Twins: Is Byung Ho Park Worth Another Fantasy Look in 2017?
By Brad Kelly
Byung Ho Park did not have the debut season that the Twins nor fantasy owners had hoped for in 2016? But, after a hot spring training, could he worth another fantasy look this season?
There is always a level of intrigue and question whenever an international player comes stateside to MLB. When the Twins signed Byung Ho Park he was coming off back to back 50+ HR seasons in the KBO. It was his fourth straight season of 30+ HR in Korea, which garnered fantasy interest. Unfortunately, Park’s debut did not go to plan and fantasy owners were not thrilled with the performance.
The adjustment to MLB is usually a steep learning curve, and for international players, adjusting to MLB pitching is the deciding factor. Owners were not expecting much in terms of AVG from Park, his swing was a little too long and the velocity uptick in the majors would serve as a tough test. But, the power seemed to transcend leagues and he came out of the gates looking the part, notching 6 HR in April.
But, things would go south in starting in May. He notched 3 HR/10 RBI in the month, yet the AVG dipped to .205 clip and his K rate climbed. Fantasy owners may have thought this was just a bump in the road, but he really bottomed out in June posting a .136 AVG and only six RBI. The Twins would then demote him entering July and fantasy owners would not see him again.
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He finished the year with a .191/12 HR/24 RBI/.684 OPS line over 244 at bats. Park would go underneath the +*-knife at the end of August to repair a tendon in his wrist, ending his season in August. For any hitter wrist issues, especially those that seem to be nagging like tendinitis, will sap a hitter’s power and alter their entire game.
Besides his ugly stat line, his 33% K rate is the most discouraging part of his game. He struggled against velocity and would have to think that the wrist issues only made him cheat more to no avail. He saw fastballs 55% of the time last season and that will continue to be the approach against him.
His 43% FB rate was a healthy clip, but the 41% GB rate will have to be improved to his power and line drive rates. All these stats seem to point to why the Twins released Park this offseason, just so he would wind up clearing waiver and come right back.
So what should fantasy owners even give him a second look?
For one, his rookie season and acclamation is out of the way. No one likes to use it for a reasoning, but the culture switch and way of life definitely takes time getting used to. Even though Park tried to downplay it, he did state that the wrist issues would pop up periodically before he had enough and had surgery.
There is also the plus that Park’s power is still legit. Over his 12 homers, he averaged 417 ft. per and currently holds the record the longest bomb hit at Target Field. He was in the top-ten of all MLB hitters in terms of Exit Velocity on fly balls and line drives and nearly led the league with a 19% barrel rate.
Chasing spring stats is a futile practice, but owners have to be intrigued by the damage he has done in spring as well. He currently has a .357/4 HR/9 RBI/1.107 OPS line over 39 at bats. It is a small size, bit it is nice to see some success.
Park’s performance looks to have earned him DH duties again heading into 2017. Joe Mauer will man first and there is also the presence of Kennys Vargas on the roster, but Park is leading the competition.
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Byung Ho Park does not need to be drafted, but owners should have an open mind in terms of watching him on the waiver wire. If he gets off to another hot start this April, owners should be willing to add him. He will have a solid spot in the order in an underrated Twins’ lineup and the power is not going anywhere. Park is worth another look.