The Pirates are under the assumption that Jung Ho Kang will not be able to join the club in 2018.
Clint Hurdle, Neal Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly expressed doubt Saturday at PiratesFest, now a one-day event at PNC Park, that Kang will receive a visa to join the Pirates, and the club is planning for him to miss a second consecutive season.
However, they did not form a contingency plan in 2017, despite the third baseman being arrested last December. In a Q&A session with fans Saturday, Coonelly shouldered the blame for the club not being prepared for Kang's absence in 2017 and admitted the visa process was more complicated than he anticipated.
"That's different than we sat here last year and we were dealing with it," Coonelly explained. "The fact that we went into last offseason — it was just about a year ago today that Jung Ho had the DUI in South Korea — thinking that we had a reasonably good chance of getting him in the country this past year, was on me. I thought we could get him in the country. The visa process was more complicated for him than we realized, sitting here today, and that was on me. I gave Neal bad advice saying, 'I think we can get Jung Ho in the country.' "
Coonelly was confident that Kang would be able to obtain a visa after Kang was arrested and charged with his third DUI in his native South Korea. Coonelly communicated that confidence to Huntington, which ultimately dictated the club's lack of movement prior to opening day.
Last December, Kang crashed a BMW through a guard rail in Seoul and was convicted of DUI, receiving an eight-month suspended sentence in March, and he lost an appeal in May. Kang was not granted a visa and was unable to play for the Pirates in 2017, and he is currently in the process of reapplying for one to enter the United States.
Hurdle told reporters during a 30-minute session at PiratesFest that the club has started to plan for Kang to not be able to join the club as he tries to obtain a visa. Huntington echoed those thoughts in a Q&A session with fans later Saturday afternoon.
"Looking forward to 2018, getting Kang back would be huge," Huntington said. "We don’t think it’s going to happen, but it would be huge."
Coonelly added: "We've gone into this offseason with the assumption that Jung Ho, regrettably, will not be part of our 2018 team, so Neal is building the team under that assumption."
Kang, 30, was able to play for Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League this season, but he was released last month after batting .143/.219/.202 with only three extra-base hits, including one home run, and 31 strikeouts to eight walks in 24 games.
Hurdle planned on traveling to the Dominican Republic, but Kang was released before that could happen. Hurdle declined comment when asked of any updates regarding Kang's status, including if the club is optimistic about a potential return for 2018.
"We’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do and everything we believe we can do," Hurdle said. "The winter ball thing just goes to show you the experience and how hard it is to be removed from the game for a year, then try to go down and compete offensively. All the reports were the same. Hard work showed up. Plus in the field, moving left and right. The batting practice solid. Game time velocity and spin, challenging."
Hurdle emphasized the importance of following protocol in the legal process. However, that also includes moving on without Kang. The plan is for David Freese, who is penciled in as the starter at third base, to receive enough days off to keep him fresh.
Freese, 34, was above-average defensively — registering 7.0 Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-3.1 Ultimate Zone Rating to become a Gold Glove finalist — but he was below-average offensively. He slashed .263/.368/.371 in 130 games, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 52. His Wins Above Replacement on offense was negative-4.1, per FanGraphs, which was 6.3 WAR lower than Kang’s in 2016.
José Osuna, who is playing third base in the Venezuela Winter League, is an option. Osuna, who will turn 25 this month, never played the position during his seven previous seasons in the Pirates’ organization. He played 36 games in the corner outfield spots and 23 at first this season, but none are long-term options for Osuna, who batted .233 with seven home runs and 30 RBI in 104 games this season.
Osuna has committed three errors at third base in 16 games with Bravos de Margarita, but reports Hurdle received from Osuna's manager in the VWL, former major-league catcher Henry Blanco, indicate Osuna will be ready to play third base in spring training.
"I think he made his third error the day before yesterday, a throwing error, but all in all, Henry said he can give you a game over there right now," Hurdle said. "Maybe he’ll give you a couple. The work that’s being done is paying off. I look forward to seeing him when we see him. All we saw from him were practice reps. See what that translates into come spring training."
But can Freese and Osuna replace Kang's production?
Kang, who was scheduled to make $2.75 million this season, hit 21 home runs with a .354 on-base percentage in 103 games in 2016. He finished third in the rookie of the year voting in 2015 after he played nine years in the Korea Baseball Organization.
The Pirates’ offense struggled without him in 2017. They ranked 27th in batting average, 28th in runs, 29th in home runs and 28th in OPS. Besides his production, Kang was a bargain for a power-hitting third baseman.
"We’ll see what’s next," Hurdle said of Kang. "I hope to have a conversation with him. He’s on my list to call. It won’t be next week at the winter meetings, but the following week. See how his spirits are. See where he is mentally. See what he’s continuing to try to do to stay active. However, I don’t think we can get in front of ourself in any significant way right now. We just need to follow the protocol our front office has been given to follow."
