Former Twin Byung Ho Park announced his retirement after 20 seasons of professional baseball
Former Twins slugging Korean first baseman/designated hitter Byung Ho Park announced his retirement from professional baseball on Sunday, according to Yonhap News Agency's Yoo Jee-Ho.
"I was blessed with so much love from fans over my 20 years in professional baseball," Park said, via Yoo. "I'd like to thank all the managers and coaches I've had, and I was really happy to have played with all of my teammates. I bounced around several teams, and I will never forget all the love and support from my fans."
In the 2015-16 MLB offseason, the Minnesota Twins signed Park to a four-year contract worth $12 million after winning the exclusive negotiating rights to Park with a $12.85 million bid during the posting process. The Twins had planned to primarily use Park as a designated hitter who could occasionally give Joe Mauer rest at first base.
Unfortunately, the Twins' decision to sign Park ultimately proved to be a complete disaster for all parties involved, as the Korean slugger was demoted to Triple-A during his first season with the Twins and struggled with numerous injuries before deciding to return to Korea following the 2017 season. Park played in just 61 games for the Twins in 2016, slashing .191/.275/.409 (82 OPS+) with 12 homers and 24 RBIs in 244 plate appearances. For Triple-A Rochester in 2016 and 2017, Park hit .247/.305/.439 with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs across 583 plate appearances.
Park had already established himself as one of the Korean Baseball Organization's best players before joining the Twins, having posted an OPS over 1.000 three straight seasons (2013-15), which earned him the MVP Award in 2012 and 2013. Upon his return to the KBO in 2018, Park returned to MVP form, posting an outstanding 1.174 OPS in his first season back in his home country. Park continued to succeed in Korea, ending his career ranked fourth all-time in home runs in the KBO with 418 and ranked 10th all-time in RBIs with 1,244. Park will most likely find himself part of the Korean Baseball Hall of Fame.