Shortstop Kang Jung-ho looking forward to facing flamethrower in MLB

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho is now a step closer to Major League Baseball (MLB), after his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, the Nexen Heroes, accepted a US$5 million bid by a big league team for the posted star on Saturday.

The identity of the team that won the silent auction hasn't been disclosed, but the club will have exclusive rights to negotiate with Kang for 30 days once it's officially informed of the Heroes' decision.

Kang and his agent, Alan Nero of Octagon, still have to work out a deal. Yet, in his press conference in Seoul on Sunday, Kang was already looking ahead.

The 27-year-old slugger, who established KBO single-season records for a shortstop with 40 home runs and 117 RBIs in 2014, said the one pitcher he'd most like to face in the majors is Aroldis Chapman, a flame-throwing closer for the Cincinnati Reds.

"He's one of the best closers, and I'd like to go up against him," Kang said of the 26-year-old Cuban southpaw, who routinely throws fastballs over 100 miles per hour. "I am curious to see his pitches."

Chapman is a three-time All-Star who has recorded 112 saves over the past three seasons. For his big league career, he has struck out 430 batters in just 252 2/3 innings, an astounding rate of 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

There's one other potential matchup that Kang is looking forward to, and that would be against fellow South Korean Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ryu pitched seven seasons in the KBO with the Hanwha Eagles starting in 2006 and, in 2012, he became the first South Korean to make the jump from the KBO to the majors via posting. The Dodgers bid $25.7 million for Ryu, still the highest amount for a South Korean, and later signed him to a six-year, $36 million contract.

Kang said he'd met Ryu on Saturday and said he'd like to learn from the pitcher how to stay mentally strong in the majors.

"He's been doing a lot better than I thought he would," Kang said of the pitcher who has gone 28-15 with a 3.17 ERA in his first two MLB seasons. "I think that obviously, he's mentally tough."

Kang quipped that Ryu didn't seem too interested in where the shortstop might end up and added, "I told him that if we face each other in the majors, he should just throw me nothing but fastballs."

Turning more serious, Kang said he'd never thought he'd come this close to reaching the majors, but his father helped him change his mindset.

"Honestly, I've had doubts about whether I could play in MLB," Kang admitted. "Ever since I was in elementary school, my father always told me I should go to the majors, and I've changed over the years."

Kang is the third player from the KBO to be posted this offseason, after the SK Wyverns left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun and the Kia Tigers left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong. The Wyverns accepted a $2 million bid by the San Diego Padres, but Kim couldn't reach an agreement with the Padres. The Tigers didn't accept the winning bid for Yang, saying the amount was lower than what they'd hoped for their pitcher.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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