SEOUL– Since signing with the New York Yankees out of a Korean high school in 2014, infield prospect Park Hoy-jun has been climbing up the organization ladder, slowly but surely.
Finally in Triple-A in his sixth minor league season, with the 2020 season wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic, Park appears on the precipice of a major league debut with the Bronx Bombers at age 25.
Park is tearing up Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .357/.496/.633 line with six home runs, 21 RBIs and seven doubles in 27 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In the Triple-A East, Park leads all players with a 1.097 on-base plus slugging percentage.
It’s a surprising power surge for the middle infielder whose main calling card has been the glove. He mostly played shortstop and second base in lower minor leagues and has been getting reps at third base and center field with the RailRiders this year.
If — or when — Park gets the call-up from the Yankees, he will become the first South Korean to reach the bigs via minor leagues since Choi Ji-man, a one-time RailRider himself, did so with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016.
Park was a sought-after prospect playing at Yatap High School in Seongnam, just south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. He was teammates with the current San Diego Padres infielder Kim Ha-seong. Park, one year younger than Kim, was considered a better amateur then, and would have been selected in the first round of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) draft had he stayed put.
Kim, a third-round pick in 2013, spent seven years with the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO before signing with the Padres last December following a posting process. Kim is one of a growing number of South Korean stars who play pro ball in their native country first before making the jump to the majors in their mid- to late-20s — either through posting or free agency.
Park, on the other hand, has taken a more challenging path that’s increasingly becoming less traveled.
Between 2006 and 2009, 21 South Korean high school players signed with major league clubs, including a record eight in 2009 alone. Of that group, only Choi reached the majors.
Then from 2010 to so far in 2021, only 10 high school seniors from South Korea have inked deals with big league clubs. In that same span, the likes of Toronto Blue Jays’ starter Ryu Hyun-jin and the Padres’ Kim have made it to the majors after spending time in the KBO.
There’s no perfect way to get to the majors, but doing what Park has been doing — arriving in the minor leagues as an 18-year-old international free agent, facing a steep learning curve and being asked to play multiple positions — is not for everyone.
That versatility may ultimately come in handy for Park, with the Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone giving him an endorsement earlier this week.
“That’s been in his toolbox for the last couple years. He has worked a little bit out there. So that’s part of his skill set,” Boone told reporters Wednesday in a Zoom call. “Obviously, he’s doing very well down there (in Triple-A).”
That the Yankees haven’t been getting much offense from their middle infielders seems to be paving the way for Park. Rougned Odor, who had three 30-homer seasons for the Texas Rangers, hasn’t been able to duplicate his power production after joining the Yankees in an April trade. The veteran second baseman is hitting .211/.284/.422 with eight homers and 18 RBIs in 45 games.
Shortstop Gleyber Torres, two years removed from a 38-homer campaign, is stuck at three homers through 64 games and is 1-for-22 in his past seven.
Utility player Tyler Wade has played at every position this season except first base and catcher, but his .217/.280/.261 line in 49 games leaves much to be desired.
The Yankees are 40-34 through Thursday, four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East division lead.
Getting his first shot at the majors would make up for Park’s disappointment over getting snubbed by the South Korean Olympic team. Despite his excellent minor league numbers, Park was left off in favor of KBO veterans such as Oh Ji-hwan and Kim Hye-seong at shortstop, and Park Min-woo and Choi Joo-hwan at second base.
Source: Yonhap News Agency