Former twin Byung Ho Park announced his retirement after twenty seasons of professional baseball
Former Twins running back Korean first baseman/designated hitter Byung Ho Park announced his retirement from professional baseball on Sunday, according to Yonhap News Agency Yoo Jee-Ho.
“I have been blessed with so much love from fans throughout my 20 years in professional baseball,” Park said. via Yoo. “I would like to thank all the managers and coaches I have had, and I was very happy to play with all my teammates. I have been around different teams and I will never forget all the love and support from my fans.”
In the 2015-2016 MLB offseason the Minnesota Twins signed Park to a four-year contract worth $12 million after winning the exclusive negotiating rights to Park with a bid of $12.85 million during the booking process. The Twins planned to use Park primarily as a designated hitter who could occasionally rest Joe Mauer at first base.
Unfortunately, the Twins’ decision to sign Park ultimately proved to be a complete disaster for all parties involved, as the Korean slugger was demoted to Triple-A during his first season with the Twins and battled numerous injuries before deciding to return to Korea following the 2017 season. Park played in just 61 games for the Twins in 2016, slashing .191/.275/.409 (82 OPS+) with 12 home runs and 24 RBIs in 244 at-bats. For Triple-A Rochester in 2016 and 2017, Park hit .247/.305/.439 with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs across 583 plate appearances.
Park had already established himself as one of the Korean Baseball Organization’s top players before joining the Twins, having posted an OPS for three straight seasons (2013-15), earning him the MVP Award in 2012 and 2013. Upon his return to the KBO in 2018, Park returned to MVP form, posting an excellent 1.174 OPS in his first season back in his home country. Park continued to find success in Korea, finishing his career ranked fourth all-time in home runs in the KBO with 418 and 10th all-time in RBIs with 1,244. Park will most likely be part of the Korean Baseball Hall of Fame.
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