2015 Pirates

[steelparrot]

Wow, we won a bid lol.

I wonder what we offer him? A jose tabata contract?

 

[Darkstone42]

I love the aggressiveness in the foreign market, as well as the obvious upside of the player. It will be interesting to see what moves accompany his signing if it happens.

 

[element1286]

Wow, we won a bid lol.

I wonder what we offer him? A jose tabata contract?

It's been reported he is looking for something between 2/12 and 4/24, very reasonable.

 

[sychmd]

4/20, and could possibly get a little less, like 4 for 18.
with an unknown do you go for the 2/11 or 4/18.

he easily becomes the MIF and goes with rodriguez, stewart, hart, snider, and gives us a really good bench and some good versatility also.

lambo then becomes the next guy up.

 

[element1286]

Major league scouts sold on shortstop Kang Jung-ho's power, not so much on defense

One particular MLB scout was skeptical about Kang's ability to handle grounders on natural grass. The Heroes' home park, Mokdong Stadium, has had artificial turf since 2008, Kang's first full season.

"He doesn't charge at grounders; he waits for them to come at him," the scout said. "It may work on artificial turf but not so on grass. This is why some Japanese infielders struggled in the majors."

Thought this was interesting.

 

[element1286]

Oliver projection for Kang, take it for what it's worth: 340 wOBA 255/331/460, 30 doubles, 22 homer, 55 walks, 158 K’s per 600 PA.

 

[element1286]

I've analyzed how the HR%, BB%, SO% (and others)

translate to other leagues, based on the recent histories of players who’ve played in Korea and elsewhere, and the combination of parks and pitching appear to be on a level with the PCL (definitely Triple-A in talent level)

Pirates post top bid for Jung-Ho Kang - Bucs Dugout

From the guy who does the oliver projections, interesting.

 

[ramburgh]

Mercer or Kang part of package to land Hamels? Phillies need a shortstop and reportedly had interest in Kang.

I don't see Mercer on the bench nor do I see Kang getting $4M+ to sit on the bench. The scenarios of moving infielders around leaves too much money/talent on the bench for the Pirates. There has to be a trade for SP coming.

 

[Illinest]

This is good. Hopefully Neil follows through.
I hope you guys aren't worried about me. I approved of 3 moves in a row. (Liriano, Hart, Kang)

Don't worry - I'll be back to shitting all over the front office as soon as I'm able.


I don't think that this means anything to Harrison or Mercer. I think they're both pretty safe if they keep hitting and playing defense.
Rather I would guess that this has more to do with trying to find value in unconventional places. I'm guessing that Neil thinks he's going to be worth the price and I'm hoping that his thought process with Kang is similar to the thought process that preceded the Russell Martin signing.
I think that Kang (assuming that he is capable) most likely slides into the old Josh Harrison role at first, and eventually replaces Neil Walker at 2B.

I do not feel that any of these moves are a precursor to any sort of trade. Improving the bench has been a consistent focus for Neil, and this looks like it may be one of his strongest benches yet.

 

[sychmd]

NH is always looking for upgrades.
upgrades can come through FA, but you usually have to overpay, especially for the better players.
trades can happen, but in order to get good players, you need to give away you best future players, unless you trade a current starter and key cog.
so signing in the islands or korea is cheaper than FA and avoids giving away top 15 prospects.

at some point, unless our prospects hit, we might need to make a real trade, then the internal scouting or who we need to keep and who is tradable and who to trade for becomes our most valuable intel.

 

[element1286]

I think he is a super sub for this year, then depending how he does, readjust. Maybe you move Walker to first Harrison to second, and Kang to third. Maybe you trade Walker or Harrison. Maybe Kang is just a really good bench player.

It will be telling if he gets a 2 year or 4 year deal, if they view him as a possible long term solution or just a short term gamble worth taking.

 

[Darkstone42]

This is good. Hopefully Neil follows through.
I hope you guys aren't worried about me. I approved of 3 moves in a row. (Liriano, Hart, Kang)

Don't worry - I'll be back to shitting all over the front office as soon as I'm able.


I don't think that this means anything to Harrison or Mercer. I think they're both pretty safe if they keep hitting and playing defense.
Rather I would guess that this has more to do with trying to find value in unconventional places. I'm guessing that Neil thinks he's going to be worth the price and I'm hoping that his thought process with Kang is similar to the thought process that preceded the Russell Martin signing.
I think that Kang (assuming that he is capable) most likely slides into the old Josh Harrison role at first, and eventually replaces Neil Walker at 2B.

I do not feel that any of these moves are a precursor to any sort of trade. Improving the bench has been a consistent focus for Neil, and this looks like it may be one of his strongest benches yet.

Thinking more about it, I do think this is what Neil is up to. Perhaps Kang develops well and we can use him as a starter, but I wouldn't expect that to come into play until next year, allowing us to deal one of Walker or Harrison at peak value, if we choose to do so. But if Kang ends up being no more than a 1-win bench bat, we still likely get fair value out of him.

 

[thecrow124]

If Kang can be signed, come in and hit, the one position we have right now that the incumbent would have Tue weakest hold of would be, for me, first and third. First because, well we all know why. Third because Harrison only has one year of history. So, if Kang walks into camp with a shiny new first base mit, we will know what is up.

 

[thedddd]

International Profile: Jung-ho Kang ? MLB Trade Rumors

Under the weaknesses, I hope the Pirates scouts seen something in him that projects better than Nakajima. Also, have read this before, not sure he will stay at MI since he is used to playing on astroturf and not on grass. It will be interesting to see if he can adjust.

 

[ramburgh]

This is going to be the most uneventful spring training in years with very little competition for spots.

C-Cervelli, Stewart
INF-Harrison, Mercer, Walker, Alvarez, Hart, Rodriguez, Kang
OF-McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Snider
SP-Cole, Liriano, Burnett, Worley, Locke
RP-Melancon, Watson, Bastardo, Liz, Hughes, Holdzkom, Pimentel

Unless there is an injury or trade, the roster is much clearer than any year in recent memory.

 

[sychmd]

This is going to be the most uneventful spring training in years with very little competition for spots.

C-Cervelli, Stewart
INF-Harrison, Mercer, Walker, Alvarez, Hart, Rodriguez, Kang
OF-McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Snider
SP-Cole, Liriano, Burnett, Worley, Locke
RP-Melancon, Watson, Bastardo, Liz, Hughes, Holdzkom, Pimentel

Unless there is an injury or trade, the roster is much clearer than any year in recent memory.

agreed.

would like to see what lambo does as i think he could play a role for us or as a significant trade chip.
also interested in seeing what hanson and bell can do as i would assume they get a ST invite along with taillon and kingham.

locke will be our first one left out so finding his quick replacement will be key.

 

[Darkstone42]

The Marlins want outfield depth. They're looking at better, more reasonable options, but wouldn't it be lovely if they'd take Jose Tabata and give us something useful in return?

 

[stillmatic32]

The Marlins want outfield depth. They're looking at better, more reasonable options, but wouldn't it be lovely if they'd take Jose Tabata and give us something useful in return?

Or just take him and give us a minor leaguer that never amounts to anything, I'd even roll with that.

 

[thedddd]

If anyone was willing to take Tabata for anything it is a win for NH.

As for the Marlins, unfortunately they are looking for a left handed bat.

 

[thedddd]

Report on Hanson from the Winter leagues:

• Alen Hanson, the Pirates' No. 6 prospect, began the winter playing for Toros del Este in his native Dominican Republic, but was hit by a pitch Oct. 26 and was limited to just seven games in the regular season. Now that the playoffs have begun, Hanson, ranked No. 73 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, is back on the field for Este. In four games last week, he went 3-for-16 and drove in five runs. Though Hanson has primarily played shortstop during his Minor League career, Este has used him mostly as a second baseman, which some scouts feel is a better fit for him in the long run.