Despite struggling through one of the worst seasons of his career, Lotte Giants’ catcher Kang Min-ho was selected on Wednesday as an All-Star reserve in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Kang was among 24 managerial picks for the midsummer affair in the top South Korean baseball league.

Players from his Giants will be joined by those from the Samsung Lions, the Doosan Bears and the SK Wyverns in the Eastern League.

Representatives of the LG Twins, the Nexen Heroes, the NC Dinos, the Kia Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles will make up the Western League.

The All-Star Game will be played on July 18 in Gwangju, home of the Tigers, located about 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

Last winter, Kang signed a record free-agent contract, worth 7.5 billion won ($7.41 million) over four years. The Giants decided to retain him on such a lucrative contract even though Kang batted a career-low .235 in 2013 and hit just 11 homers, his lowest total in four years.

Kang has done little to justify his deal this year, batting only .214 with 10 homers and 26 RBI in 70 games.

Still, Lions’ manager Ryu Joong-il, who will manage the Eastern League, made Kang an All-Star for the eighth-consecutive season.

In the Western League, left-hander Andy Van Hekken of the Heroes and right-hander Jairo Ascencio of the Tigers were among the reserves. They were the only two foreign players among the 24 managerial selections. (Yonhap)