Nexen shortstop Kang Jung-ho sends notice with first postseason homer

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- Called by respected baseball journalist Peter Gammons as "winter's most interesting posting candidate," the Nexen Heroes' free-agent-to-be shortstop Kang Jung-ho certainly didn't hurt his potential value in the open market with his playoff performance on Thursday.

Kang hit his first career postseason homer for the Heroes, as they defeated the LG Twins 6-2 to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five second round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Kang drilled a 1-1 offering by LG starter Cory Riordan over the center field wall in the top of the second inning to break a scoreless deadlock. It was his first extra-base hit of the series.

Kang also made a fine leaping catch on a line drive in the bottom of the sixth, foiling the Twins' bid to put together a rally.

Kang, who has completed the equivalent of seven KBO seasons, will earn conditional free agency after the postseason. The status will allow the 27-year-old to test overseas markets with the Heroes' approval.

Kang picked the best time to enjoy a career year. He hit 40 home runs in the regular season, a new single-season KBO record for a shortstop, to rank second in the league, and drove in 117 runs, good for third place. Both totals were his career highs.

Kang, who batted .356, topped the KBO with a .739 slugging percentage and came in second with a .459 on-base percentage.

With the Heroes' blessing, Kang can either enter negotiations with Japanese clubs, or be posted for interested Major League Baseball (MLB) teams this offseason.

Kang has said he'd prefer MLB to Japan because he'd like to play with and against the best players in the world.

The U.S. media have also speculated on Kang's immediate future, with some newspapers reporting that the Heroes will eventually post him in November.

In 2012, left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers via posting, becoming the first South Korean to reach the majors through that process.

On Wednesday, the SK Wyverns said they will post left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun next month. Another KBO left-hander, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Kia Tigers, has said he would like to go overseas, but the Tigers haven't yet announced whether they will post him.

Kang had gone 3-for-8 in this series with four strikeouts before Thursday. He said he'd expected to have difficulties hitting home runs in the postseason and added, "I hit a homer today but I think it was more significant that we scored the first run of the game."

As Kang hopes to become the first Korean position player to reach MLB through posting, Gammons, a Hall of Fame baseball writer, tweeted earlier in the day, "Korean SS Jung Ho Kang still in playoffs, up to 45 HR, winter's most interesting posting candidate."

Save for the incorrect homer total in the tweet, Gammons' tweet may well indicate growing interest in the U.S. in Kang's availability.

Kang insisted he still has business to take care of in the KBO, saying, "I am still with Nexen and I want to concentrate on the postseason."

Questions have been raised about Kang's inconsistent defense, which scouts say may force him to switch positions if he makes it to the big leagues. So far in the postseason, Kang has been solid but hasn't had to make any spectacular plays on the field.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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