“Journeyman” Hyo-jun Park, 27, is invincible again .The Gwinnett Strikers, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball, announced on their website on Sunday (June 7) that shortstop Hyo-jun Park has become a free agent .Following the 2023 season, the Atlanta and Gwinnett organizations have begun organizing their rosters, releasing a total of 20 players, including Park. As a free agent, Park is now eligible to sign with any team, domestic or international. It’s up to him to decide whether he wants to stay in the U.S. and pursue his career or turn to Korea, but he can’t play in the Korean Baseball Organization right away. The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) has made it clear in the past that players who go directly to a foreign league without going through the rookie draft are not allowed to sign with a domestic team for two years after their contract with the foreign team ends .Most of the players who turned overseas, such as SSG Landers’ Ha Jae-hoon and Samsung Lions’ Jang Pil-joon, returned to Korea after spending two years under this rule .Park Hyo-joon will also have to fulfill his military service obligations. Spending two years in the military could be an option.
Another option is to try again in the United States. Park is a utility player who can play either the infield or outfield, giving him a competitive edge over other players. Born in 1996, Park is not that old. He was signed by the prestigious New York Yankees in July 2014, while he was still in his third year at Yatap High School, for a signing bonus of $1.16 million .After arriving in the United States with high expectations, Park progressed through the minor leagues from 2015 and made his long-awaited big league debut in 2021, becoming the 25th Korean major leaguer in history .He was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates via trade in July 2021 and went on to hit .195 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 45 big league games that year .Expectations were high in 2022, when he made the Opening Day roster after seven years in the MLB. However, Park was unable to overcome the competition for a starting spot on the team. After hitting just .216 with two home runs and six RBIs in 23 games that year, he was released in November. The transfer market was cold. Park was traded to the Boston Red Sox, then to Atlanta, where he was again placed on waivers and sent to the minors .Park had a chance to be a full-time minor leaguer this year, but it wasn’t to be .In 101 games this year, he hit .262 with six home runs and 42 RBIs. 온라인카지노 That’s not bad, but it’s not the kind of performance that would have caught the eye of MLB.
Insightful piece