By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
There was a time, albeit short-lived, when Park Chan-ho was hailed as Korea's greatest export since cheap cars and kimchi. However, after a largely disappointing 13-year career that defies a promising start, the country's first Major League Baseball (MLB) player is now left wondering whether his latest setback will put him down for good.
The New York Mets had Park designated for assignment last week, just days after he was hit hard in his season debut against the Florida Marlins. The 33-year-old pitcher, who had to choose whether to return to the roster of the Met's Triple-A New Orleans affiliate or declare himself a free agent, was lifted off waivers after accepting his minor league assignment.
Park appears to hope for another big league call-up from the Mets, despite the fact that he would have collected $600,000 he's owed from the team even as a free agent, which reflects his descent into desperation as he tries to avoid another mishap in his career.
Adding insult to injury, the pitcher replacing Park in the Mets' roster is Lino Urdaneta, who got an infinite ERA after his one major league appearance in 2004, facing six batters and giving up six runs without recording a single out.
Mets manager Willie Randolph, who cut Park from the team's opening day roster after criticizing him for disappearing in times of pressure, isn't exactly the former all-star pitcher's biggest supporter.
``When you look at it, (Jorge) Sosa probably deserved to be the guy to get the shot at the time. We didn't bring (Park) up feeling like he was the necessarily guy. It was convenient for us at the time,'' Randolph was quoted in an interview with News Day. Park was called up from Triple-A as an injury replacement for Orlando Hernandez but was roughed up in his start against the Marlins last week, charged with seven runs in four innings.
Park, who debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994, has 113 wins and 88 losses on an ERA of 4.40 throughout his career. His peak came in 2000 when he won 18 games with a 3.27 ERA and finished second in the National League with 217 strikeouts.
Park went 15-10 in 2001 the following season, which earned him a five-year, $65 million contract from the Texas Rangers, making him one of the highest paid pitchers in the majors.
However, hampered by injuries and the hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Park never lived up to expectations in Texas. Park's ERA since signing the five-year contract went 5.75, 7.58, 5.46, 5.74, and 4.81, the last coming with the San Diego Padres, making him a historic free agent bust and arguably the worst starting pitcher in the big leagues.
It remains to be seen whether Park, who signed a one-year contract for this season, will get another chance with the Mets, although the team has yet to find an answer for their bottom of the rotation.
The team's best pitcher this season has been 25-year-old John Maine, a second-year starter who is currently 5-0 with a 1.37 ERA. The team's 41-year-old ace Tom Glavine is 3-1 and the notoriously erratic Oliver Perez is also pitching well at 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA, but the rest of the rotation hardly inspires confidence.
Former Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez has yet to return from injury and the team's 23-year-old prospect Mike Pelfrey has not been pitching well this season.
However, it seems that the team would rather go for 36-year-old Aron Sele or prospect Jorge Sosa, who won his first start of the season after being recalled from Tripe-A Saturday, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings, than to give Park another chance.
For a former flamethrower who now struggles to touch 90 on the radar gun and never really developed a habit of throwing strikes, the window of opportunity is closing quickly.