Those who follow baseball and sports news were excited to see the 2018 KBO Rookie of the Year in action. Kang Baek-ho has baseball news fans excited, and his potential was great. Kang holds the record for the first player to hit a hime run in Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. He was also one of the top and most popular players in Seoul High School. Kang was originally a pitcher in his earlier years, but once he turned pro, Kang starts his career as an outfielder.
Does this sound familiar to you? Does his career path exactly remind you of Na Sung-bum, down to his progression to the pros? Na has been in the KBO for six years, and has a .315 batting average and 141 hime runs. He averages 23.5 home runs per year. He also holds a KBO record for making more than 170 hits in just one season for the past four years: 2015-2018.
Kang Baek-ho and Na Sung-bum
Na has turned his pro career into something amazing. He performs well, and will not be the captain for the NC Dinos. He is also one of the best batters in the whole KBO. Can Kang do the same?
Kang spent his rookie season as an outfielder. He did play pitcher in the 2018 All Star, but there is no presence of Kang in the mound so far during the regular season. The KT Wiz’s new manager, Lee Kang-chul, has stated that Kang may pitch in the next season, but other reports say the opposite.
No one knows if Kang will be a great outfielder like Na. So far, Kang has shown his skills in slugging with 29 home runs during his rookie year. And this record is nothing short of amazing. Especially for someone who is playing pro straight out of high school.
Both players were outfielders in the beginning of their pro careers, and were assigned defense, even though they had no experience with it. But despite errors made during the season, Kang is still learning, and he is making great strides in learning how to play two positions.
