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Kang Jung-ho listed as 1 of 3 finalists for NL Rookie of the Year

November 11, 2015
Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates (C) celebrates his three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Aug. 9, 2015. (Yonhap)

Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates (C) celebrates his three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Aug. 9, 2015. (Yonhap)

By Brian Han

After Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Kang Jung-ho limped off the field on Sept. 17 after sustaining a season-ending knee injury, he sort of fell off the radar for many baseball fans.

But that didn’t take away from the fact that the South Korean crafted together a memorable performance throughout the season as Korea Baseball Organization’s first position player export.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America recognized his accomplishments and listed his name among the three finalists for the National League Rookie of the Year Award according to MLB.com.

Kang batted .287 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs in 126 at-bats — solid numbers that he could have certainly improved upon if he had a full healthy season considering he continued to get better and better as time went on.

He joins the Chicago Cubs 23-year-old phenom Kris Bryant, who is a favorite to win the award, and San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Duffy.

Bryant set a franchise record for home runs by a rookie with 26 on the year. On top of that led all rookies with 99 RBIs, 31 doubles and 87 runs.  He held a .275 average for the season, but struggled in his team’s postseason run with a .175 against constant exposure to elite pitching.

Kang underwent surgery within a day of his injury and is currently rehabbing. Because of the severity of the ligament tear in his knee, he could potentially miss opening day of the 2016 season.

His season represented a lot more than just a bunch of statistics. He played a key role in helping the Pirates get to the playoffs especially after the All-Star break batting .310 and more than tripling his home run count.

Furthermore, he proved to many skeptics that talent and skill can translate from the KBO to the big leagues. It should come as no surprise that in addition to super slugger Park Byung-ho, who is currently negotiating with the Minnesota Twins after the Nexen Heroes accepted a $12.85 million bid, there has been a spike in South Korean players who are making an attempt to cross over to the U.S.