BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jung Ho Kang displayed a sense of humor today during his meeting with the media, talking about his role with the Pirates, his hobbies and following Major League Baseball in Korea.
First things first, his name. When I introduced myself to him, he replied in kind. Ways his name is not said: “gang,” “gung,” “gong.” The best phonetic spelling I can come up with is “kgahng,” which I know is not a word or a sound, but that’s where we are. Moving on.
Kang said he thought a lot about going through the posting process near the end of last season. When the Pirates won the bidding, he met Neal Huntington in Pittsburgh. “That’s the time that I decided to finally confirm that I was to come here,” he said in Korean, with Jae Woong Han, an employee of Kang’s agency, Octagon, interpreting.
Kang is most comfortable at shortstop because he has played there for a long time, he said, but will do whatever the team asks. As far as adjusting to America -- where he has spent time before, in Bradenton actually, with a KBO team -- he is enjoying it.
“Everything’s fine,” he said. “It takes time, but I’m actually having a lot of fun. The only obstacle I’m having is the language barrier but the other teammates are treating me good, using easy words. I’m having a lot of fun.”
To help acclimate himself, Kang talked to Korean pitchers who have made the transition to MLB. He kept up with the league by watching broadcasts of Dodgers starter Hyun-jin Ryu’s starts, which were shown in Korea. The post-game show displayed highlights from around the league, so he followed MLB from afar.
He had an interesting take on his 2014 season, when he hit .356 with 40 home runs, and what that meant for the future. “I’m also curious about how it’s going to translate into here. … Hopefully I can hit the same here as well,” he said.
Kang smiled and laughed and had fun. He knows very little English, but said “thank you” at the end of the session. Asked jokingly if he liked sportswriters, he burst out laughing when the question was relayed before saying yes.
Asked what he did in his free time, or if he had any hobbies, Kang said, “I like to hang out with my friends and girlfriend. But I don’t have a girlfriend here, so I’m looking for a new hobby.”
First Published: March 24, 2016, 5:05 p.m.
