Quick Facts
Biography
Kang Min-Ho (Hangul: 강민호, Hanja: 姜珉鎬) (born August 18, 1985 in Jeju City, Jeju-do, South Korea) is a catcher who plays for the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization. He contracted with Giants as a Free Agent player for 7.5 billion ₩ (6.8 million $) on 13 November 2013.
Amateur career
Kang attended Pocheol Technical High School in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. In 2003, he was selected for the South Korea national junior team and competed in the 5th Asian Junior Baseball Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand. As a starting catcher, Kang helped South Korea win their second Championship title.
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 |  Thailand | Asian Junior Baseball Championship |  |
Professional career
After graduation from high school, Kang made his pro debut in 2004, drafted by the Lotte Giants in the 2nd round (3rd pick, 17th overall) of the 2004 KBO draft.
In the 2006 KBO season, he became a starting catcher, appearing in all 126 regular season games. Kang was the youngest starting catcher to play all regular season games in the KBO history.
Kang offensively broke out in the 2008 season. He finished 19th in batting average (.292), 5th in home runs (19) and 6th in RBI (82), and led the Giants to their first post-season appearance since 2000. He won his first Golden Glove Award. Kang was the first catcher of all time to win a Golden Glove Award as a Giants catcher.
Kang participated in the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing, China, selected for the South Korea national baseball team, where he served as backup to Jin Kab-Yong. However, Jin was injured during a game against the Netherlands, and Kang took over as the starting catcher at the next game. He did a successful job for replacing an injured Jin Kab-Yong during the rest of the competition and eventually leading South Korea to the gold medal.
Awards and honors
- 2008 Golden Glove Award (Catcher)
- 2011 Golden Glove Award (Catcher)
- 2012 Golden Glove Award (Catcher)
Notable international careers
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Qatar | Asian Games |  | .167 BA (2-for-12) |
| 2008 |  China | Olympic Games | | .273 BA (6-for-22) |
| 2009 |  United States | World Baseball Classic |  | .000 BA (0-for-4) |
| 2010 | China | Guangzhou Asian Games | | |
| 2014 |  South Korea | Incheon Asian Games | |