Reporter Lee Sang-cheol = A red light was on for Park Hyo-joon (27), who was aiming to re-enter the Major League (MLB) with the Atlanta Braves. He lost the opportunity to show his immediate competitiveness as he was left off the 40-man roster and even excluded from the list of invited players for spring camp.
Atlanta announced 26 invited players to participate in the 2023 season spring camp on the 2nd (Korean time), but Park Hyo-jun was not listed.
In addition to the 40 players included in the big league roster, the Major League Spring Camp invites players who have signed split contracts or minor league contracts as invited players to train and give them a chance to play in demonstration games.
It is not easy enough to pass a camel through the eye of a needle for an invited player to be included in the opening roster, but there are some successful cases. Among Korean major leaguers, Lee Dae-ho signed a split contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2016 and was named to the opening roster for his performance in demonstration games.
Joining this spring camp was important for Park Hyo-joon, who suffered twists and turns as he was designated for assignment (DFA) three times this offseason.
He came to Atlanta through the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox, but was excluded from the 40-man roster due to outfielder Ellie White, and transferred to the Gwinnett Strippers, a triple-A team under the club. As his position was significantly narrowed, it was necessary to appeal his competitiveness by holding an armed demonstration in his spring camp.
However, as he failed to seize that opportunity, the road to re-entering the major leagues became difficult. Atlanta is scheduled to play the major league opening game against the Washington Nationals on March 31st, and if this trend continues, Park Hyo-joon is expected to play a new season in the minor leagues. 먹튀검증
Park Hyo-joon debuted in the big leagues in 2021 and became the 25th Korean major leaguer, but he could not firmly establish himself. Last year, he was demoted to the minor leagues four times with Pittsburgh. He appeared in 68 major league games and recorded a batting average of 0.201, 36 hits, 5 homers, 20 RBIs, 23 runs, 2 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.291, and a slugging percentage of 0.346, which is not exceptional.
First of all, Park Hyo-jun, who will play for Triple A, seems to need to wait a long time to receive a call-up realistically.
However, it is important to leave a strong impression in the minor leagues this season because Park Hyo-jun may also have an opportunity if a variable occurs, such as a competitor in the same position getting injured. Park Hyo-joon played 89 games in Triple-A last year and had a batting average of 0.225, 71 hits, 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, 48 runs, 14 stolen bases, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.686.