{"id":691753,"date":"2026-05-24T15:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/691753\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T15:55:09","slug":"phillies-sign-chan-min-park-for-1-205-million-club-record-for-international-amateur-pitcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/691753\/","title":{"rendered":"Phillies sign Chan-Min Park for $1.205 million, club record for international amateur pitcher"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Chan-Min Park, a 17-year-old right-handed pitcher from South Korea, grew up following Major League Baseball from afar.<\/p>\n

He was familiar with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was even partly named after Chan Ho Park, a South Korea native who pitched for the club in 2009. He admired Cristopher S\u00e1nchez \u2014 partly because of his dominant performance against Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals this year \u2014 as well as Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.<\/p>\n

Now Park will begin his own journey in the Phillies organization after signing a $1.205 million deal with the club Friday. It is the largest bonus the organization has given to an international amateur pitcher, making Park the highest-paid pitcher in the 2025-26 international signing class.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a market where we haven\u2019t traditionally signed a lot of players from, it was a great opportunity for us to not only sign the top arm out of the country,\u201d Phillies international scouting director Derrick Chung said, \u201cbut also to get the Phillies\u2019 name out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The signing marks a significant step in the right direction for the Phillies\u2019 efforts in the Pacific Rim. The club has expanded its scouting efforts<\/a> in Japan from 2022 onward and hosted Korea Baseball Organization and Nippon Professional Baseball officials at Citizens Bank Park in recent years. But the payoff has been limited.<\/p>\n

Now the Phillies have signed one of the marquee amateur players from South Korea, joining a strong international class headlined by Venezuelan center fielder Francisco Renteria<\/a>. Park likely would have been a first-round pick in the KBO but was intrigued by working his way through the minors and eventually landing in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Maan Youn Kim, the Phillies\u2019 scout in South Korea, first saw Park in person. Several scouting visits from others in the Phillies organization followed. They saw a coordinated pitcher who reached up to 94 mph with his fastball and also utilized what Chung called a \u201ctremendous feel\u201d for breaking balls and off-speed pitches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s consistently able to command all of those pitches in the zone,\u201d Chung said. \u201cThe slider has the makings of a plus weapon down the road. Not only that, but his makeup \u2014 he\u2019s a great kid. He\u2019s fun to be around. But on the mound, he becomes a different person. He\u2019s a bulldog.\u201d<\/p>\n

The righty\u2019s interest in playing in the U.S. was clear from the start. The Phillies liked Park\u2019s willingness to challenge himself, Chung said, and pursued him aggressively in part because of that. The Phillies made moves to gain international bonus pool money with recent trades, helping clear the way to sign Park.<\/p>\n

Phillies traded minor-league reliever Andrew Baker to Colorado for more international bonus pool money that will go toward the signing of Chan-min Park, a 17-year-old pitcher from South Korea. Second trade Phillies made for pool money.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Park, who is still in Philadelphia after undergoing a physical and signing, got a taste of the city this week. His Phillies baseball knowledge continues to grow. So does his knowledge of Philadelphia. He did not know who Rocky was until driving by the Philadelphia Museum of Art this week, when Chung told him about the boxer and his statue.<\/p>\n

Park signed the same day S\u00e1nchez delivered perhaps his best performance during an incredible streak of 37 2\/3 scoreless innings. It was meaningful to Park, Chung said, because he is a big fan of S\u00e1nchez. Park was also impressed by the number of fans who stayed the whole game despite the cold weather and rain, telling Chung it was unlike anything he had seen before.<\/p>\n

The signee also got a chance to talk with S\u00e1nchez on Saturday, asking the lefty about his changeup. He also spoke with Wheeler and Nola and asked them questions.<\/p>\n

At one point this week, Phillies personnel asked Park how things were going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been dreaming of this all my life,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

It will be a long journey through the minors from here. The organization is unsure where Park will start. The Phillies\u2019 Dominican Republic academy or their Clearwater, Fla., complex are options. They also must figure out what will work with Park\u2019s school schedule, as he does not officially graduate until early 2027.<\/p>\n

As Park works to ascend the minor leagues, he can hold on to the memory of a brisk, rainy day in South Philly when he put pen to paper and watched S\u00e1nchez continue to cement his place as one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not the best. It all started here.<\/p>\n