Jung-Ho Kang appeared in court in Seoul, South Korea, early Wednesday morning as judges began hearing arguments in a trial over charges that he fled the scene of a DUI accident in December.
According to reports, Kang admitted his guilt and told the judge he "deeply regretted" his actions and would become an "exemplary player."
This is Kang's third DUI charge since 2009. That is not something to be taken lightly, and frankly, everything else should be secondary to him getting his life in order.
Once the court rules on his fate, reportedly next month, the Pirates and Major League baseball will hopefully follow through on their pledge to support him and get him whatever help he needs. All of that is extremely important for Kang's life.
From purely a baseball standpoint, however, Pirates management should be holding its breath until March 3 and beyond, because the Pirates cannot afford to lose Kang for any significant amount of time this season.
Again, baseball concerns should be secondary to a very serious matter, but let's be honest: The only reason we're discussing Kang and his legal issues is because he can hit a baseball 400 feet, and the Pirates need him to do it often this year.
That power makes Kang one of the Pirates most important hitters and probably the least replaceable regular position player. He hit 21 home runs in 103 games in 2016, and is probably the Pirates' most logical clean-up hitter.
There are some options to fill in for Kang if the start of his season is delayed, but none of them come close to bringing the Pirates what he is capable of bringing on a regular basis.
David Freese would be the obvious short-term solution, and he filled in admirably last season. But he wasn't nearly as good as his sample size of at-bats got larger, and that likely means he is better suited as a bench player at this point in his career.
Josh Harrison has played third base before, but he obviously doesn't have Kang's power. And moving him to third would mean finding a Plan B for second base, which would weaken the Pirates at two positions. The Pirates did acquire Phil Gosselin in the offseason as insurance, but he is more a utility infielder than a starter.
Kang makes this Pirates lineup a lot stronger, and without him and his ability to mash home runs, it becomes a lot less formidable for opposing pitchers.
The reports from Kang's hearing seem to indicate that prosecutors are pushing for a large fine and not jail time, but it seems perfectly reasonable to believe that a judge may have different ideas considering Kang's history.
It is also entirely possible that he walks free March 3 and arrives in Bradenton, Fla., a few days later, but at that point he would still have to worry about consequences from Major League Baseball before he is in the clear to resume his baseball career.
If Kang does miss time, it's possible that it's because of a suspension rather than jail time.
Either way, he wouldn't be in the Pirates lineup, and that is not a good thing.
