Kang Jung-ho garners the season’s 27th walk

Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the U.S. Major League Baseball had no hit from three times at bat at a game against Miami, which took place at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida on Monday, and saw his batting average edge down to 0.288. However, he garnered two walks and has thus posted 27th walk of this season. He has 79 strikeouts.

The ratio of walks to strikeouts for Kang, who had 79 strikeouts from 395 times at bat, amounts to 1 to 2.93. It means that while trying to garner a walk, he had 2.93 strikeouts. It is higher than Choo Shin-soo at the Texas Rangers. Choo, who has played 472 times at bat, ranks 22nd overall in both walks and strikeouts in the Major League. Choo has had 51 walks and 116 strikeouts, which translate into a ratio of 1 to 2.27. Choo is a unique style batter. He has had many walks by displaying his strong capacity to select pitches, but has also incurred many strikeouts by showing loopholes in contact. In 2003, when he became a free agent and joined Cincinnati after the end of the season, he posted 112 walks and 133 strikeouts, a phenomenal record.

It is natural that a batter is considered a good hitter when he has many walks and few strikeouts. Strikeout count tends to be higher to sluggers who compete in a homer derby. Kang has fewer walks compared with the number of his homers, and tends to have relatively more walks. He is still spending a period for adapting himself to the Major League.

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