PHILADELPHIA — Chan-Min Park, a 17-year-old right-handed pitcher from South Korea, grew up following Major League Baseball from afar.

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 Sánchez — partly because of his dominant performance against Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals this year — as well as Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.

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.

“In a market where we haven’t 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,” Phillies international scouting director Derrick Chung said, “but also to get the Phillies’ name out there.”

The signing marks a significant step in the right direction for the Phillies’ efforts in the Pacific Rim. The club has expanded its scouting efforts 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.

Now the Phillies have signed one of the marquee amateur players from South Korea, joining a strong international class headlined by center fielder Francisco Renteria. 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.

Maan Youn Kim, the Phillies’ scout in South Korea, first saw Park. 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 “tremendous feel” for breaking balls and off-speed pitches.

“He’s consistently able to command all of those pitches in the zone,” Chung said. “The slider has the makings of a plus weapon down the road. Not only that, but his makeup — he’s a great kid. He’s fun to be around. But on the mound, he becomes a different person. He’s a bulldog.”

The righty’s interest in playing in the U.S. was clear from the start. The Phillies liked Park’s 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.

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.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 22, 2026

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.

Park signed the same day Sánchez 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 Sánchez. 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.

The signee also got a chance to talk with Sánchez on Saturday, asking the lefty about his changeup. He also spoke with Wheeler and Nola and asked them questions.

At one point this week, Phillies personnel asked Park how things were going.

“I’ve been dreaming of this all my life,” he replied.

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

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 Sánchez continue to cement his place as one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not the best. It all started here.