The Pittsburgh Pirates had a disappointing 2016 season. As the off-season begins, it is time to grade out the club. Today we look at Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang.
It was a roller coaster ride of a season for Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang. The 29-year old missed the first month of the 2016 season after undergoing major knee surgery in September of 2015.
Given the fact that he missed the opening month and also went on the disabled list again in mid-August with a shoulder injury, Kang had a very nice second MLB season. He did have his struggles, but he undoubtedly bounced back to avoid the infamous sophomore slump.
Hot Start Leads to Mid-Summer Slump
Kang made his season debut on May 6 against the St Louis Cardinals and immediately had an impact.
In that game, he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs against a Cardinals team that he has owned throughout the years. That would only lead to bigger things as the Pirates third baseman enjoyed a stellar month of May in which he hit at a .262/.315/.600 clip with six home runs and 18 RBIs.
Kang did have some issues with plate discipline in his opening month, striking out 15 times and walking twice. However, that improved over the course of the summer.
June was an up and down month for Kang. He hit at a .253/.344/.494 clip and struck out 19 times, but he also compiled more walks (eight) than he did in May, while blasting five home runs and driving in 10 runs.
July was the month in which Kang’s struggles began to become a concern. Kang went homerless in 55 at-bats during the month and hit a dreadful .182 with eight RBIs.
The struggles Kang endured during the month caused his season batting average to dip from .257 to .236 and the Bucs turned to David Freese more often to take on the reigns at third base.
Struggles on the Road and Against Left-Handed Pitchers
In his two seasons in the major leagues, Kang has struggled against lefties. Those struggles became even more evident in 2016.
After hitting .238 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 84 at-bats against left-handers last season, Kang hit just .209 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 67 at-bats against lefties this season.
Kang is a career .286 hitter against right-handed pitchers, but his .225 career average against lefties is what should really concern the Pirates moving forward.
[irp posts=”10257″ name=”Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 Gradeout – Andrew McCutchen”]Aside from Kang’s struggles against southpaws, he also had struggles playing away from PNC Park in 2016.
Kang’s road struggles were primarily concerning because he had more at-bats (173) and more games played (54) on the road than he did at home (145 at-bats in 49 games).
Kang hit .303 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs at PNC Park, while he only hit .214 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs on the road.
September Surge
Following Kang’s second DL stint of the season, he returned to have a huge impact in September as the Pirates were all but eliminated from playoff contention.
September was undoubtedly Kang’s best offensive month of the season as he hit .307 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 75 at-bats through 24 games.
Kang also showed impressive plate discipline for the first time all season as he struck out 16 times and walked on 15 occasions.
Better Offensive Stats Than in Rookie Campaign
After a Rookie of the Year caliber season in 2015, Kang took his game to a new level in 2016, setting career highs in various offensive categories despite playing in fewer games and having less at-bats.
Kang hit the 20 home run mark for the first time and also drove in 62 runs, four more than he did in 2015. He also compiled a 9.7 walk percentage, which is almost four percent better than his 2015 mark of 6.0 percent.
Career highs were set by Kang in other categories as well including Slugging Percentage (.513) and OPS (.867).
Conclusions and Final Grades
As the 2016 season began, the timetable for Kang’s return was really unknown. His early return was unexpected by most and it was impressive to see him emerge as a strong offensive weapon, specifically in September.
Kang has proven that he is capable of being a 20 plus home run guy, but 30 plus home runs could be in Kang’s future if he stays healthy and is able to compile more at-bats throughout the course of a season. There are things that Kang can improve on moving forward, including lowering his strikeout rate and improving against lefties, but he was stellar enough this year to warrant a B- grade for the 2016 season.
What Grade Would You Give Kang?
Agree with our grade? Do you disagree? Check out our twitter feed and cast your vote on Kang’s grade for the 2016 season.
[irp posts=”10253″ name=”Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 Gradeout – Chad Kuhl”]Later today we'll share our 2016 grade for JUNG HO KANG. What would you give him?
— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) October 7, 2016
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