Korean minor league ballplayer Park Hoy-jun becomes free agent
Then Pittsburgh Pirates' Park Hoy-jun hits a pitch off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ for a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, in this Aug. 10, 2021 file photo. AP-Yonhap
Korean minor league baseball player Park Hoy-jun has become a free agent, reaching a crossroads in a career that has included only a cup of coffee in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, announced on their website Wednesday that Park has elected free agency.
The 27-year-old was among 20 players to take that step this week from the Stripers. He can either choose to stay put in the United States for another shot at MLB or come home to play in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
To sign with a team in the top Korean league, however, Park must wait two years. Under rules designed to discourage an exodus of young talent, the KBO requires players who've signed their first professional contract overseas to sit out for 24 months before inking a deal with a KBO club.
Then Pittsburgh Pirates' Park Hoy-jun hits a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox during the bottom of the second inning of a Major League Baseball spring training game at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, in this March 29, 2022 file photo. AP-Yonhap
Several others who spent time overseas, including current SSG Landers outfielder and one-time Chicago Cubs prospect Ha Jae-hoon, had to wait two years before finding their landing spot in the KBO.
Park signed with the New York Yankees out of high school in 2014 and made his big league debut with the team in July 2021.
He was dealt to the Pirates later that same month. In 2022, he appeared in 23 big league games across four stints with the Pirates, while spending the rest of the time in the minors.
Park had a .216/.276/.373 line with two home runs and six RBIs in those 23 games last year. The versatile player appeared at second base, third base, shortstop and right field in 2022.
The Pirates traded Park to the Boston Red Sox in November 2022, and the Red Sox shipped him to the Braves in December. Park spent the entire 2023 season in Triple-A and batted .262/.385/.379 with six home runs, 42 RBIs and 16 steals in 101 games. (Yonhap)