Pittsburgh Pirates: Jung Ho Kang has another setback
After beginning on the restricted list for all of the 2017 season, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung-Ho Kang was recently released by his Dominican Winter League team.
After going 12-for-84 (.143/.219/.202), with 31 strikeouts, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung-Ho Kang was released by the Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League. Kang was playing with the Cibaenas after missing the entire 2017 MLB season because of a third DUI conviction in South Korea that prevented him from getting a visa from the State Department.
The Pirates were expecting Kang could get a Winter League season under his belt in the hopes that he might play in the big leagues again in 2018. Instead, he was cut a month early because of his struggles at the plate.
It’s not unusual for a team in the Dominican Winter League to cut MLB players if they don’t play well. Those teams aren’t trying to develop talent; they’re trying to win games and earn a spot in the Caribbean Series. Kang wasn’t helping his team do that, so he was sent packing.
Kang was allowed to play in the league thanks to an agreement with MLB and the MLBPA. There is hope that he can get a visa for 2018, but that’s still very much in question. His third DUI conviction included an eight-month suspended jail sentence and two years of probation. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were denied a visa once again.
Getting cut by the Cibaenas is another setback for Kang and the Pirates. Initially, he was a terrific signing at four years and $11 million before the 2015 season. The contract included a $5.5 million club option for a fifth year or a $1 million buyout. Kang did not get paid or accrue service time while on the restricted list during the 2017 season.
In his first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, Kang hit .287/.355/.461 in 126 games and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Kris Bryant and Matt Duffy. That season ended when Kang was taken out by Chris Coghlan at second base in a game in September.
Kang’s 2016 season was delayed by that knee injury. He didn’t get on the field until early May. Once he got on the field, he hit .255/.354/.513 and had 21 home runs in 103 games. He also spent more time on the DL late in that season with a sore left shoulder.
The Pirates expected Kang to be their primary third baseman in 2017 before he was convicted of his third DUI. Without him, the dropoff was noticeable. With Kang as their primary third baseman in 2016, the Pirates finished 11th in MLB with 3.8 WAR from the position.
Without him in 2017, they were 22nd in MLB with 1.8 WAR. David Freese was the primary third baseman. He got on base at a good clip (.357 OBP) but only slugged .372 while in the lineup at the hot corner.
Jung Ho Kang Released By Dominican Winter League Club https://t.co/mInDxgrF2h pic.twitter.com/UB1XIWkvoc
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 27, 2017
There are plenty of options for the third base position in Pittsburgh, but none have been as good as Kang was in his two big league seasons. David Freese will be 35 years old and is projected to hit .253/.339/.392 by the FanGraphs Depth Charts (0.8 WAR). He’s an adequate bat off the bench but is no longer an everyday starter.
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Sean Rodriguez has played 10 major league seasons and was an above-average hitter in just one of them (2016). He missed two-thirds of the 2017 season and didn’t hit at all when he played (.167/.267/.295).
He’s projected to hit .224/.293/.389 (0.0 WAR). He’ll be 33 years old. He can still be a useful utility guy, but he’s not anymore viable a starter than Freese is.
One of the team’s younger options is Adam Frazier, who has played more often in left field and second base, with only a handful of games at third base in his two big league seasons.
He’s projected to hit .279/.341/.384 (0.4 WAR). Another young option is Jose Osuna, who has even less experience at third base than Frazier but is playing the position in the Venezuelan Winter League. Osuna is projected to hit .259/.304/.424 (0.2 WAR).
Josh Harrison has enough experience at third base to handle the position, should the Pirates want to go that route. If they do, they would need someone to take over for Harrison at second base. One of the team’s top prospects is shortstop Kevin Newman, currently ranked as the sixth-best Pirates prospect at MLB.com. Newman could shift to second base or third base if he’s big-league ready at some point next season.
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As much as the Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to get Jung-Ho Kang back in 2018, they have to plan for the season without him. They used seven different players at the spot last year, with Freese and Josh Harrison getting most of the plate appearances. That will likely be the case again if Kang doesn’t get reinstated and the team doesn’t make an upgrade to a trade or the free agent market.