In 2022, the Pittsburgh Pirates must determine what they have in Hoy Park.
Park may already have limited opportunities with the Pirates due to the presence of players like Oneil Cruz, Travis Swaggerty, Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero, Ji-Hwan Bae, Matt Fraizer, Rodolfo Castro, Jared Triolo, Tucupita Marcano, Jackson Glenn, and Mike Jarvis.
Park was having an outstanding season with the New York Yankees Triple-A team when the Pirates acquired him. Park had a batting average of 223 at-bats.
With a .452 wOBA and 180 wRC+, he hit 327/.475/.567. He walked 20.6 percent of the time and struck out 20.6 percent of the time, with an ISO of .240.
The Pirates’ major league team did not benefit from such output. With only 149 plate appearances, he had a .638 OPS.
He had a good 12.1 percent walk rate and was playable. His 142 isolated slugging percentage was impressive, but his brief time in the majors was hardly memorable.
Park may not be the same hitter he was at the Yankee Triple-A affiliate in 2021, but he still has a lot of upside.
While with the Yankees, he was only once assessed as a below-average batter. Park has hit .255/.367/.373 with a
.345 wOBA and 117 wRC+ since joining the Yankees out of South Korea. Throughout his minor league career, he has been a strong on-base threat, walking 13.6% of the time.
How Much Does Hoy Park Make?
Hoy Park makes an annual salary of $705,000.