Pirates, Kang agree to 4-year, $11-million deal
Jung Ho Kang will certainly be the most fascinating player on the Pirates’ opening day roster.
The 27-year-old will try to become the first position player to make the move from the Korean Baseball Organization to the major leagues. And, he will do so without a full-blown safety net.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Kang will not serve an apprenticeship in the minor leagues after signing a four-year, $11-million contract Friday that includes a $5.5-million club option for 2019 that can be bought out for 2019.
The Pirates also paid a $5,002,015 posting fee to Kang’s team in Korea, the Nexen Heroes.
“The best way to transition a player to the major leagues is by having him play in the major leagues,” Huntington said. “Our challenge, as it would be with any role player, is giving him enough playing time to stay sharp.”
Kang hit .356 with 40 home runs in 117 games last season with a .383 on-base percentage and a .503 slugging percentage. Though he set the Korean homer record for a shortstop last season, he will start off as a utility infielder in the major leagues.
The Pirates feel they have as good a read as possible on a unique player.
They sent scouts to Korea last summer to watch Kang play. Furthermore, the analytics department developed a statistical model to translate stats in the KBO to production at the major league level and the number showed that Kang should hold his own.
“This is an unprecedented situation, so it’s difficult to truly project how he will perform,” Huntington said. “That is why we had multiple people put their on him multiple times. We feel good about bringing him into our organization.”
Most of the ballparks in South Korea are smaller than in the major leagues. The Pirates, however, believe Kang will hit for power.
“He hit a lot of balls in Korea that would have been out of the ball parks in the major leagues, too,” Huntington said. “What we really like about him is that he has a good overall approach to hitting.”
During his nine-year career in the KBO, Kang hit .298 batting with 139 homers in 902 games. He also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Classic in 2013.
“I’m very excited and humbled by this opportunity,” he said in a statement released by the Pirates.