used Jung Ho to criticize driverless cars. There is a difference.
I think DUI is attempted murder so I will be the last person to defend Jung Ho.
I think he killed a tree…..
Fair enough
Not really apples-to-apples when comparing one drunk driver to all driverless cars and texters… How about we look at ALL drunk drivers too, if that’s how you want to play it.
Fun fact about the Uber driverless car that killed the jaywalking pedestrian on a dark, unlit stretch of road: It didn’t flee the scene, or try to get a passenger take responsibility for the accident.
It isn’t that Kang drove while impaired (which is bad enough), but the utter lack of character he showed when hr fled the scene on foot and tried to get the passenger to pretend to be the driver. As an owner, I wouldn’t want anyone that despicable on my roster, I don’t care if he’s the Korean Wade Boggs.
The statement that Kang is “waiting for his first fatality” has zero relevance. Conflating a human being with free will and a repeated habit of driving while intoxicated, with a software- and hardware-based driverless car, as a means to buy cover for the former through the contrast, is tortured logic at its worst.
Exonerating the software for the actual human beings it did kill is what kind of logic?
You can’t wag your finger at an algorithm?
My point was exactly this…people will. hold no one responsible for the deaths that result from driverless cars. That without another human to blame or shame, it will be treated as some sort of lesser threat when it’s quite the opposite.
None of that defends Kang…despite your tortured logic to say it does.
There’s a FUN FACT about someone getting killed by a driverless car? I think you should rethink your choice of words! Nothing FUN about that tragedy !
Statistically driverless cars are already much safer than others. And once a few kinks are worked out of the software that guides them, driverless cars will be even better.
Americans will probably be the last modern nationality to adapt to driverless. This is due to our heritage, love for big trucks, and relative conservative nature compared to the Europeans. But ultimately driverless cars will replace driver cars here too, just as cars replaced horse and buggy.
Hope that this doesn’t squeeze out Colin Moran
You hope he squeezes out Colin Moran. More willing to think he might be trade bait if he can ramp it up sooner than later.
Kang wont even be ready for a while if I had to guess. His winter ball stats in the Dominican League were a joke. If he does join the Pirates I would think he would play 3B once and a while, but mainly play SS and maybe 2B if Harrison isn’t healthy or is traded.
I’ve never understood the Harrison being traded narrative…there as never been a legit rumor, and GMNH said they look at him as a core part of the future.
Like Cutch is a core piece.
Very unlikely Kang ever sees the field as a Pirate.
Why do you say that?
Because he’s had a long layoff.
This is ridiculous. The average Joe wouldn’t get a work visa if they had a DUI. So annoying that rich people get away with this crap.
The alcoholic?
Who gets DFA’d when he rejoins the team?
Him
Lol
If he is ready to go before Harrison is back then Moroff gets sent back down.
Just because everything is worked out doesn’t mean he will be in Pittsburgh.
But only Mexicans traveling on foot have issues.
Whoops wrong comment my bad.
I see where it was supposed to be now…LOL!! Hate when that happens!
I thought the Wall was meant for guys with issues like Kang. Hope he can clean up.
But only Mexicans traveling on foot have issues.
“I thought the Wall was meant for guys . . . like Kang.”
We’re gonna build a Wall (or even a wall) between the US and South Korea? Only North Koreans need be concerned with Kang sneaking across their border, and why would he choose to go to a place whose leader can’t afford a decent haircut. Oh, wait.
As a Pirates fan, yuck. I was hoping to never hear from him again.
We cannot put athletes on a pedestal and then get angered when they get deferential treatment.
He’s going to help the Pirates finish a distant 4th in the Central.
Unlikely he’ll ever play for the pirates again
Are you thinking his Winter League woes continue or do you have some other thought?
Did he ever get fined or suspended by MLB for this incident? Is this an incident that warrants such a penalty?
sitting out over a year is a pretty stiff suspension don’t you think
Often sports suspensions/penalties start once a player is eligible to be suspended or penalized.. Since he couldn’t play/work the MLB imposed penalty would be pretty much meaningless unless it is enforced after he is available to play.
I’m surprised
Name another job where you are out for over a year due to DUI.
Just saying he paid a pretty heavy price.
I’ll welcome back King Kang and hope he can take over 2nd right now while Jhay is out and SS when he’s back.
That would be an improvement over what is there now if he gets back to where he was pre DUI time. Thinking Frazier would be better as a utility guy. Only problem is, would he be ready to go before Harrison is ready to go?
I’ll name a job. I worked for a company and we wanted to hire a guy who had a DUI 20 years earlier in college and our legal department wouldn’t let us hire him because our insurance wouldn’t cover him if he was renting a car. It took a month and a change in insurance companies for us to be able to hire him.
Sure that wasn’t a year but he was a US Citizen and didn’t need a visa. Like I said earlier the average Joe wouldn’t even get that work visa.
3 DUI’s not one. 3 DUI’s in 7 years.
Do you have any idea the number of people with DWIs out there? The transportation industry is painfully short of CDL drivers and companies are starting to hire people with DWIs as soon as they can get their commercial licenses back … because there aren’t enough adult humans in society interested in a driving job WITHOUT any DWIs.
none of the three would have been DUIs in the US…
Definitely. Sure beats that bat over glove man Frazier who has suddenly lost the ability for contact. Glove brutal…now the bat is.
WTF? If the Pirates take that sack OSU …t back, they can go scratch
The country is busy kicking out people who are no danger to society, like thousands of legal refugees from an earthquake in Nepal, but we let in a guy with multiple DUIs who is a known threat to every person anywhere near a roadway. Brilliant. Pirates have the right to void his contract for his behavior. Disgusting of them to have been trying to get him back the whole time.
As I said above, I think DUI is attempted murder so I’m not defending Kang whom I would have been content to never see again but…I don’t understand how he’s Public Enemy No. 1 in…
A) A sport that employs and celebrates Aroldis Chapman.
B) A city that never cared or said a word about James Harrison’s DV arrest until he signed with the Pats.
It’s a bit inconsistent.
Wtf does James Harrison have to do with anything? Why not roll out Ray Lewis while your at it.
I promise you that athletes of the past were just as bad when it comes to DV and drunk behavior. Big difference is there were no cell phone cameras, no twitter or Facebook and writers and cops looked the other way for their hometown boys.
This isn’t new to sports.
People in town want to vilify Kang for his DUI issues but those same people have no problem with players such as Harrison and others.. I have a name for you from the past that no one seemed to have much issue with and the Steelers kept on the team was Ernie “Fats” Holmes. Was arrested for shooting at an Ohio State Police helicopter in 1973. Played with the Steelers till 1977. That is the “Steeler Way” that won’t put up with nonsense… or as that is what people think. (ironically, he finished his career with the Patriots in 1978 as well) A lot of crap has gone on over the years and if you play for a winner and you produce for the winner, no one cares in Pittsburgh,. Part of a losing team? Run the bum out of town. That is why For Whom brought up Harrison. Pgh fans are like every other fan in every other city. They love the stars no matter what.
Alcohol and peanuts for everyone.
At best he would be taking Freese’s bench job.
Moroff’s Job…..
You’ve got to be kidding! Freese is twice the man and much better for the Pirates clubhouse than Kang will ever be. Three DUIs should be the equivalent of three strikes, yer out!!!
Freese has a DUI in his past, research a little before you make a stupid comment.
freese has a couple dui’s and a public intoxication. he had another accident as well but i think they ruled out booze in that one. But seems to have gotten it worked out.
No time for research, must virtue signal NOW
Hell never see the field again
Of course he will.
On a baseball non=political note…
Teams are willing to employ players if they are useful. If Kang hits, he’ll play, if not, he can go join Hector Olivera in the scumbag unemployment line.
Ding Ding Ding!!! we have a winner!!! You hit the nail just like Mr. Miyagi did showing Daniel focus in the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II
Unlikely he’ll ever see the field again as a pirate
?
I like the comment from the Pirates “driven home”.
Who among you college grads has never driven a car totally sober? Hopefully a sobering thought.
“Who among you . . . has never driven a car totally sober?”
I’d be willing to bet that everyone had driven totally sober at least once. Looks really bad if you show up baked for your road test.
Or is it “ever”
How do you say name? It spells Jung Ho-Kang, but I hear people say Young Hoe’s Gun
Kang is pronounced “Gung” in Korean.
Ah, many thanks wise one. You have gifted me a truth that has been unearthed
I think that it will take him at least a spring training length to get in shape.That puts him early in June and Harrison should be back by then.I doubt that he is going to catch up to major league pitching until August.There is also a chance that this layoff may have ruined his career.
When J Hay comes back Moroff will go down but I think Frazier should go if he does not start hitting at least .300.
Where would JHK play?The Pirates have gotten a number of bench players who may soon become extra to the team.This includes Freese(if Osuna comes up) and Rodriguez(as he does not have the hitting excuse that he had last year).I do not think that JHK is passable at SS but he is a much better hitter than Jordy Mercer.From early results Moran has played fairly well and deserves a full time shot at Third base but do they really need Freese or could they get a good prospect for him if Kang proves he can still play.
They will be entering a possible similar situation in relief with Schugel and Musgrove coming back and eliminating the 13 th pitcher.
I think that JHK has learned his lesson finally and will be a model citizen.He has way too much to lose.
I have a question – I read somewhere that Americans are not allowed in Canada if they have a DUI. I’m thinking there are quite a few major leaguers that have DUIs and go north to play Toronto. How does that work? Or is that just a myth?
Good question
Wasn’t he caught with sexual misconduct too?
Accused of drugging a woman in a hotel room. If true, “misconduct” is an understatement.
Never charged – probably an attempt to extort money from him – accuser disappeared.
Frank Connelly gets his drinking buddy back! Pass one to Nutting, he’s pissed this adds to the payroll.
Are there details out about how Kang was able to make his way back to the states? Just curious.
He has a bakers dozen dwi convictions. Welcome back
What?