The next prospect that we will be taking a look at came to the New York Yankees from South Korea back in 2014. That prospect would be the dynamic infielder, Hoy Jun Park. When you think of international free agents, most folks would jump towards Latin American countries. However, Park garnered a lot of attention for his overall skillset and the Yankees scooped him up. Since joining the Yankees full time back in 2015, Park has been on a fast tracked development plan. He spent 2019 with AA and the Yankees had plans to start him at AAA during the 2020 season. Park has many tools that scouts love, but he has struggled at times as he continues to jump levels. That being said, 2019 was a really good showing for the infielder from Seoul.
Solid 2019 Campaign
Hoy Jun Park impressed a lot of scouts last year with a pretty complete season. In 113 games with Trenton, Park hit .272 and had an OBP of .363. Park is really good at working the count and that is one of the things that really stood out to me when I was watching film. If you could grade the batters eye, I would say it’s above average. A lot of the strikeouts Park will have is by watching close pitches which are actually outside the zone, but are called strikes by umpires. Park has above average speed and that showed last year where he swiped 20 bags. He’s got a really good feel on the bases and his timing is very good. I think those stolen bases numbers have even more room to grow. Park hits from the left side and does show some power potential. His swing looks like it could be tailored for double digit home runs, but Park lacks the strength right now. Park impressed in the field last year with good reflexes and a very solid arm. One thing about Park is he doesn’t always put the same effort on his throws which causes him to be a tad inconsistent. I like him as a shortstop moving forward if he can continue to fine tune some of his fielding areas.
Adding Strength
When minor league baseball resumes, you will likely see Hoy Jun Park at the highest level in AAA Scranton. Park is a guy that you look at as someone who will definitely crack an MLB roster one day. I think he’s been pushed a little too quickly through the system which is why you’ve seen him be inconsistent at times. Despite him getting closer to the MLB level, I think he still needs at least another year or two in the minors before he’s ready. He’s got a great feel with the bat in his hand, but he needs to continue to work on getting stronger. He barrels up a lot of pitches, but I’ve seen many die before the wall due to the lack of pure strength. I would also like to see him mature a little in the field. Consistency in the field and adding strengths are really the only two big areas for improvement. Overall, Park is a very good prospect in the Yankees system. He’s dropped a little in rankings over the last year, but I still believe he’s a guy who can make an impact at the highest level one day.