Jung Ho Kang

Jung Ho Kang named Pirates' starting third baseman

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang will be the team's starting third baseman, general manager Neal Huntington announced Monday.

What It Means:

Erik Gonzalez got the nod at shortstop, setting Colin Moran up for work at first and third and leaving backup middle infield work for Kevin Newman. Kang is a poor 5-for-28 (.179) this spring, but each hit has gone the distance. The 31-year-old appeared in just three games last season and missed all of 2017 due to legal troubles.

Prior to this announcement, numberFire's models only projected Kang for 166 plate appearances. He owns a career .274/.355/.482 slash with 36 homers, 120 RBI, 105 runs scored, and 8 steals across 843 PA (232 games).

Source: Adam Berry