What can the Pittsburgh Pirates expect from Jung Ho Kang?

Jung Ho Kang is coming back from a very serious injury, what can the Pittsburgh Pirates expect from him this season?

Last season Jung Ho Kang burst onto the Major League Baseball scene and rode a tremendous debut season to a third place Rookie of the Year finish. He was everything Neal Huntington hoped he would be and more when he was signed out of South Korea.

In 126 games, Kang hit .287/.355/.461/.816/124OPS+ with 15 home runs and 58 RBI, but his season was unfortunately cut short by a Chris Coghlan takeout slide. Kang needed a trauma surgeon because of the severity of the injury and obviously missed the remainder of the regular season and the Wildcard Game.

Kang will likely be back in the St. Louis Cardinals series starting tonight and he joins a Pirates’ offense that is currently sixth in runs scored, second in average, first in On-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage, and fourth in OPS. How will the Pirates choose to use Jung Ho Kang as he eases back from his injury?

Early in 2015, Kang was primarily used as a utility player and pinch hitter, it wasn’t until Josh Harrison‘s thumb injury that he took off as an everyday player and he never looked back. Most assume that Kang is going to take David Freese‘s spot at third base, but should he instantly become the starter?

It would be benefit the Pirates to ease Kang back into the lineup slowly. It would not surprise me to see him used as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement early on as he transitions back into Major League game action.

In his first 40 games as a Major Leaguer in 2015, Kang was used as a pinch hitter 14 times and hit .214/.313/.286/.598. It was not his best role on the team, but him slowly getting used to Major League pitching is more vital than instantly being inserted into the starting lineup from jump. He will be the starting third baseman eventually this season, but it will be a slow process.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=”22″]He was one of the most dynamic and exciting rookies in all of baseball last season, so it’s impossible not to be excited to see what he does as an encore[/pullquote]During his rehab assignment, Kang eased into playing by starting two games and then a scheduled off-day with a pinch hit at-bat or a late game defensive substitution. That is likely the role Kang will be given upon his reinstatement from the disabled list. It gives him a chance to get his feet wet in starts, but not be rushed. It also helps that the Pirates’ offense has been one of the best in the league, so Kang won’t have to play the role of savior when he does return.

Most assume that Kang will be able to pick up right where he left off in 2015, but there is a major difference between the 2015 and 2016 Pirates and that is their offensive approach. The Pirates completely changed their philosophy in the days since Kang’s September 17^th injury. How will this impact Kang?

During 2015, Kang had a walk rate of six percent and a strikeout rate of 21.2 percent. For a team that was as power centric and gap-to-gap focused as the 2015 Pirates those numbers were very acceptable, but the Pirates are no longer that team. In 13 games during his rehab assignment, Kang did not hit well, slashing .150/.217/.225/.442. Most teams don’t put much stock into rehab numbers since it’s just the player trying to get his timing back, but the number that jumps out to me is in those 13 games, Kang walked four times, good for a 8.7 percent walk rate. A fairly substantial increase from his 2015 rate.

Kang walked 28 times in 421 at-bats in 2015. In 40 at-bats in Triple-A, Kang has walked four times, which gives him a full season pace of roughly 40 walks. If Kang gets roughly the same amount of at-bats as he did last season, 40 walks gets him a walk rate of 9.5, which would be closer to his KBO rate of 10.8. Kang can be a patient hitter when he needs to be, and given the Pirates’ new approach, don’t be surprised if we see a more on-base focused Jung Ho Kang.

The Pirates are coming off a very poor series against the Cubs, but it’s still very exciting knowing that Jung Ho Kang is close to returning. He was one of the most dynamic and exciting rookies in all of baseball last season, so it’s impossible not to be excited to see what he does as an encore. It is important to remember that he is coming off a very serious knee injury, so temper the expectations while he eases himself back into playing Major League Baseball. It might take some time, but we will see Jung Ho Kang return to form and return to helping the Pirates win baseball games.

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Photo Credit – Caveball.com