Park Hae-min (Korean: 박해민, born February 24, 1990, in Seoul) is a South Korean center fielder for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
| Park Hae-min | |
|---|---|
| LG Twins – No. 17 | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: February 24, 1990 | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| KBO debut | |
| September 13, 2013, for the Samsung Lions | |
| KBO statistics (through June 1, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .286 |
| Home runs | 52 |
| Runs batted in | 550 |
| Stolen bases | 393 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Amateur career
editUpon graduation from Shinil High School in Seoul, Park was eligible for the 2008 KBO Draft but went undrafted. Instead, he entered Hanyang University to continue to play baseball.
Park had mediocre freshman and sophomore seasons, but finally showed signs of promise in his junior year in 2010, when he led the team attack alongside Ko Jong-wook, posting a .299 batting average.
In 2011, Park was moved to the lead-off role right after the team's four-year lead-off hitter Ko Jong-wook graduated. In July 2011, Park won the batting title with a .452 batting average at the 2011 National Summer League Championship, going 14-for-31 as the team's lead-off hitter. Park finished his last collegiate season with a career-best .429 batting average (which was ranked first in the 2011 national collegiate season), 11 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases.
Professional career
edit2012 KBO Draft
editWhen Park, the 2011 college batting champion, made himself eligible for the KBO draft after his senior season at Hanyang University, many expected him to be an early-round pick. However, some scouting reports highlighted his lack of prototypical height and inability to hit home runs and questioned his defensive abilities, and Park was not called in the 2012 KBO Draft. A week later, he signed with the Samsung Lions as an undrafted free agent.[1]
Samsung Lions
editIn 2012, Park played his professional rookie season with the Lions' farm-league affiliate. In the 2012 KBO Futures League for the reserve teams, he batted .254 with 20 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Park made his first KBO League appearance on September 13, 2013, as a pinch runner for Choi Hyoung-woo, who had singled, but did not score.
In 2014 Park had a breakout season, making 119 appearances as a starting center fielder for the Lions, and batting .297 with 31 RBIs and 36 stolen bases. He was ranked fifth overall in stolen bases and third in the 2014 KBO Rookie of the Year Award.
International career
editIn September 2011, Park was called up to the South Korea national baseball team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup held in Panama.[2] Park went 3-for-4 in the Team Korea's first game against Venezuela. He hit a game-tying three-run homer off Darío Veras in the ninth inning of the Team Korea's last Round 1 game against Dominican Republic, which ended with a Korea's 5–4 victory.[3]
In 2018, he represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games.[4]
| Year | Venue | Competition | Team | Individual Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  Panama
|
Baseball World Cup | 6th | .306 BA (11-for-36), 6 RBI, 1 HR, 3 R, 1 SB |
References
edit- ^ Hong, Hi-jeong (2011-09-26). "South Korean national baseball team for 2011 World Cup" (in Korean). Joynews 24. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ "AP Photo". Forbes. 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-10-03.[dead link]
- ^ "Corea vence 5x4 a Dominicana y avanza en Mundial de béisbol en Panamá" (in Spanish). Univision. 2011-10-10. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ^ "2018 자카르타-팔렘방 아시안게임 야구 국가대표팀 최종 엔트리 확정" (in Korean). Korea Baseball Organization. June 11, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Career statistics and player information from the KBO League