The KBO Posting System Is About to Change

This would normally be the Yankees spring training Grapefruit League post but the Yankees are off today as they prepare to play host to the New York Mets tomorrow. With that said we will cover something that could not only affect the Yankees and the Mets but the entire league, the Korean Baseball Organization posting rules are about to change.

Currently the way Korean-born ballplayers make their way to the United States and the Major Leagues is through the blind posting system much like the Japanese League and Nippon Professional Baseball Organization had until recently. Major League Baseball wants the KBO to adopt a similar or identical policy as well after an influx of talent including Jung-Ho Kang and Byung-Ho Park have made their way over to the states in recent years.

When a Japanese league player is posted a MLB team has to basically post up $20 million to be in the pool of teams that the player picks from and the same will likely come from the KBO players as well. The posting fee will not be as high, the rumor right now is just $8 million, but the basic premise of the policy will be the same.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Korean OF Ah-Seop Son To Be Posted

The New York Yankees could be in the market for an outfielder this offseason as Chris Young hits free agency once again but could that search take them all the way to Korea? Ah-Seop Son of the Korean Baseball Organization is expected to be posted this winter after spending parts of nine professional seasons in the KBO. Could the Yankees be interested in the 27-year corner outfielder?

Son batted .324/.412/.476 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases this season in 476 plate appearances finishing off another strong season for the left-hander. Son has batted at least .306 or better in the past six seasons in the KBO and has a career triple slash of .330/.405/.471. Those stats sound great and so does the expected salary, somewhere around Jung-Ho Kan's four-year deal worth $11 million with a $5 million posting fee, but the part that sounds less than ideal for the Yankees is the "left-handed" part.

Barring a trade the Yankees will have an outfield of lefty Jacoby Ellsbury, lefty Brett Gardner and switch hitter, although he is much better left-handed, Carlos Beltran. The Yankees almost need a right-handed bat and a right-handed bat Son is not. That alone will likely keep him off the Yankees in 2016.

Quick Hit: Korean OF Ah-Seop Son To Be Posted

The New York Yankees could be in the market for an outfielder this offseason as Chris Young hits free agency once again but could that search take them all the way to Korea? Ah-Seop Son of the Korean Baseball Organization is expected to be posted this winter after spending parts of nine professional seasons in the KBO. Could the Yankees be interested in the 27-year corner outfielder?

Son batted .324/.412/.476 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases this season in 476 plate appearances finishing off another strong season for the left-hander. Son has batted at least .306 or better in the past six seasons in the KBO and has a career triple slash of .330/.405/.471. Those stats sound great and so does the expected salary, somewhere around Jung-Ho Kan's four-year deal worth $11 million with a $5 million posting fee, but the part that sounds less than ideal for the Yankees is the "left-handed" part.

Barring a trade the Yankees will have an outfield of lefty Jacoby Ellsbury, lefty Brett Gardner and switch hitter, although he is much better left-handed, Carlos Beltran. The Yankees almost need a right-handed bat and a right-handed bat Son is not. That alone will likely keep him off the Yankees in 2016.

Looking Back At My 2015 Rookie of the Year Predictions

Earlier in the season, like every season, I made a fool of myself making a pre-season prediction of who I thought would win the American League and National League Rookie of the Year Awards. I personally thought I had two legit predictions in the Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and the Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant but almost a full season away it looks like I may once again go 0-2. HERE is the original post, or just see below.

The Rookie of the Year award is probably far and away the hardest to predict every single season, and I show that almost every single season with the wrong predictions. A ton can happen between now and the end of the 2015 season and a lot of it comes out of nowhere. There is always the Josh Harrison that comes out of nowhere that I didn’t see coming and there is always the disappointment in Billy Hamilton that, well, disappointed me. Then there is always the rookie that gets kept down in Triple-A for too long and doesn’t have enough time to showcase enough to win the award and then there is always the guy that wins a job out of camp and shocks the baseball world for three or four months to win the award. I am going to take my best shot at these predictions but I am warning you not to go all Pete Rose and bet on the game because it is very likely I will be completely off base when we revisit this post in November.

For the American League I chose Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians almost by default. I wanted to go with Rusney Castillo of the Boston Red Sox simply because Lindor is a glove first type shortstop but the Indians lineup should be deeper than last season and much improved. Lindor, even hitting near the bottom of the order, should be able to use his speed and his legs to get him a few base hits and keep a respectable average, runs scored, stolen base and RBI count. Lindor may not run away with the award but I think at the end of the day he takes it home for Cleveland.


For the National League Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs is becoming a household name after hitting an absolute ton of home runs in the Cactus League this spring. Bryant is the obvious pick and the safe pick but I honestly don’t know enough about the various farms around the league to go against him. I almost wanted to go with his teammate Jorge Soler just because it would be bold and different but then he went and swatted eight home runs in a few weeks’ time and I knew I had to go with Bryant in 2015.

Who expected Carlos Correa to come up and dominate as quickly and as well as he did in the American League? Well obviously I didn't. I had Lindor breaking camp with the Indians and using that extra couple of months of playing time to steal the award but Cleveland had other plans starting him in Triple-A. Oh well, maybe next year (not likely).

I am going to be 100% honest here I never even heard the name Matt Duffy before the 2015 season. I don't pay that close of attention to the San Francisco Giants, or all the non-Yankees teams to be honest, but Duffy has made me change that stance a bit. Duffy is quietly having a better season, in my opinion and I'm sure I'm not the only one, than Kris Bryant, Randal Grichuk, Jung-ho Kang, Joc Pederson and Kyle Schwarber.

New Faces Hit Fantasy Baseball 2015, Should You Draft Them?

Every year in Major League Baseball there seems to be at least a couple of new faces that either defect from Cuba, get posted from Japan or come over through the posting system in Korea. The game is becoming more and more of an international game with an international feel to things and 2015 expects to be no different. With new faces like Yoan Moncada, Jung-Ho Kang and a slew of prospects making their first impressions with teams it can be confusing and scary when deciding to draft these players or not but don’t worry, I have your back.

Let’s start with Kang who came over from the Korean Baseball Organization to the Pittsburgh Pirates to be their everyday shortstop. Kang is 27 years old and coming off a 40 home run season in the Korean League, which equates closer to Triple-A in the majors than it does AAAA like Japan. Kang is in competition with Jordy Mercer for a job in Pittsburgh so he isn’t necessarily guaranteed a job and he isn’t guaranteed to even hit 20 home runs this season in the majors but he seems to be as safe a bet as any as long as defense isn’t weighed too heavily in your league.

One of those prospects I alluded to hits sort of close to home with the Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez. Vazquez is almost guaranteed to beat out Ryan Hanigan for the starting job behind the dish in Boston and will be given every opportunity to fail in Boston. With that lineup even if he hits 10 home runs and hit around .250 he may still drive in 50-60 RBI with all those runners hitting in front of him.

Another prospect close to home, my home anyway, is Jose Peraza who plays second base for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves traded away Tommy LaStella this offseason and watched Dan Uggla leave last season and without a suitable backup plan other than Alberto Callaspo on the roster Peraza may win the job outright in Spring Training. It’s doubtful as Peraza hasn’t played a single inning in Triple-A but he did combine for a .339 batting average across A Ball and Double-A in 2014 while also stealing 60 bases. Peraza is 20 years old, will be 21 in April, has an amazing glove at second base (he is a former shortstop but currently being blocked by Andrelton Simmons) and can flat out hit. He won’t hit you 30 home runs but he won’t strike out more than 100 times either and in today’s game that is a valuable attribute.

Finally we showcase a starting pitcher on the Oakland Athletics roster Kendall Graveman. Graveman was acquired in the Josh Donaldson for Brett Lawrie trade after blowing through Low-A, High A, Double-A and Triple-A all the way to the major leagues last season at age 24. Graveman is penciled in as the team’s fifth starter and has added a cutter and a power sinker to an already impressive repertoire. Maybe Billy Beane isn’t as crazy as we all think he is…..

Signing Jung-Ho Kang is a Necessity for New York

With the shortstop market drying up quicker then the rolls at your Thanksgiving party on Thursday the New York Yankees may be on the outside looking in this hot stove season. That is unless the team heeds my warnings and my suggestions and signs Jung-Ho Kang at all costs.

Let's face it the shortstop free agent market sucks this season with the best option being a guy that hit under .200 last season in Stephen Drew. Looking ahead, and granted a lot can change between now and then, the free agent market sucks next season for shortstops as well making a pillow contract or one year deal a band-aid rather than a solution to New York's problems. To compound the problem the Yankees best shortstop prospects are all in the lower levels of the farm system and, at best, two years away if not more. Signing a youthful 27 year old like Kang to a three or four year deal may be in the Yankees best interests now and for the future.

Kang is not going to bring New York a Canyon of Heroes parade, I get that, but he will play more than adequate defense and give the team a boost offensively over Drew and incumbent Brendan Ryan. The KBO, or Korean Baseball Organization, is more of a AAAA system them a major league system but the Yankees don't necessarily need Kang to slash the career .298/.382/.503 he did in Korea and the team doesn't need him to hit the 137 home runs in seven full seasons he did with the Nexen and the Woori the Yankees just need him to be a slick defender and a solid #7, #8 or #9 hitter in the lineup. Check and check.

Kang will not bring the team a World Series alone and will not solve all the Yankees problem but he will not cost as much as Hanley Ramirez did and he will not gut the farm system like Troy Tulowitzki would. Where do I sign?

Yankees, Mets Both Showing Interest in Drew

The Yankees and Mets are both showing interest in Free Agent Shortstop Stephen Drew, The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports.

Drew, 31, is coming off a rough 2014, a season in which he didn't even sign with a team until May 20. He was traded from the Red Sox to the Yankees in July, hitting .176 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI with them in 39 games.

From Sherman's piece:

"Both New York teams are looking into the shortstop market trying to improve on what they have – Wilmer Flores for the Mets and Brendan Ryan for the Yankees. Both clubs appreciate this could be a drawn-out process that perhaps does not even get resolved by the Winter Meetings next month.

And both see Drew as a guy who could linger on this market as an alternative if other avenues close."

Those other avenues likely consist of Korean stud Jung-Ho Kang and ex-Dodger Hanley Ramirez for the Yankees, both of whom are expected to ask for a lot this winter. Yankees' GM Brian Cashman recently said that he doesn't plan to pursue this offseason's top pitchers, but has yet to mention his stance on offensive players.

The Yankees are looking to fill the position left by Derek Jeter, who retired this September after two decades in their uniform.

The Pros and Cons of Korean SS Jung-Ho Kang, According to The Star Ledger

Star Ledger Yankees Writer Brendan Kuty has released his pros and cons for soon-to-be posted Korean SS Jung-Ho Kang, whom the team may pursue this offseason.

Here are the pros of the article, which can be read here:

"As far as Korean Baseball Organization shortstops go, Kang is the cream of the crop. He's got four 20-plus homer seasons and he's coming off a year in which he slammed 38 bombs, drove in 107 runs and hit .360. He's also just 27 years old. Compare that to 32-year-old Stephen Drew and 30-year-old Hanley Ramirez and you've got the longterm shortstop option you wanted to replace Derek Jeter, one who's just entering his prime."

And the cons:

"The KBO is a step down from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, which is a step down from Major League Baseball. Who's to say whether Kang's offensive numbers will hold up? Just one South Korean infielder, Hee Seop Choi, has made a respectable transition to the majors, and Choi hasn't played in the majors since 2005."

Basically, in a best-case scenario it seems Kang would be an average-to-slightly-above-average infielder for the Yankees, although after their successful international signing of Masahiro Tanaka last offseason, it wouldn't be that strange if they went ahead and inked him anyway.

You be the judge. Is Kang worth the financial risk, or should New York just stick with the aforementioned Drew?

Jung-Ho Kang Will Be Posted This Offseason

In case you haven't heard the New York Yankees will have a huge hole at the shortstop position following the 2014 season and the Derek Jeter replacement options are not encouraging. Currently on the roster the Yankees have Brendan Ryan, Stephen Drew (who will also be a free agent after the World Series), Martin Prado, and guys like Carmen Angelini in Triple-A. The free agent market doesn't look exactly encouraging either with Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and others showcasing the market. The Yankees may have to look outside the organization and outside the country for Jeter's replacement and their search may extend all the way to Korea and Jung-Ho Kang.

Kang is 27 years old and stands 6' tall and weighs in at 180 pounds. Kang plays above average defense and has the power to absolutely slug the ball at the plate. Here are Kang's Korean Baseball Organization stats:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2006	19	Hyundai	KBO	10	21	20	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	8	.150	.150	.200	.350
2007	20	Hyundai	KBO	20	15	15	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.133	.133	.133	.267
2008	21	Woori	KBO	116	408	362	36	98	18	1	8	47	3	31	65	.271	.334	.392	.726
2009	22	Woori	KBO	133	538	476	73	136	33	2	23	81	3	45	81	.286	.349	.508	.857
2010	23	Nexen	KBO	133	522	449	60	135	30	2	12	58	2	61	87	.301	.391	.457	.848
2011	24	Nexen	KBO	123	504	444	53	125	22	2	9	63	4	43	62	.282	.353	.401	.754
2012	25	Nexen	KBO	124	519	436	77	137	32	0	25	82	21	71	78	.314	.413	.560	.973
2013	26	Nexen	KBO	126	532	450	67	131	21	1	22	96	15	68	109	.291	.387	.489	.876
2014	27	Nexen	KBO	107	458	381	98	137	33	2	38	107	3	62	98	.360	.463	.756	1.219
9 Seasons				892	3517	3033	465	904	190	10	137	535	51	381	593	.298	.382	.503	.885

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

As you can see Kang has been above average in each of his last five to seven seasons, albeit in a lower class of baseball in the KBO. Kang has stayed healthy, hit for power, hit for extra base hits, takes enough walks, and has slugged the heck out of the ball for three seasons now. Kang was also in the 2013 World Baseball Classic where he hit the decisive two run home run off of Taiwan in the eight inning.

No positional player from the KBO has ever had much success in the major leagues so it would be nice if the first were with the New York Yankees because this team is definitely better with Kang in the field and at the plate.

Kang will be posted under the old Japanese rules where teams submit a silent bid and could conceivably bid against themselves. Kang is considered to be a dead fastball hitter that struggles with breaking balls which could mean trouble in the major leagues. The problem with these scouting reports are they don't translate well into the majors sometimes so it's a definite high risk type signing, a high risk the Yankees may be forced to take.

The Lack of Yankee Offense Likely To Continue In 2015

If it were not for the Boston Red Sox the New York Yankees may have the worst offense in all of the American League in 2014. Let that sink in a minute because the Yankees are playing in the same league as the Houston Astros, a struggling Tampa Bay Rays team, the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers, and your father’s Kansas City Royals. This offense has left many Yankees fans disgusted and waiting for 2015 but I am not entirely convinced that things will be much better next year than they were this year.

Looking at the Yankees roster for 2015 you pretty much have locks at first base with Mark Teixeira, catcher with Brian McCann, third base or DH with Alex Rodriguez, left field with Brett Gardner, center field with Jacoby Ellsbury, and right field with Carlos Beltran. This leaves two full time positions for the Yankees and likely for GM Brian Cashman to fill next season, the shortstop and second base positions. The Yankees may fill a bench spot or two but with the trio of catchers in Francisco Cervelli, John Ryan Murphy, and Austin Romine along with Brendan Ryan and Martin Prado there won’t be many spots left on the bench to fill either. Prado is the true wildcard in the equation as he has the ability to play multiple positions including second base, third base, and the outfield. Prado has played shortstop in the past but I am unsure if I would trust him over a 162 game grind at short, but I was wrong once so who knows. It looks likely that Prado will be the team’s second baseman and backup and insurance policy in right field for Beltran’s surgically repaired elbow. This is likely to keep a hot and potent bat in Robert Refsnyder once again stuck in Triple-A taking away an opportunity for the Yankees to upgrade the offense.

The Yankees cannot upgrade in at least seven positions next year when you will have a year older Prado, McCann, Teixeira, Ellsbury, Gardner, Beltran, and Rodriguez.  With Rodriguez specifically you have no idea what you will get from him after basically two seasons off and now two hip surgeries. If the Yankees bring Chase Headley back and place A Rod at DH full time or in a rotation that gives you another player a year older and another push in terms of production. The Yankees will be forced to upgrade big time at the shortstop position if they want any kind of upgrade offensively and the free agent market is just about as barren as the Yankees farm system at that position. The shortstop free agent class is being headlined by Hanley Ramirez, who has no business being listed as a shortstop anymore, and includes lesser names like J.J. Hardy, Stephen Drew, and Asdrubal Cabrera. Earlier in the day we mentioned the Korean project Jung-Ho Kang as possibly being the only decent alternative for the Yankees in this market to replace the retiring Jeter.

With the offense likely standing pat or decreasing in production in at least seven positions, likely eight positions, and no room for a youth movement or big time free agent acquisition the fans may be in store for yet another frustrating season and yet another missed playoffs.

Should The Yankees Pursue Korean SS Jung-Ho Kang?

In case you haven't heard the New York Yankees will have a huge hole at the shortstop position following the 2014 season and the Derek Jeter replacement options are not encouraging. Currently on the roster the Yankees have Brendan Ryan, Stephen Drew (who will also be a free agent after this season), Martin Prado, and guys like Carmen Angelini in Triple-A. The free agent market doesn't look exactly encouraging either with Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and J.J. Hardy showcasing the market. The Yankees may have to look outside the organization and outside the country for Jeter's replacement and their search may extend all the way to Korea and Jung-Ho Kang.

Kang is 27 years old and stands 6' tall and weighs in at 180 pounds. Kang plays above average defense and has the power to absolutely slug the ball at the plate. Here are Kang's Korean Baseball Organization stats:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2006	19	Hyundai	KBO	10	21	20	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	8	.150	.150	.200	.350
2007	20	Hyundai	KBO	20	15	15	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	.133	.133	.133	.267
2008	21	Woori	KBO	116	408	362	36	98	18	1	8	47	3	31	65	.271	.334	.392	.726
2009	22	Woori	KBO	133	538	476	73	136	33	2	23	81	3	45	81	.286	.349	.508	.857
2010	23	Nexen	KBO	133	522	449	60	135	30	2	12	58	2	61	87	.301	.391	.457	.848
2011	24	Nexen	KBO	123	504	444	53	125	22	2	9	63	4	43	62	.282	.353	.401	.754
2012	25	Nexen	KBO	124	519	436	77	137	32	0	25	82	21	71	78	.314	.413	.560	.973
2013	26	Nexen	KBO	126	532	450	67	131	21	1	22	96	15	68	109	.291	.387	.489	.876
2014	27	Nexen	KBO	107	458	381	98	137	33	2	38	107	3	62	98	.360	.463	.756	1.219
9 Seasons				892	3517	3033	465	904	190	10	137	535	51	381	593	.298	.382	.503	.885

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

As you can see Kang has been above average in each of his last five to seven seasons, albeit in a lower class of baseball in the KBO. Kang has stayed healthy, hit for power, hit for extra base hits, takes enough walks, and has slugged the heck out of the ball for three seasons now. Kang was also in the 2013 World Baseball Classic where he hit the decisive two run home run off of Taiwan in the eight inning.

No positional player from the KBO has ever had much success in the major leagues so it would be nice if the first were with the New York Yankees because this team is definitely better with Kang in the field and at the plate.