Keep an Eye on Korean Baseball

Not Carlos Correa, South Korea.

Putting a blanket statement on the level of talent in the KBO is an unwinnable situation.  Both Nitkowski and Sadowski said that while there are guys there who could not crack a Double-A roster in the U.S., there are players, such as Ryu, who clearly have the talent to be difference makers in the majors.

“I don’t know that there’s a Triple-A team that could roll in and necessarily beat the Doosan Bears,” Nitkowski said. “Even to say that it’s Triple-A, I don’t think that’s necessarily fair. Maybe the rosters don’t run as deep. Maybe they don’t have Triple-A players one through nine, but one through six, one through seven, a lot of teams are really good. I really hesitate to put a number on it or a level on it.”

Sadowski echoes this view, citing Americans who go to Korea as they come down from the peak of their career with no major league teams willing to keep them.  “It’s really hard to compare because those guys had major league tools at some point,” he said. “When teams get hurt and their replacements come in, they’re not being replaced by a Triple-A player or a guy who could play in the big leagues. They’re getting replaced by a younger guy who has only been playing two years of professional baseball or may be short on tools.”

Getting ready to gamble on Jung-Ho Kang | FOX Sports

Nobody is sure what to expect of Kang. We’ll find out soon enough.

The easiest way to summarize the risk is this: Kang just finished second in the league in home runs. In third, with 37, was one Eric Thames. Thames also finished with a four-digit OPS, and in North American Triple-A, he slugged .506. Thames, in the majors, has slugged .431. Meanwhile, Yamaico Navarro just hit 31 homers in Korea, with an OPS of .969. He was worse than that in Triple-A, and he never did anything in the bigs. This is the evidence that the KBO is relatively low on overall talent: Thames has mashed there. Navarro has mashed there. Brett Pill, Jorge Cantu, and Felix Pie just had strong seasons. The best pitchers in Korea aren’t the best pitchers in the States, and the worst pitchers in Korea might not even be professionals in the States.

Slugging Korean phenom might be Mets’ best bet at shortstop | New York Post

Who is Jeong-ho Kang?

Then there’s Jeong-ho Kang, the 27-year-old Korean who intrigues the Mets enough that they have scouted him in person and on video and convened earlier this week at the Winter Meetings — at the Mets’ behest — with Kang’s agent Alan Nero. Cabrera also is represented by Nero, yet the Mets’ interest lies primarily with Kang.

CBSSports: Mets, Giants, A’s, other clubs eye top Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang

Kang has consistently put up huge numbers in Korea and posted an amazing .364/.457/.733 slash line in 2014 for the Nexen Heores, hitting 39 home runs in 116 games. The big question is how those numbers translate, which is why he could be viewed as a bargain by some.

Yes, that is the question.  Any speculation on how this fellow’s skills translate?

Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang to be posted; should the Yankees pursue him?

However, according to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, there might be a new name to enter the ring: 27-year-old Korean shortstop Jung-ho Kang (or Jeong-ho Kang). Don’t let his age deceive you—Kang appears to be someone who could start playing in the majors leagues as soon as he’s signed, without needing time in the minors. Cafardo says that Kang’s team, the Nexen Heroes, plan to post him this off-season:

   Kang is going to get posted for a major league job. The righthanded power hitter, who has 38 home runs and 107 RBIs in 107 games this season, is 27 years old and will stay at shortstop or convert to second or third base. He’s listed at 6 feet, 180 pounds, but he looks bigger. The Cardinals were interested early, but a few teams have been added to the mix. Kang has major power and with the absence of it in the majors, he should get some serious money.

Kang’s success in Korea goes beyond the traditional stats as well, though the home run numbers are gaudy enough to be intriguing regardless.

Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos.