| Kang Baek-ho | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Baek-ho in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| KT Wiz – No. 50 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| First baseman / Outfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: July 29, 1999 Incheon, South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||||||||
| KBO debut | |||||||||||||||||||||
| March 24, 2018, for the KT Wiz | |||||||||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics (through June 1, 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .312 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 111 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 460 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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| Kang Baek-ho | |
| Hangul | 강백호 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gang Baek-ho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kang Paek-ho |
Kang Baek-ho (Korean: 강백호; born July 29, 1999) is a South Korean professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the KT Wiz of the KBO League.
Amateur career
[edit]Kang began playing baseball in elementary school but had to move between schools several times as a youth due to "a family issue" which he told Ilgan Sports was "hard to talk about."[1]
Kang played high school baseball as a pitcher, catcher and designated hitter at Seoul High School where, as a freshman, he was the first player to hit a home run at Gocheok Sky Dome. In 2017, he led Seoul to a high school baseball championship and was named the most valuable player of the tournament.[2] Kang's accomplishments as a high schooler brought him significant media attention.[1][2][3] After high school, Kang decided to enter the KBO against the wishes of his father who wanted him to try for "a bigger stage."[1]
Professional career
[edit]Kang was selected with the first overall pick in the 2017 KBO draft by the KT Wiz. He made his KBO debut at 18 years old and hit a home run against Héctor Noesí in the first plate appearance of his career.[4] As a professional, he stopped pitching and catching and transitioned to the field.[2] Kang set the rookie record with 29 home runs en route to winning the KBO League Rookie of the Year Award.[5] He pitched in the 2018 KBO All-Star Game and reached speeds of 150 kilometres per hour (93.2 mph). Following the season, his salary was more than tripled to ₩120 million (equivalent to $102,973 in 2019), setting a record for a sophomore player.[2]
In June 2019, Kang underwent surgery on his hand after cutting it on a piece of metal while making a catch in foul territory at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium.[6] He sat out for the entire month of July due to the injury but was voted a starter on the all-star team nonetheless.[1][7]
Kang missed three weeks of the 2020 season after hurting his wrist while sliding on defense.[3] Fans voted Kang to the all-star team again in 2020 although the game did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
At the halfway point of the 2021 season, Kang had a batting average of .395 which led the league by 47 points.[9] He reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances in Games 1 and 2 of the 2021 Korean Series, tying a Korean Series record.[10]
International career
[edit]Kang represented South Korea at the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup where he pitched and played the field. He won a silver medal and was named to the All-World Team.[11]
In 2019, he represented South Korea in the Premier12 and played well.[12]
He was named to the South Korean roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[13]
Kim won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games for South Korea, appearing in six baseball contests, and batting .273/.409/.333 in 22 at-bats.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hee-Soo, An (September 20, 2019). "Kang Baek-ho reflects on his sophomore season". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d Kim, Hyo-Kyung (January 14, 2019). "Kang Baek-ho becomes best-paid sophomore". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ a b Hee-Soo, Ahn; Ji-Eun, Seo (March 3, 2021). "KT Wiz slugger Kang Baek-ho has been hitting the weights". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "1st overall draft pick hits 1st home run of 2018 KBO season". The Korea Herald. Yonhap News Agency. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Former two-way baseball player abandons pitching dreams after one bullpen session". 8 February 2019.
- ^ "(2nd LD) All-Star outfielder has surgery on right hand after incident at road stadium". Yonhap News Agency. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Romak tops KBO All-Star vote". Korea JoongAng Daily. Yonhap News Agency. July 8, 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ Jee-ho, Yoo (7 September 2020). "Lotte Giants' shortstop Machado tops KBO All-Star fan voting". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Youngest franchise on top as 1st half of KBO season comes to abrupt halt". The Korea Herald. Yonhap News Agency. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "With hot bats, airtight defense, Wiz take 2-0 Korean Series lead over Bears | Yonhap News Agency". Yonhap News Agency. 15 November 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 standout Baek-ho Kang wins 2018 KBO Rookie of the Year". wbsc.org. World Baseball Softball Confederation. November 19, 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ News), 경기일보(Kyeonggi Daily (2019-10-02). "김광현·강백호, 프리미어12 '김경문호' 승선…드림팀 출범". 경기일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "Defending Olympic baseball champ Korea announces Tokyo 2020 roster, includes eight rookies". wbsc.org. World Baseball Softball Confederation. June 16, 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "KANG Baekho". World Baseball Softball Confederation Asia. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)