Article: Park Factor: Did Twins Hit Home Run With Byung Ho?

[Nick Nelson]

Byung Ho Park has only played seven games at Target Field, his new home stadium. In that short time, he's made quite a mark.In just his last four games, Park has launched mammoth home runs to all fields. His epic blast to center off Joe Smith on Saturday was pegged by Home Run Tracker as the longest in the stadium's history. Two days later he became one of the few right-handed batters to ever clear the heightened right field fence with an oppo shot when he took Chase Anderson deep. And on Tuesday, Park got hold of a hanger and deposited it in the second deck in left.

 

He leads the Twins with four home runs and not a single one of them has been remotely cheap. The South Korean import has jaw-dropping power. But of course, that was never really in question. The uncertainty with the 29-year-old always surrounded his ability to make enough contact to be a quality offensive player overall, rather than an out machine who occasionally gets a hold of one.

 

On that matter, the jury was out after a spring training in which Park struck out 17 times with only one walk in 61 plate appearances. Concern grew during Minnesota's season-opening homestand, in which he struck out 11 times in 21 plate appearances. When the rookie put up a golden sombrero in the final game at Kansas City, it became reasonable to wonder if some time in the minors might be appropriate.

 

Those contact issues subsided in a big way during the Twins' just-completed homestand. He hasn't had a game with multiple strikeouts since leaving KC. At Target Field he fanned only five times total in 27 trips.

 

Sure, the team has been facing lighter opposition than in those first two series. But these are big-league pitchers and Park has had the look of a big-league hitter while standing in against them, which was not really the case in Week One.

 

It appears that he's making some adjustments or at least getting more comfortable – an aspect of his game that initially drew the Twins to him. At the time of the signing, front office officials expressed confidence in Park's adaptability. This is a guy, after all, who improved in each of his five seasons with Nexen in the Korean Baseball Organization, going from solid slugger to MVP superstar.

 

When asked about his impressions of the new acquisition in spring training, assistant general manager Rob Antony remarked that he was struck by Park's patience.

 

"You see the strikeouts," Antony said, "so you think, OK, he takes a huge hack, or he chases a lot of bad pitches. I think he's been fairly disciplined."

 

While his 16-to-4 K/BB ratio doesn't exactly illustrate it, Park has been better than expected in that area. He has swung at 26.8 percent of pitches outside the strike zone, placing him in the middle of the pack among Twins hitters and actually a tad below the major-league average.

 

Inexperience has shone through for several pressing hitters in the lineup but the 29-year-old was unfazed by his challenging initial exposure to the majors. His aptitude for the game has been on display all over – solid defense at first, heads-up base running, even his celebratory handshakes are on point – and that it's all come to him so quickly is awfully impressive.

 

Park has raw power that stands out even on a roster with Miguel Sano and Oswaldo Arcia, and he's demonstrated it, but we've also seen him slash a single between first and second to beat the shift, deliver in several clutch spots, and consistently work deep counts (he leads the team in pitches per plate appearance). The Twins might have found themselves a truly special player here.

 

At the very least, Park appears to be pretty damn comfortable hitting at Target Field, which would seem to bode well for the next four years.

 

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[tobi0040]

He is slugging .487. His ISO is 9th in MLB.

[MileHighTwinsFan]

Park's addition, along with Sano, Arcia, Plouffe's and Dozier, means that a relief pitcher guarding a small lead late in the game will need to run a gauntlet of power hitters that can change a game with a single swing. We saw several pitchers who were not up to the task on this home stand. I expect some pretty exciting late inning at bats this season and for years to come.

[twinsnorth49]

Dude can mash that's for sure.

[kab21]

So far this is encouraging. My only problem with acquiring Park is the odd roster construction that is forced on the Twins especially if Arcia's hot streak is legit but he could be a great value.

Best news is that it increases the Twins brand in Asia and I live in Asia. I plan on going to South Korea in a year or two and watching a baseball game and it would be really cool to see Twins caps or people coming up to me if I wear a Twins cap.

[TheLeviathan]

The ball jumps off his bat for sure, but that's all I'm comfortable concluding so far.

[KGB]

 

So far this is encouraging. My only problem with acquiring Park is the odd roster construction that is forced on the Twins especially if Arcia's hot streak is legit but he could be a great value.

Best news is that it increases the Twins brand in Asia and I live in Asia. I plan on going to South Korea in a year or two and watching a baseball game and it would be really cool to see Twins caps or people coming up to me if I wear a Twins cap.

In the off-season, you had to have a lot of concerns on what you would get from Arcia, Mauer was on a 2 year decline and Sano was entering his second year.  So I think the signing was a smart move.  When Sano starts hitting and if Mauer, Arcia and Park continue to hit, you should have some very valuable trade assets in Arcia and Park that will be expendable for the Twins.

[big dog]

He's looked good in the field as well.  He turned a really sweet DP yesterday- good pickup, perfect throw, hustled back to the bag and was in good position for the return throw.

[Platoon]

He is patient at the plate, and a better overall ball player than I imagined. I will find it odd if his SO's decline, considering the advanced level of pitching he is seeing. So far he has proven he can hit a fat belt high hanger very far. The question is how many of them will he see in the future. It's always fun to watch the battle of wits between pitchers and hitters.

[markos]

I'm not convinced that Park won't continue to be overmatched by better pitching, but he certainly has the power to crush mistakes. Hopefully he will continue to see, and take advantage of, mistakes going forward.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

He is patient at the plate, and a better overall ball player than I imagined. I will find it odd if his SO's decline, considering the advanced level of pitching he is seeing. So far he has proven he can hit a fat belt high hanger very far. The question is how many of them will he see in the future. It's always fun to watch the battle of wits between pitchers and hitters.

I don't think it will be that surprising if his strikeouts decline in time. What *has* surprised me is Park's relatively polished approach at the plate but now that I've seen him take his hacks, I think it's entirely possible he adjusts his approach to better suit a more advanced league.

 

The guy could get away with a ton of strikeouts in Korea because he routinely teed off on the inferior pitching in that league... But MLB is a different animal. It wouldn't surprise me to see Park sacrifice a bit of power for more contact and a more disciplined approach to compensate facing the best pitching in the world.

[spinowner]

Mauer, Sano, Arcia and Park in the 2-3-4-5 spots in the lineup could be very imposing to the opposition. (I put them in that order just to alternate L-R-L-R.) Put the leadoff batter du jour in front of them and a decent batter in the 6-hole (Escobar, Rosario, Dozier, whoever is going well) to protect Park and over the course of a season that could lead to some big innings.

[SirLoin]

Has he ever played RF?  Does it matter?

[tobi0040]

Has he ever played RF? Does it matter?

I think he played OF but I am not sure which spot. I wonder if Park or Kepler could play 3b. Just seems like the odd bat out would be Plouffe. Seems like his ceiling is about a .740 OPS and all the others could be higher.

[Jham]

Park has 4 HR.  3 on hanging breaking balls, 1 on a 3-1 fastball taken way deep to right (pitch was away).  This is a very Kirby Puckett type approach ("hanging breaking balls are a gift from God").  Except Park is a power hitter.  In general, I think once (if) he starts pulling fastballs out, you'll see an even bigger jump in HR's (and K's perhaps).  That's the profile of most power hitters.  Of course, you're susceptible to the breaking balls that way, which he's currently guarding against.  Ultimately, that style of hitting then takes incredible discipline.  Dead red on fastballs, patience to get into fastball counts, ability to lay off low breaking balls even if they're strikes.  So for now, I'm happy watching him adjust his approach to make more contact and feel out new pitchers in a new league.  

[tobi0040]

 

Park has 4 HR.  3 on hanging breaking balls, 1 on a 3-1 fastball taken way deep to right (pitch was away).  This is a very Kirby Puckett type approach ("hanging breaking balls are a gift from God").  Except Park is a power hitter.  In general, I think once (if) he starts pulling fastballs out, you'll see an even bigger jump in HR's (and K's perhaps).  That's the profile of most power hitters.  Of course, you're susceptible to the breaking balls that way, which he's currently guarding against.  Ultimately, that style of hitting then takes incredible discipline.  Dead red on fastballs, patience to get into fastball counts, ability to lay off low breaking balls even if they're strikes.  So for now, I'm happy watching him adjust his approach to make more contact and feel out new pitchers in a new league.  

 

I am a believer that a hitter will see 50+ pitches a year that are either hanging breaking balls or fastballs that are belt high on the middle of the plate.

 

Even if he is a guy that simply crushes mistakes he should be a 25+ HR guy a year (potentially 10 more)

 

 

[kab21]

 

In the off-season, you had to have a lot of concerns on what you would get from Arcia, Mauer was on a 2 year decline and Sano was entering his second year.  So I think the signing was a smart move.  When Sano starts hitting and if Mauer, Arcia and Park continue to hit, you should have some very valuable trade assets in Arcia and Park that will be expendable for the Twins.

Arcia wasn't in the equation but it was going to take an act of God to remove Mauer from the lineup this year or next regardless of his decline.  They have basically locked themselves into a lineup of Mauer/Park/Sano in some combination of 1B/DH/RF.  And Vargas basically has to be cut because I am not sure he can even be promoted unless one of those 3 is on the DL.  But when you are bad then you don't worry about where to play everyone.  Just add more talent to the org and then you can trade an excess like you say.

[Platoon]

It wouldn't surprise me to see Park sacrifice a bit of power for more contact and a more disciplined approach to compensate facing the best pitching in the world.

I would agree with that. I thought early in ST he was simply trying to hit the ball anyway or how he could. He was basically jumping fastballs. Now he is more patient. But if he ends up going from 53 HR's to 20, that's fairly mundane. It will be interesting to see how they start to work him. They havent even begun that process. I will say this, he is certainly a different "type" of player than I imagined. He could easily have played NL ball, he doesn't seem to need to be just a DH.

[chopper0080]

It is nice to see a hitter in the Twins lineup who is punishing opposing pitchers when they make mistakes.  It has been a frustration of mine watching Twins hitters just miss on mistake pitches over the years.  Hopefully this becomes contagious up and down the order.

[Pardon My Dinger]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Put him in the outfield and we've got ourselves a Seoul Patrol. 

[blairpaul715]

Well, I am happily surprise by Park..........I still dont think he is major league caliber, I will wait to see if he can catch up with a 94-97 mph fastball.........hoping I am wrong............on a different topic, he is good defensively and like someone else said he is not DH only type.

[d-mac]

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Put him in the outfield and we've got ourselves a Seoul Patrol. 

 

https://coubsecure-a.akamaihd.net/get/b125/p/coub/simple/cw_timeline_pic/eb35f3a0909/2030bc1fb53badf45f722/med_1443077189_image.jpg

[gunnarthor]

Yeah, he had a really nice homestand for us.  Good to see.  

[James]

 

I think he played OF but I am not sure which spot. I wonder if Park or Kepler could play 3b. Just seems like the odd bat out would be Plouffe. Seems like his ceiling is about a .740 OPS and all the others could be higher.

Kepler is left handed, so that excludes him from playing 3b.  

 

I think Park did play a little 3b in the KBO, but from what I've heard, he wasn't exactly great there.

 

Park's at bats have been a lot better lately (overall).  There were a few AB's that didn't look too hot, but everything AB on that home stand looked better then the opening games.  I have a feeling that Park will keep adjusting to MLB pitching and should be launching a HR off of a fastball in no time.

[ericchri]

 

blairpaul715, on 20 Apr 2016 - 10:17 AM, said:

 I will wait to see if he can catch up with a 94-97 mph fastball...

I look forward to seeing what happens when he connects with a 95+ fastball, personally.

Edited April 20, 2016 by ericchri

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I would agree with that. I thought early in ST he was simply trying to hit the ball anyway or how he could. He was basically jumping fastballs. Now he is more patient. But if he ends up going from 53 HR's to 20, that's fairly mundane. It will be interesting to see how they start to work him. They havent even begun that process. I will say this, he is certainly a different "type" of player than I imagined. He could easily have played NL ball, he doesn't seem to need to be just a DH.

Yeah, he's not what I expected at all. I expected more of a dead-pull swing-from-his-heels hitter who walked a lot in KBO because pitchers were terrified of him.

 

That hasn't been the case. He has a pretty good eye, especially considering how he has only faced MLB pitching in games that matter ~50 times.

[puckstopper1]

A week ago I posted that I was concerned that the Korean term "Byung Ho" translates to "strikes out" in English.  I'd like to modify that.  I believe it actually means "strikes out or hits long home run". :-)

[DocBauer]

Still a SSS at this point, in regard to the bad as well as the good. But the power is real. He looks like he knows what he is doing at the plate and making adjustments. And I like what I've seen from him defensively. (Oh, if only he could really play 3B).

 

There is no doubt his presence complicates the makeup of the roster. There is no doubt his signing wasn't truly needed based on said construction and options before his signing. But I can never fault someone for going out and acquiring additional talent for their team.

[Parker Hageman]

Brock Beauchamp, on 20 Apr 2016 - 11:39 AM, said:

Yeah, he's not what I expected at all. I expected more of a dead-pull swing-from-his-heels hitter who walked a lot in KBO because pitchers were terrified of him.

 

Well, you shouldn't have had you read Twins Daily every once in a while: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/what-should-the-twins-expect-from-byung-ho-park-r4266.

 

I predicted on the Gleeman & Geek podcast that I expected 15-20 HRs out of Park based on (1) simply adjusting to MLB pitching and (2) his tendency to hit middle-oppo in the KBO. I figured Target Field would stifle that a bit (as it has done to many power-hitting righties). So far, he's demonstrated that the stadium won't be an issue.

 

 

His four home runs have come on pitches that have been:

 

79

79

90 (away ftw)

78

 

As Nick indicated, he's done a lot of things better after his first week. I'm interested to see how he handles the next set of adjustments. I'm guessing teams will refrain from tossing him breaking balls for a while. He'll get more velocity. So far, he's 3-for-16 on pitches 91+ with a 83 MPH exit velocity (not great). By comparison, Sano's hitting those pitches out at a 96 MPH average exit velocity.

 

Overall, good stuff.

[Darius]

Just imagine how many bad relief pitchers TR could trade this guy for as the deadline approaches.

 

But, seriously. If the Twins can't crawl back into it, and he keeps playing this way, on that contract, there could be some intruiging value there. This may be shocking to some, but it's not illegal to sell high.