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S. Korean slugger Park Byung-ho signs with US agency in hopes of landing MLB contract

January 28, 2015

Park Byung-ho of South Korea’s professional baseball club the Nexen Heroes speaks after receiving the most valuable player (MVP) trophy for the 2013 season during an awards ceremony at a Seoul hotel on Nov. 4, 2013. Park won the honor for the second straight year by leading the league in five categories, including home runs and RBIs. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — South Korean slugger Park Byung-ho, hoping to reach Major League Baseball (MLB) next year, has signed on with the same U.S. agency that represents his ex-teammate and current Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho, an informed industry source told Yonhap News Agency Wednesday.

The source, privy to big league player movements, said Park, the hard-hitting first baseman for the Nexen Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), has joined Octagon, and that the agency has been in touch with at least two MLB clubs, the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, regarding Park’s status.

Park, a two-time KBO MVP who has led the league in home runs in each of the past three seasons, is eligible to be posted for major league clubs after the 2015 season.

According to the source, Octagon has already put together a profile for Park, which includes his career statistics and highlights.

The Heroes must first agree to post him for an MLB-wide silent auction. During the team’s spring training in Arizona last week, Park said he’d long dreamed of playing in the majors and he’d like to discuss the issue with the team brass once they return to South Korea.

Park, listed at 185 centimeters (6-foot-1) and 107 kilograms (236 pounds), made his KBO debut with the LG Twins in 2005 but remained a fringe player until a midseason trade to the Heroes in 2011.

Park toiled on the Twins’ bench in 2005 and 2006 and then spent two years in the military before returning to the same reserve role in 2009 and in 2010. He hit below the Mendoza Line in three of his first four KBO seasons.

After joining the Heroes, Park hit his then-career high 13 home runs in 2011, 11 of which came in 18 games in September.

Park Byung-ho, first baseman of the Nexen Heroes hit 52 home runs last season. (Yonhap)

Park blossomed in 2012, his first full season, by hitting 31 home runs and driving in 105 runs to win his first MVP honors. He had 37 homers and 117 RBIs in 2013 and raised his batting average from .290 to .318 en route to his second straight MVP award. He also cut down on his strikeouts while improving his walk total, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

In 2014, Park belted 52 home runs, becoming only the third KBO player, and the first in 11 years, to get past the half-century mark, while setting a new career-high with 124 RBIs. He finished second in the MVP voting.

Kang Jung-ho, formerly a shortstop with the Heroes, recently signed on with the Pirates with Alan Nero, a veteran agent for Octagon, representing him. Kang is the first South Korean position player to make the jump from the KBO to the majors via posting.