Kang has a mystique about him
PITTSBURGH — There is something refreshing about Jung Ho Kang.
In an era when seemingly everyone bears their souls on social media and nothing is ever a secret, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie infielder Jung Ho Kang has a mystique about him.
Much of it has to do with the language barrier. The South Korean native is still in the early process of learning English and communicates with the American media with a translator.
Not much can be learned about Kang through the translator.
The Pirates made Kang stop doing interviews midway through during spring training. He is allowed to talk to the media again now, but you can be sure the team has told the translator to keep the answers as dull as possible because, well, that is now the Pirates’ way.
It has become a humorless — and somewhat paranoid — organization in what should be a joyous time in franchise history, making back-to-back postseason appearances after breaking the interminable streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons.
Regardless, we have been able to ascertain a few things about Kang.
For one, he feels a large responsibility to do well as the first native position player to go from the Korean Baseball Organization to the major leagues.
“I want to make it so others can follow in my path,” he said.
He also likes living in the United States, American women and steak.
It’s really hard to go wrong with that combination.
Kang’s teammates say he has learned enough English to where it has allowed his sense of humor to come through.
It is hard to tell for sure because of the language barrier. However, he often sits in the clubhouse with a bemused look on his face, the kind that says I think something funny is going on here and I’m not going to tell you what it is.
One mystery that has been unlocked is the 28-year-old Kang’s ability to make the jump from the KBO to the big leagues.
The infielder was hitting .281 with three home runs and a .773 OPS in 37 games going into Tuesday night’s game against the Giants at San Francisco.
It seems once the rest of the world learns of Kang’s talent and personality, the Pirates are going to have an international sensation on their hands.