Minnesota Twins Expect ByungHo Park to Remain With the Organization Next Season
By now, it's safe to say that ByungHo Park's major league career hasn't exactly turned out the way he had hoped.
A lot was expected from the Korean slugger when he signed a four-year, $12-million deal to join the Minnesota Twins before the 2016 season. After all, Park was a two-time most valuable player in the KBO League in South Korea and many thought his numbers would translate to the majors.
Unfortunately, it took a while for him to adapt to the style of play in Major League Baseball (MLB) and it didn't take long for the Twins to demote him to the minors. After batting just 0.191 in 62 games, the team sent him down to their Class AAA International League affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, and he been playing there ever since. It was a disappointing setback for the designated hitter and he has yet to receive a callback to the majors.
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Many have speculated that Park will just head back to South Korea after the season and give up his dreams to play in the majors, but the Twins are confident that he's staying. In fact, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey has recently revealed that Park is planning to stay in Minnesota this offseason to work on his game.
"As I understand it, he is going to work out stateside for the offseason. He'll be here for the entirety of the offseason," Falvey said, via the Pioneer Press.
"He's a guy who's obviously had a lot of success (in the KBO). He's had some ups and downs now in his career over here. I think he knows that. I view it similarly. He needs to focus and grow in different spaces and control what he can control, which is play and be the best he can be," he added.
Park still has two years and $6.5 million left on his contract with the Twins.
