Baseball notebook: Park’s minor league demotion latest setback for Korean star
Byung Ho Park’s demotion to the minor leagues is just the latest setback for the Korean star.
The Minnesota rookie became expendable when the Twins recalled Miguel Sano on Friday. Before the roster move, Park had bounced around the Twins lineup and struggled especially with runners on base. Through 62 games, the slugger was hitting .191 with 80 strikeouts.
Far from the performance you’d expect from the 29-year-old who had his own theme song in South Korea complete with dance moves and set to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
With fans having little to dance about since Park came to the United States, the setbacks this season have stalled significant hype and potential marketability to fans in Asia.
“Baseball-wise (in MLB), I’m still adjusting and learning and definitely still in that learning period,” Park said through his interpreter, J.D. Kim.
Known by the nickname “Park Bang” with the Nexen Heroes from 2011-15, Park led the Korea Baseball Organization in home runs (53), total bases (377) and RBIs (146) in 2015. The Twins took notice and paid $12.85 million just to win bidding rights to negotiate with Park, then signed him to a four-year, $12 million contract.
But Park’s stardom in the United States was never a guarantee and he’s struggled with the noticeable talent jump in pitching. During one stretch in June, he struck out eight times in 11 at-bats, prompting manager Paul Molitor to pull him from a start to give him a mental break.
Park’s major league struggles have led the Twins to hold off on pursuing marketing deals back in his homeland, team spokesman Dustin Morse said.
They’re still eager, just like other clubs who also have Asian players, like Korean hitters Dae Ho Lee of the Mariners and Jung Ho Kang of the Pirates. Clubs have seen the benefits of success by other stars from the continent, like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Shin-Soo Choo and Yu Darvish, among others.
Ichiro, of the Miami Marlins, is a rare example of an Asian star who achieved the same level of stardom within a year of coming to the United States.
In an All-Star 2001 season with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro was the American League MVP and rookie of the year, and also won a Golden Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award. His marketing power has kept pace with his success each season – Ichiro was recently honored for reaching 4,257 hits between the Japanese and North American major leagues, surpassing Pete Rose’s MLB total.
Because of Ichiro, Miami’s games are now broadcast in Japan and the team’s front office officials have gone to Japan each offseason to make connections in Asia, Marlins president David Samson said.
“We are trying to make inroads there and we would love to be the team of Asia like we are the team of Latin American because we are Miami,” Samson said.
The Twins want similar connections in South Korea, sending executives to talk with companies in the country about ideas for the future.
“We’re trying to let Byung Ho Park establish himself as a baseball player and since it’s his first year in Major League Baseball we’re not trying to go too over the top,” Morse said.
If Park can turn things around and establish himself in the majors, U.S. fan support and marketability could follow in his favor. Lee saw that with the Mariners after not knowing if he would even make the 25-man roster during spring training.
“(Lee) has become very popular amongst our fans,” Mariners spokesman Randy Adamack said. “They recognize him now. They get excited when he comes to the plate. His face is becoming more and more familiar around town and he’s got kind of a cult following.”
The best way to gauge Park support in the MLB is spotting his jersey among fans in the stands, Morse said. The team had a promotional day for its first Korean player during the first month of the season, selling tickets at Target Field in a special section dubbed “Byung Ho’s Balcony.”
Before Park’s demotion, Minnesota officials were planning another promotion tied to Park for a July game against the Athletics.
Encarnacion suspended one game for making contact with ump
Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion has been suspended one game for making contact with umpire Vic Carapazza during an argument Friday.
Encarnacion, who leads baseball with 73 RBIs, is eligible to play while he appeals the penalty.
Encarnacion was ejected for the first time this season for arguing with Carapazza after being called out on strikes to end the first inning of Friday’s 19-inning, 2-1 loss to Cleveland. Encarnacion made contact with Carapazza’s left shoulder after being ejected.
Manager John Gibbons came out to break up the argument and was also ejected.
Later in the game, Carapazza ejected Toronto catcher Russell Martin for arguing balls and strikes. An irate Martin had to be restrained by bench coach DeMarlo Hale and third base coach Luis Rivera.
Following Friday’s defeat, Martin said Carapazza “just wasn’t very good today.”
Greinke goes 15-day disabled list with oblique strain
Zack Greinke has been placed on the disabled list for the first time in three years.
Arizona made the move after the ace right-hander was diagnosed with a left oblique strain. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday.
Greinke left Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia after two innings. The injury apparently occurred when Greinke hit a sacrifice fly.
Signed to a six-year, $206.5 million contract in the offseason, Greinke is 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA. He had won seven of eight starts with a 2.18 ERA before Tuesday’s outing.
“With all the testing they did and him not feeling any better, he agreed that the best course of action is to go on the DL,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said. “Hopefully, he’ll be ready for us after the break. I don’t know if it’s realistic or not. That’s what we’re hoping right now.”
Greinke said the injury has improved.
“It’s getting better, but not ready for game action and more than likely wouldn’t be in those 10-11 days before the All-Star break” he said.
Greinke said he had a timetable in his mind but wouldn’t reveal it publicly “because if I am wrong it just looks stupid.”
“Rest is how it heals,” he said. “I guess it depends how bad it is. There are a couple of little things they do. Who knows if it actually helps, but you still do it in case it does help.”
Runnner-up to the Chicago Cubs’ Jake Arrieta for the N.L. Cy Young Award last season, Greinke had made 106 straight starts since April 11, 2013, when broke his collarbone in a brawl with San Diego.
“It’s important for us not to lose him for a long period of time,” Hale said. “It would be only two starts if we could get him back after the break, which would be huge.”
Greinke joins his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate from last season, Clayton Kershaw, who is on the DL with a lower back injury.
Diamondbacks All-Star center fielder A.J. Pollock has missed the entire season after fracturing his elbow in a head-first slide at home in a warmup game just before the opener. Right fielder David Peralta has been out since June 15 with a lower back sprain. The Diamondbacks hope Peralta can return after the All-Star break.
Outfielder Rickie Weeks Jr. returned from bereavement leave and took Greinke’s roster spot.
D’backs’ Lopez mulling retirement year after $8M bonus
Diamondbacks pitching prospect Yoan Lopez is considering quitting baseball a year after signing for an $8.27 million bonus as a Cuban free agent.
Arizona confirmed that Lopez, 23, left the Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate in Mobile, Alabama, recently and has yet to return to the team. Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart has since spoken to Lopez, and the pitcher agreed to take time to mull his future and not retire from baseball immediately.
Lopez, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound right-hander, signed a minor league contract in January of 2015. After going 1-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 10 games with Mobile last season, he entered this season as a top-10 Diamondbacks prospect despite three stints on the disabled list.
Lopez is 4-7 with a 5.52 ERA in 14 starts for Mobile this year, with 36 strikeouts and 32 walks. He’s lost four of his last five starts, including his most recent one on June 29.
The Arizona Republic first reported Lopez’s departure from the Mobile club.
Indians OF Almonte returns from 80-game suspension
Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte made his season debut against the Blue Jays after being reinstated from the restricted list.
Almonte was suspended in February for 80 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. MLB said Almonte tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid generally used by veterinarians on horses.
Almonte played 51 games for Cleveland last season, hitting .264 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. He is starting in center field and batting eighth against Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ.
Also, the Indians optioned left-hander Shawn Morimando to Triple-A Columbus and moved outfielder Michael Brantley (right shoulder) from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.
Third baseman Juan Uribe was scratched from the starting lineup and replaced by Jose Ramirez. Uribe left Saturday’s 9-6 loss after he was hit on the right hand by a pitch in the sixth inning.
Ryu could return to the Dodgers rotation this week.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, sidelined since the beginning of the 2015 season, could return to the Los Angeles Dodgers as early as this week.
The Dodgers will decide whether his next start will be with the Dodgers or if the left-hander will make one more rehab start in his recovery from season-ending shoulder surgery last May, said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president, baseball operations.
“We’re going to assess how he’s feeling today,” said Friedman, who said he’ll have a clearer picture Monday. “All signs so far are positive, so we’ll figure it out from there whether he’s going to start here in his next appearance or do one more rehab start.”
The Dodgers have scheduled Julio Urias as their starter Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles, with Kenta Maeda slated for Tuesday, and Bud Norris set for Wednesday, said manager Dave Roberts.
Ryu made his eighth rehab start Friday night at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, allowing two runs on five hits in 6 innings, throwing 84 pitches in a victory. Ryu reached 90 mph and averaged 86 mph, Roberts said.
The left-hander has gone 1-2 with a 4.23 ERA pitching for Rancho and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“I think anytime you go through a rehab process that last step is going against major league hitters, something you can’t simulate in any other way,” said Friedman.
“He’s attacked the rehab process in a way that showed how much he wanted to get back, and each start he’s gotten progressively better, which is what you expect to see.”
In his fourth season with the Dodgers, Ryu has a 28-15 record and a 3.17 ERA in 56 career regular-season starts.
Padres agree to terms with Taiwanese righty Sung
The Padres have agreed to terms with Taiwanese right-hander Wen-Hua Sung, the team’s first deal with an Asian amateur.
The 19-year-old is currently pitching for Taiwan under-23 team and attending National Taiwan Sports University and playing for the university team.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller said Sung’s first real action will be next spring training, although he’ll participate in the instructional league in September. He said Hung is probably more advanced than the international players the Padres signed Saturday.
Sung was on the Asia-Pacific team that lost the Little League World Series title game to Park View from Chula Vista, a San Diego suburb.
Animal rights protesters delay Dodgers-Rockies game
The game between to the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers was interrupted with one out in the ninth inning when five fans clad in black tee shirts carrying black-and-white flags advocating animal rights raced onto the field.
All five reached the playing surface before being tackled by at least a dozen security guards, with two dancing next to the mound where Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen stood before the protesters were hauled down. Players and umpires stood in their positions as the protest was contained. No player was threatened by the rush.
The game was held up for five minutes as the security force escorted the protesters off the field out through an opening in the center field.