Photo Credit: Sung Min Kim
Jae-Gyn Hwang
Position: Third Base
Bats: Right – Throws: Right
Born: July 28, 1987 (Age 29)
The last two offseasons saw the signings of three very talented players out of South Korea: Jung Ho Kang (Pirates), Hyun Soo Kim (Orioles) and Byung Ho Park (Twins). This year, another talented KBO slugger will become an unrestricted free agent, and that is 6-time All Star third baseman Jae-Gyn Hwang.
Hwang played for the Lotte Giants since 2010, when he was traded from the Nexen Heroes. This season he became only the second Giant to have a 20-20 season, accomplishing the feat in only 118 games. In those games, he slashed an impressive .330/.391/.558 (.949 OPS) with 26 home runs, 104 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. He missed the first part of the year with a minor toe injury, accounting for his shortened season. Before missing those games, though, he had a running streak of 618 games played, which was good for third all-time in the KBO.
The Giants posted him in the 2015 offseason, however he didn’t receive any bids for his services. Before he hit 26 home runs in 2015, he was not a power hitter by any means. He hit 18 home runs in 2009, but he didn’t hit more than 12 in a season between 2010 and 2014, slugging at just a .401 clip during that span. However, knowing he needed to have some power to be an impactful corner infielder, he hired a personal trainer in the 2014 offseason to increase said power.
The work paid off as he hit 26 home runs, a career high, increasing his SLG% to .521. He did, however, strike out a career high 122 times in 534 at bats. During that 2015 season, MLB scouts described his swing as “long” and “sweeping.” Critical scouts, as well as not receiving any bids when posted in the 2015 offseason, drove him to improve even more; and improve he did.
In 118 games in 2016, he posted career highs in batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.391), slugging percentage (.558), OPS (.949), and RBIs (104), while tying his career high in home runs (26) which he had set in 2015. However, most importantly, he struck out only 64 times, around half his total from the previous season. He certainly shortened his swing from the season before, while maintaining his home run power. A shorter swing is especially important because pitchers in the Major Leagues throw vastly harder than those in the KBO.
Scouts told Knuckleball‘s Sung Min Kim they believe Hwang has more raw power than the Pirates’ Jung Ho Kang, who has 36 home runs and a .483 SLG% in 229 games since he joined the MLB in 2015. Below is a gif of Hwang crushing a 96-mph fastball 476 ft to center field over the 122m (400 ft) sign, the longest home run ever hit at Eagles Park. It’s hard to see, but the ball hits high off the scoreboard:
Hwang has average speed, but is a very aggressive baserunner. He has stolen as many as 30 bases in a season, and has stolen 172 bases in 258 tries (.667%) in his career. It’s logical to assume his stealing numbers would decrease because of higher pitching velocities and quicker catchers, but expecting 15 stolen bases shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
At third base, Hwang has been described as an average defender who needs work on his footwork. By the same token, a scout told Kim, “He probably has the strongest arm out of any infielder coming out of Korea.” As for his footwork, in the United States, fielders are taught to come in on ground balls, while in Asia, they are generally taught to sit back on them. It is possible that this different philosophy would be beneficial to his development.
A source close to Hwang told Kim that “His work ethic is second to none, he has the drive and discipline, but more importantly the desire. He wants to get better. He even hired a private English tutor and takes lessons once a week, because he knows he will have to make an adjustment once he gets to the States.”
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network on Twitter, Hwang will be holding a showcase in Florida on November 21st. It is still unclear which teams will be attending the showcase, but there should prove to be very few teams not in attendance.
On all accounts, Jae-gyun Hwang seems like a good guy who has worked very hard to get to where he is now. He is becoming a free agent at a good time, too. Other than Justin Turner, there are very few appetizing free agent third basemen this offseason. The other notables are Casey McGehee, Yunel Escobar, and Luis Valbuena. His newfound power, shortened swing, stealing ability, and vastly lowered strikeout rate should help him succeed at the Major League level.
Contract:
His contract should prove similar to that of recent KBO free agent signing Jung Ho Kang (4 years, $11 million). However, once Justin Turner is off the market, Hwang will remain as the best free agent third baseman. At 29 years old, I see him fetching a 4 year deal with an annual salary of around $3-6 million.
Recommendation:
At the very least, the Mets should send a scout to his showcase on the 21st. It’ll cost them only hotel and airfare, and if they like what they see, they could lock up a solid right handed bat for a cheap price. He could play third base if David Wright’s injuries force him to miss extended time again. The Mets could also see about teaching him how to play first base, or possibly right field where his decent speed and plus plus arm would play well.
