Park Hyo-joon started the 2024 Major League Baseball exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona on the 23rd (Korea time), and played 2 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats, including a double.
With this multi-hit game for the sixth time in an exhibition game, he elevated his batting average in exhibition games from 477 to 475 (19 hits in 40 times at bat). With nine RBIs and two walks including one home run, he boasts of strong presence with OPS of 1.126. He ranks first in batting average and second in OPS among 30 Oakland batters who have played 30 or more at bat in exhibition games.
He had an RBI single by hitting a long hit from his first at-bat with two outs in the second inning. He hit a left-handed line drive double off White Sox right-hander Jake Woodford to bring first baseman Esteury Lewis home.
In the fourth inning, he retired after hitting an infield fly ball to the third base against Woodford, but in the seventh inning with no outs, he hit right-handed Jake Cousins with multiple hits, connecting the chance to the first and second bases. As the follow-up hit did not occur, it did not lead to a run.
At the last at-bat in the ninth inning, he was out after hitting a fly ball to right field against right-handed Joelvin Sylven. Oakland lost the game 2-8 to the White Sox.
Despite irregular business trips between starters and replacements throughout the exhibition games and four positions: right field (47 innings for 11 games, 2 starts for 11 games), second base (23 innings for 5 games, 1 start for 5 games), left field (16 innings for 3 games), and 3rd base (8 innings for 1 game, 1 start for 1 game), the hot hitting sense has not cooled down.
With the opening of the season just a week away, Park Hyo-joon was the only one among the Oakland spring training invited players to survive among infielders and outfielders. Oakland sent infielders Armando Alvarez, Max Muncy, outfielders Daz Cameron and Max Schumann to the minor camp on the 19th. Park Hyo-joon, who can be both inside and outside, is recognized for his multi-ability and continues to compete for survival until the end of the exhibition game.
He is playing so well, but unfortunately, few local media predict that Park Hyo-joon will make the 26-man opening roster. Although Oakland has a thin roster with the most 112 losses in the Major League last year, catcher Shay Langelius, first baseman Ryan Noda, second baseman Jack Geloff, right fielder Brent Rooker and left fielder Seth Brown have certain starting positions. It is regrettable that J.D. Davis, who was released from the San Francisco Giants, joined the third base.
He seems to be competing with Abraham Toro, an infield backup who was born in 1996 and plays as a second, third and first baseman. Toro, who hit 28 home runs in four seasons in the Major League, also has a batting average of 341 percent (14 hits in 41 times at bat) with one home run, seven RBIs, five walks and nine strikeouts in an exhibition game, and a .438 slugging percentage, .463 OPS.901. Toro is ahead of Park Hyo-joon in the Major League.
The fact that Toro cannot play shortstop is advantageous to Park, who was a former shortstop, but he has not played as a shortstop since last year. Above all, Toro is on the 40-man roster of Oakland, and Park is a minor leaguer. To turn this around, Park has no choice but to continue his pace in the three exhibition games to show his competitiveness.
Park Hyo-joon, who signed a $1.16 million contract with the New York Yankees in July 2014 when he was a third grader at Yatago High School, achieved his big league debut with the Yankees in July 2021 after undergoing a minor league development process. Park Hyo-joon, who became the 25th Korean major leaguer in history, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after going down to the minor leagues after a pinch-hit at-bat (ground ball).
Park Hyo-joon, who showed his potential by hitting three home runs in 44 games at Pittsburgh that year, suffered three ups and downs during the 2022 season, however. He hit 216 percent (11 hits in 51 times at bat) with two homers and six RBIs with an OPS of .648 in 23 games, and after the season, he signed a minor contract with Atlanta after being drafted by Pittsburgh, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves in succession.
Last year, he had a batting average of 262 percent (83 hits in 317 times at bat) in 101 games, six homers, 42 RBIs, 60 walks, 86 strikeouts and 16 steals, with a .385 slugging percentage of .379 OPS.763 for Triple-A Gwinnett Striker under Atlanta, but the season ended without a call-up as he failed to penetrate Atlanta’s thickest lineup with 104 wins, the most in the league. He then signed a minor contract with Oakland in search of a team that can be released as a free agent and receive more opportunities. It could be his last challenge for Park, who turned 28 this year. That’s how desperate he is for the opening roster.
BY: 온라인카지노사이트