Engaging Other Cultures Through Baseball

When James Kang ’10 finished his career as a professional baseball player, he had one question on his mind. How could he continue his lifelong love for baseball while satisfying his taste for globetrotting adventure? The answer turned out to be scouting.  

As a scout for the Cleveland Guardians, Kang looks for the next generation of all-star baseball players in Latin America and all over the United States. Kang, who majored in economics at Pitzer College, enjoys the dual aspects of scouting.

“We’re taking an element of uncertainty, the human element of baseball, and trying to figure out how a person’s makeup, motivation, and character impact how they play,” said Kang. “On the flip side, we have the data: these are the numbers that tell us how they performed. Scouting is interesting because you get to marry the two.”

Around the world in nine innings

Kang spends almost half his time traveling, and he most often visits the Dominican Republic.

“It’s a teeny island, and they have more Major League baseball players than almost anywhere else,” said Kang. “Every kid that is born in the Dominican Republic essentially plays baseball from the time they’re young. It’s their national sport.”

Although Kang looks for the same core skills, he has found wide-ranging traits in players in different countries.

“Socioeconomically, most of the players in the United States have a consistent background,” said Kang. “Whereas in Latin America, a lot of the kids I meet don’t eat meals consistently, and they don’t have as much of a support structure.”

Kang also noted that players in the U.S. tend to have more access to high-end training facilities, technology, diet, and training regimens. On the international side, he finds varying kinds of players from country to country.  

“There are different body types, different personalities, and different cultural norms that impact how the players are,” said Kang. “Having a good understanding of where these kids come from culturally helps put in context the players that we’re scouting.”

In some ways, transcending borders is in Kang’s heritage. His parents immigrated from Korea to the United States before he was born. They were unfamiliar with careers in baseball aside from being a player, but their unconditional support allowed Kang to try new things without fear.

Hitting home runs in Claremont

Kang approaches scouting with empathy and a healthy appreciation for different understandings of baseball and life. That appreciation started when he played for the Pomona-Pitzer baseball team as an undergraduate.  

“I saw people of such vastly different backgrounds on the team, but we all had passion for baseball,” said Kang.

Some of Kang’s teammates aspired to play professionally, while others only wanted to play during college. Regardless of their differences, the team achieved one of the most successful stretches in Pomona-Pitzer baseball history—winning three SCIAC Championships during Kang’s time as a Sagehen.

Kang was a major contributor to this success. He was named SCIAC Player of the Year, First Team All-SCIAC, and Pomona-Pitzer’s Most Outstanding Athlete. His achievements earned him an induction to the Pomona-Pitzer Hall of Fame last spring.

“It’s not something I aspired to, but I just dedicated myself and put in as much work as I could to get the best out of myself and my teammates,” said Kang. “I was fortunate to play with exceptionally talented baseball players. Coach Frank Pericolosi has also always been ultra supportive of us.”

Kang’s coach and teammates were not his only influence at Pitzer. He was intrigued by his classmates’ myriad experiences in Pitzer’s study abroad programs. Although his involvement in baseball made it too challenging for Kang to study abroad, he knew he wanted to immerse himself in other cultures.

After he graduated, Kang played for the Heidenheim Heideköpfe, a first-division team in Germany’s elite Baseball-Bundesliga. Then he discovered his career in scouting, through which he combines his interests in baseball, travel, and intercultural experiences.

“Pitzer opened me up to that possibility,” said Kang. “It allowed me to be all in on packing a bag, going to another country not knowing anybody, and being okay that I would figure it out. My undergrad experience led me to that: meeting people from all kinds of cultures, passions, and walks of life.”