By most accounts, South Korean infielder Kang Jung-ho had a successful rookie year with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.
The first position player to jump from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to Major League Baseball (MLB), Kang batted
.287/.355/.461 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, en route to finishing third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Had it not been for a season-ending leg injury in September, Kang, the NL Rookie of the Month for July, surely would have put up better numbers.
As the Pirates held their first full workout of spring training here in Florida on Tuesday, Kang said he isn't about to slow down.
"I don't think my last season was successful," Kang said. "I think I just did okay. I've got a lot more to show. I will try to be better this year than the last."
Asked to specify what aspects of his game he wants to improve, Kang said, "Everything."
"Be it my defense, hitting, batting average, RBIs or home runs
-- even if people say I had a good season -- I have to do better than that," Kang added. "Last year, everything was new, and I didn't prepare (for the season) as well as I should have. This year, I think I know what I'm doing."
Kang suffered a devastating injury on a hard takeout slide by Chris Coghlan of the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 17. Kang said his primary goal of the season is "to get healthy quickly."
"I will try to work out with my teammates as much as I can, and then do my own rehab program on the sidelines," said Kang, who likely won't be ready by Opening Day on April 3. He was a limited participant on Tuesday, but took part in fielding drills at third base and stood in the box during batting practice.
"I am still not at 100 percent on defense or at the plate,"
Kang added. "I can catch some grounders and take swings (in the cage). I don't know if I'll be ready by mid-April, but I'm trying to heal as soon as I can."
Kang was an MVP-caliber shortstop for the Nexen Heroes in the KBO, but split his time at third and short last season -- 69 games at the hot corner and 55 games at short. He was playing shortstop when he was injured last year and is expected to spend most of his time at third this year.
"I'll just do whatever I'm asked to do," Kang said. "After my surgery, I think it'd be better for me to play third. I'll think more about playing shortstop after I start feeling better."
Kang's strong debut opened the doors for other KBO position players to make the jump. His former Nexen teammate Park Byung-ho signed with the Minnesota Twins via posting, and former Doosan Bears outfielder Kim Hyun-soo joined the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent.
"I hope we'll all have good seasons," Kang said. "I guess we will all be compared to one another, but I think we'll all thrive under the spotlight." (Yonhap)
