Jung Ho Kang (3B, PIT) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

April 6, 2019

Brady Grove takes a look at Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang as a potential waiver wire acquisition of value for fantasy baseball managers in Week 2 of the 2019 MLB campaign.

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ANALYSIS: Jung Ho Kang came to the MLB from South Korea with plenty of surrounding hype and potential, and at least through his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he very much lived up to the excitement he brought. Though he took only 739 combined AB through the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he managed to swipe eight bags in 13 attempts, smack 36 homers, produce consecutively improving OPS of .816 and .867, and finished third in voting for NL Rookie of the Year in 2015. Since then, do to a mix of injury and legal issues, Kang took only six AB from 2017 through 2018.

Despite the hefty weight of uncertainty brought on by his lengthy hiatus, the now 32-year old five-time KBO All-Star is a must-own asset at the corner infield slot for a few key reasons. First, he has secured a consistent, everyday spot at third base for the otherwise relatively undermanned Pirates. This steady rate of AB opportunities means that Kang's injury history is the only thing in the way of him receiving an ample amount of looks at the plate to produce robust statistical totals. Additionally, Kang is carrying plenty of offensive momentum into the 2019 season. He devastated opposing pitchers during Spring Training to the tune of seven dingers and a .250/.340/.773 slash across 16 games (44 AB), and while he has gotten off to a slightly above-pedestrian start to the 2019 regular season, he has already managed to knock two XBH (one double, one HR). With his dependable role in the Pittsburgh infield and a time-tested power-hitting skill set with well-rounded upside, Jung Ho Kang should be gracing a roster spot in every fantasy baseball league.