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Jung Ho Kang Ends KBO Comeback Attempt

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Former Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang had been hoping to make a professional comeback in his native Korea, but he has ended that attempt, Jeehoo Yoo of Yonhap News reports. It’s unclear whether Kang will try to play again outside of the Korea Baseball Organization.

The Kiwoom Heroes hold the KBO rights over the 33-year-old Kang, who played for the club from 2010-14. Kang was successful enough in his homeland to earn a guaranteed contract from Pittsburgh, which signed him to a four-year, $11MM pact prior to the 2015 season. It looked like a wise investment for a little while, as Kang slashed a terrific .273/.355/.483 (129 wRC+) with 36 home runs and 5.8 fWAR in 837 plate appearances during his first two years in the majors. However, significant off-field problems – ones that have largely centered on issues with alcohol – have been an unfortunate part of the package.

Kang has picked up three DUI arrests, including one before the 2017 season that stopped him from securing a work visa to return from South Korea. He missed that year and almost all of 2018 as a result, and while Kang did return to the Pirates last season, he only hit .169/.222/.395 (55 wRC+) across 185 trips to the plate. Consequently, the Pirates decided to release him in August.

The likelihood is that Kang will never play in the majors again, and it no longer appears he’ll suit up in the KBO again. The league issued him a one-year suspension back in May, but that ban won’t take effect until Kang signs with one of its teams (if he does). Although the Heroes have his rights, he’s not actually a member of the team.

KBO Issues One-Year Suspension To Jung Ho Kang For Prior DUI Arrests

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May 26: Kang has pledged to donate his salary to charity should he sign with a KBO club, Yoo reports today.

May 25: The Korea Baseball Organization has reached a ruling regarding infielder Jung Ho Kang, who starred for the KBO’s Nexen (now Kiwoom) Heroes and spent parts of four years with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kang, who seeks reinstatement following a trio of DUI arrests, will be suspended for one year and will also be required to perform 300 hours of community service, Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reports.

Kang, 33, faced a ban of up to three years under the KBO’s stringent policies surrounding DUIs. However, his lawyers argued that because the latest policy was implemented in 2018 and Kang’s most recent arrest came in 2016 (when he was playing with the Pirates and thus not even in the KBO), he should not face a maximum penalty.  Yoo noted last week that something along the lines of 90 games could be considered were Kang only punished for two of his DUI arrests, and the actual ban lies somewhere in between those two potential outcomes.

The suspension for Kang won’t come into effect until he signs with a club. When or if that takes place is a bit complicated given that his former team still holds his rights. Kang would either need the Heroes’ permission to sign with another team or would need the organization to reinstate him from the “voluntarily retired” list, where he was placed when he was first posted for MLB clubs back in 2014.

Kang’s most recent DUI scandal brought about a swift downfall for a player who looked every bit the part of a productive Major Leaguer. After spending seven seasons with the Heroes and peaking with an outrageous .356/.459/.739 batting line as a 27-year-old back in 2014, Kang was posted for MLB teams and landed with the Pirates on a four-year, $11MM contract. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was well on his way solidifying himself as a quality regular from 2015-16, batting a combined .273/.355/.483 (126 OPS+, 129 wRC+) with 36 home runs, 43 doubles, two triples, eight steals and respectable defensive marks at both third base and shortstop.

That third DUI arrest, though, prevented Kang from securing his work visa and eventually caused him to miss the entire 2017 season as well as much of the 2018 campaign. He returned to the Pirates on a one-year pact last season but turned in a ghastly .169/.222/.395. His strikeout rate exploded from 21 percent in 2015-16 to more than 32 percent last season as his defensive grades plummeted.

Kang was worth about six wins above replacement in his first two big league seasons despite only appearing in 229 games and taking 837 plate appearances. It’s easy to imagine another world where he would’ve settled in as the Pirates’ regular third baseman. Given what was an affordable contract and a seemingly productive trajectory on a losing club, he might well have even emerged as a viable trade chip for the former front office regime.

Instead, while Kang may yet be granted one more chapter in his baseball career (depending on the Heroes’ action and interest from others in the KBO), he’ll go down as a “what might’ve been” case.

Jung Ho Kang Seeking KBO Comeback

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It emerged recently that former Korea Baseball Organization superstar and Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang was interested in resuming his career in his native Korea. But it wasn’t clear just how he planned to accomplish that.

Trouble is, Kang has been arrested three times for driving under the influence — a shameful mark that scuttled his MLB career and subjects him to the KBO’s harsh mandatory minimum suspension of three years. At 33 years of age, a three-year wait would pose some difficulties.

It seems the hope is to argue that the rule shouldn’t be applied in that manner. Per Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap (Twitter thread), Kang’s reps have asked the league not to count the third arrest since it took place when he was under contract with the Pirates rather than a KBO outfit.

The applicable KBO authorities are slated to consider the matter shortly. If successful, Kang might be permitted to resume play after a much shorter suspension. Yoo suggests something on the order of ninety games might be levied.

Given that he has already seemingly exhausted his chances stateside, and is already at a fairly advanced age for a ballplayer, it’s quite unlikely we’ll see Kang back with an affiliated organization. But it would be quite interesting to watch a potential KBO return effort. The league has only continued to grow in quality since Kang left and it is for the moment the top active baseball league in the world.

Yoo indicates that Kang’s former team, the Kiwoom (formerly Nexen) Heroes, retains his rights even after receiving a posting fee from the Pirates. Accordingly, he’d either work something out with the Heroes or be forced to seek that organization’s approval to latch on with another KBO club.

Latest On Jung Ho Kang

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Professional baseball may not have seen the last of Jung Ho Kang. The infielder has asked to be taken off the “voluntary retired” list for the Korea Baseball Organization, Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News tweets. However, because Kang has been arrested for driving under the influence three times, it may be a while before he plays in the KBO. As Yoo notes, the KBO subjects players with three or more DUI arrests to at least a three-year suspension.

At this point, Kang may be waving the white flag on his major league career. Now 33 years old, Kang emigrated from Korea prior to the 2015 season, signing a four-year guarantee worth $11MM. The deal worked out OK for Pittsburgh on the field, as Kang batted a solidly above-average .254/.331/.466 with 46 home runs and accounted for 4.9 fWAR across 1,028 plate appearances over the course of four seasons. However, off-field issues were an unfortunate part of the package. Along with his problems with alcohol, Kang was accused of sexual assault in June 2016. He sat out the entire 2017 season after one of his DUI arrests in his homeland of South Korea.

Kang did return last season to log a decent sample of plate appearances (185), but he slumped to a .169/.222/.395 line. The Pirates then released him in the first week of August. The division-rival Brewers showed interest in Kang shortly after that, but it has been radio silence for the most part since the Bucs moved on from him.

Despite the good offensive numbers he has posted in the majors, it doesn’t seem likely that Kang will play in the league in the immediate future. Even a return to the field in the KBO could be out of the question if a three-year ban’s on the table. Kang was quite successful there earlier in his career, though, as he batted .298/.383/.504 in 3,560 PA.

Central Notes: Brewers, Kang, Twins, Buxton, Royals

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The latest from baseball’s Central divisions…

  • The Brewers have shown interest in signing free-agent infielder Jung Ho Kang to a minor league contract, but it doesn’t appear an agreement will come together before the Triple-A season runs out. The two sides are “bogged down in visa issues,” according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It’s unclear what exactly is causing the problem, but Kang did miss almost all of the 2018 season while with the Pirates because he had difficulty securing a visa on the heels of a third DUI arrest in his homeland of South Korea. Kang returned last year, though, and then re-signed with the Pirates for a $3MM guarantee in November. It proved to be a poor investment for Pittsburgh, which released the 32-year-old Kang in early August after he hit .169/.222/.395 in 185 plate appearances.
  • More from Haudricourt, who tweets Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff still isn’t expected to rejoin the club before the middle of September. But Woodruff, who suffered an oblique injury July 21, is making progress. He moved his throwing program to 120 feet off flat ground Friday, which Haudricourt notes is the final step before he returns to the mound. The absence of Woodruff, who has unquestionably been the Brewers’ top starter this year, is an obvious reason why they’re drifting from NL Central and wild-card contention. The 26-year-old Woodruff has broken out with a 3.75 ERA/3.09 FIP and 10.4 K/9 against 2.22 BB/9 over 117 2/3 innings.
  • Twins center fielder Byron Buxton is nearing a rehab assignment, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com writes. Buxton hit the IL on Aug. 3 with a left shoulder subluxation – a product of the all-out effort with which he plays. The 25-year-old crashed into the outfield wall while trying to rob Milwaukee catcher Yasmani Grandal of an extra-base hit. Unfortunately for Buxton, not only did he fail to come up with the ball, but he’ll end up missing at least a few weeks because of the attempt. Injuries have been an issue all summer for Buxton, who has gone on the IL three times since June. When healthy, though, this has been a highly productive season for Buxton, owner of a .262/.314/.513 line with 10 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 2.6 fWAR in 295 plate appearances.
  • Royals southpaw Danny Duffy will begin a rehab stint at the Double-A level Sunday, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star relays. A left hamstring strain has kept Duffy out of action since Aug. 3, when Minnesota lit him up for nine runs (eight earned) and four homers across 4 2/3 innings. This has been the second disappointing season in a row for Duffy, who has only managed a 4.93 ERA/5.13 FIP in 100 1/3 frames.

NL Notes: Kang, Brewers, Mets, Reds

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After spending several years with the Pirates, who released him Aug. 5, it’s possible free-agent infielder Jung Ho Kang will resurface in the National League Central. Kang took infield practice with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in San Antonio on Thursday, as journalist Joe Alexander noted. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel corroborated Alexander’s report Friday, tweeting that Kang has been working out with the Brewers’ top farm club. Kang and the Brewers have not reached an agreement on a minor league contract yet, though, as general manager David Stearns said the two sides still have issues to work out, per Haudricourt. The once-valuable Kang, 32, is looking to rebuild his stock after batting a hideous .169/.222/.395 in 185 plate appearances with Pittsburgh this season.

Here’s more on a pair of other NL teams…

  • Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo finally began a rehab assignment Friday at the Single-A level, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. A bulging disc in Nimmo’s neck has shelved him since May 21, meaning it’s likely he’ll need a solid amount of time to work back, as Healey notes. The Mets have charged into playoff contention in recent weeks despite Nimmo’s absence, though they’ve since lost fellow noteworthy position players Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano and Dominic Smith to the injured list. Unlike McNeil and Smith, Nimmo was in the throes of a surprisingly difficult season when he went down. After getting on base at a .404 clip and totaling 4.5 fWAR during what looked like a breakout 2018, the 26-year-old Nimmo came out of the gates this season with a .200/.344/.323 line and 0.2 fWAR in 161 PA.
  • Cano and closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets’ two biggest winter acquisitions, have joined Nimmo in enduring trying seasons. The Mets expected the great track records of Cano and Diaz to carry to their organization when they picked up the two during the offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Mariners. Instead, they’ve struggled, and the top best prospects the Mets surrendered – outfielder Jarred Kelenic and righty Justin Dunn – have excelled, as David Schoenfield of ESPN.com observes. Kelenic and Dunn were already well-regarded prospects at the time of the deal, but their stocks have only risen this season. Both players reflected on the swap with Schoenfield, Kelenic saying: “I looked up at a TV and my name was up there as a rumor. I was like, ’Are you kidding me? Is anyone else seeing this?'” Kelenic was in disbelief the Mets were set to move him just a few months after choosing him sixth overall in the draft. As for Dunn, a Long Island native, he understands why general manager Brodie Van Wagenen dealt him. “He had to do what was best for the organization,” Dunn stated, adding that “he had to do the right move for his team, which was to try and win now.”
  • Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez departed the team’s loss to St. Louis on Friday with a left thumb sprain, per an announcement from Cincinnati. X-rays came back negative on Suarez, who’s day-to-day. The big-hitting 28-year-old’s production has taken steps back this season compared to 2018. However, Suarez has still slashed a more-than-respectable .259/.341/.530 with 33 home runs in 504 PA, further justifying the Reds’ decision to hand him a seven-year, $66MM extension prior to last season.

Pirates Release Jung Ho Kang

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TODAY: The Pirates have released Kang, John Dreker of Pirates Prospects tweets.

FRIDAY: The Pirates have designated infielder Jung Ho Kang for assignment, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter. Erik Gonzalez and Pablo Reyes are coming onto the active roster, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic tweets.

It has been a forgettable season for Kang, who re-signed with the Bucs for $3MM after sitting out virtually all of the prior two campaigns. He had only himself to blame for the absence and lost earnings, as it resulted from his history of multiple instances of being caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

Kang has by all accounts carried himself in a more responsible manner off the field since returning to the Pittsburgh organization. But he has not returned to his days of high-quality offensive production at the plate.

Through 185 plate appearances in 2019, Kang carries a meager .169/.222/.395 batting line with ten home runs but also a whopping sixty strikeouts and only eleven walks. That’s a surprising turn for a player who carried a 21.4% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate in his most recent full season in the majors.

It remains to be seen how Kang’s career will progress from this point. The 32-year-old’s power is still intact, so he could be given a shot with another MLB outfit (likely on a minors deal). It seems plausible to imagine also that he could elect to go back to his native Korea or another Asian league if the opportunities here are not satisfactory.

Pirates Could Move On From Jung Ho Kang

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With the Pirates out of playoff contention and infielder Jung Ho Kang in the throes of an awful season, his time with the organization may be nearing an end. Kang’s Pirates tenure could expire as soon as shortstop Erik Gonzalez comes off the injured list on Aug. 6, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic observes (subscription link).

General manager Neal Huntington admitted Wednesday that it’s “valid” to question Kang’s status with the organization, adding, “It’s a conversation we need to have as a group now that the trade deadline has come and gone.”

Manager Clint Hurdle even acknowledged it’s difficult to give playing time to a hitter whose “bat has not shown up as (much as) we were hoping to get.” Hurdle further noted, “There’s been a lot of swing and miss,” which is true. Kang swung and miss in 8.7 percent of plate appearances from 2015-18, but the number has skyrocketed to 16.0 this season. At the same time, after Kang struck out in 21.2 percent of PA during his first few years as a Pirate, he’s up to an unappealing 32.4 in 2019. The production has been abysmal as a result, with the previously impressive Kang having slashed a miserable .169/.222/.395 (56 wRC+) in 185 trips to the plate despite showing quite a bit of power (10 home runs, .227 ISO).

The fact that Kang’s only 15 PA from earning $625K in incentives could be important to the low-budget Pirates, Biertempfel points out. Kang would also earn an additional $625K by reaching 300, 400 and 500 plate trips. However, those look like unrealistic goals for Kang, who entered the season as the Pirates’ starting third baseman but has since faded into the background behind Colin Moran. Meanwhile, Kevin Newman’s locking down shortstop – Kang’s secondary position – leaving no obvious spot for the veteran. He could become even less necessary to out-of-contention Pittsburgh with the return of Gonzalez, an offseason acquisition who hasn’t played since April 19 on account of clavicle and hamstring injuries.

Re-signing Kang was also part of the offseason business for the Pirates, who brought him back on a $3MM guarantee after turning down a $5.5MM club option. To this point, the team has stuck with Kang through worse ordeals than lousy on-field output. Kang, whom the Pirates signed out of Korea entering the 2015 season, was accused of sexual assault in 2016 (though criminal charges were never filed). He then missed all of 2017 and almost the entirety of last season because he had trouble acquiring a visa in the wake of his third DUI arrest in his homeland.

Kang was outstanding on the field before he sat out nearly two full years. But with his effectiveness having waned to a significant extent in 2019, it appears Kang’s finally about to run out of rope with the Pirates.

Pirates To Activate Corey Dickerson, Jung Ho Kang

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The Pirates will activate outfielder Corey Dickerson and infielder Jung Ho Kang for tomorrow’s game, skipper Clint Hurdle told reporters including MLB.com’s Adam Berry (via Twitter). Corresponding roster moves aren’t yet known.

Dickerson’s shoulder injury ended up costing him about two months of action. He’ll need a 40-man roster spot, since he had been moved to the 60-day IL. Kang was out for three weeks with a left side strain.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Bucs handle their roster now that they’re approaching full health. There’ll really be an abundance of corner outfielders once Lonnie Chisenhall is ready, but even Dickerson creates a bit of a crowd.

Jose Osuna could be the odd man out, though he has hit well in brief action. That would leave the club with two switch-hitting options (Melky Cabrera, Bryan Reynolds) and a pair of lefty bats (Dickerson, Gregory Polanco) in the corner mix. That’s arguably a somewhat suboptimal mix, particularly since it means carrying five players limited to outfield or pinch-hitting duties.

Hurdle will also face some tough playing time decisions. The resurgent Cabrera and newcomer Reynolds are both hitting quite well. Dickerson and Polanco are both well-established and well-compensated players. There has already been some chatter among Pirates scribes that the club could ponder trading from its outfield stock to boost a sagging pitching staff, though it remains unclear whether and when that strategy will be pursued.

It’s a bit easier to guess at the decision in the infield. Youngster Cole Tucker has not yet found sustained success at the plate and seems likely to be dispatched back to Triple-A, though that’ll leave the club with only two true middle infielders (Kevin Newman and Adam Frazier). Perhaps the Pirates will send down a pitcher and run with a seven-man bullpen for at least a stretch, but that seems unlikely to be a long-term strategy for a team that needs innings.

Whatever the move, Kang is hardly assured of a lengthy stint back on the MLB roster. He’ll need to improve upon a terrible start to the season or be sent packing.

It’ll be interesting to see how it all shakes out, both now and in the near future. We know that GM Neal Huntington is looking for ways to shore up the pitching staff. The Bucs could be a fun team to watch with seven weeks to go before the trade deadline and a four-game deficit in the division.

Pirates Place Jung Ho Kang On IL, Select Jake Elmore

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The Pirates have announced that infielder Jung Ho Kang has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left side strain. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by Jake Elmore, whose contract was selected.

In order to open a 40-man roster spot, the Bucs shifted righty Jameson Taillon to the 60-day injured list. Taillon, who is sidelined with a flexor strain, won’t be eligible to return to the active roster until early July.

Kang is struggling in his first full season since 2016 — a layoff that occurred because of his troubling history of drinking and driving. He’s hitting just .133/.204/.300 in 98 trips to the plate this year. Kang is swinging and missing far more often than he used to. He’ll be shut down for three days and then reevaluated, per club director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk (via MLB.com’s Adam Berry, on Twitter).

It’s the first MLB action since 2016 for Elmore. The 33-year-old has a .215/.297/.280 slash in 478 career plate appearances at the game’s highest level. He has been off to rather a strong start to the year at Triple-A, though, with a .380/.444/.546 slash in 124 plate appearances.

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