The Philadelphia Phillies have done a complete 180 on their season since the firing of former manager Rob Thomson. Don Mattingly’s Phillies are 16-4 and have climbed their way from last place to second place in the National League East.
While their offense has really taken off with Mattingly, their pitching is still a little shaky–aside from Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler.
However, the Phillies are gearing up to sign a much anticipated Korean pitching prospect this weekend after a little help from World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies traded pitcher Griff McGarry to the Dodgers on April 14 in exchange for international bonus pool space and $500,000 in cash.
This exchange opened up the opportunity to sign 17-year-old Chan-min Park, out of Gwangju Jeil High School in South Korea.
Great news ahead of the Phillies’ series against the Cleveland Guardians this weekend, Park is heading to Philadelphia.
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Chan-min Park to Take Medicals And Officially Sign With Phillies Over the Weekend
ESPN’ KBO insider Daniel Kim, shared to X early Tuesday morning that the Philadelphia Phillies’ 17-year-old pitching prospect out of South Korea Chan-min Park, is on a flight to Philly.
“Top high school prospect Chan-min Park is leaving for Philadelphia today,” Kim wrote. “He is scheduled to take medical in a few days, and if all goes well, his signing w/ #Phillies should be announced over the weekend. Signing bonus is expected to be around 1.25m.”
While the dollar amount for Park’s contract has not been officially disclosed, it is anticipated that the 17-year-old will be securing a deal with a signing bonus around $1.7 million. The Phillies began this international signing period with around $6.7m and had spent around $5.5m, but thanks to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies gained an additional $500k to help secure this deal.
The Phillies also allegedly held off signing a Taiwanese player to explore trades and secure the bonus pool money before the New York Yankees could.
According to Joe Doyle on X, Park is 6′ 3”, 205 lbs Park and throwing up to 94 mph. He’s has four pitches–fastball, slider, curveball, and a changeup/splitter–and a polished operation.
Park’s medicals are set for May 21-22, and if all goes well, the 17-year-old will likely sign his multi-million dollar contract during the Phillies series against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend.
While he is promising prospect, Park is likely years away from seeing the major league mound, and will be sent to the organizations rookie complex in Clearwater, Florida.
Phillies Schedule Through the Rest of May
The Philadelphia Phillies look to play game two of their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, May 19 at 6:40 P.M. EST.
To close out the Phillies red-hot month of May, they play one final series at Citizens Bank after the Reds against the American League Central first-place Cleveland Guardians. They then head West to Southern California where the Phillies face the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reds vs. Phillies: May 18-20
Guardians vs. Phillies: May 21-23
Phillies @ Padres: May 24-26
Phillies @ Dodgers: May 28-31
Every team the Phillies’ face the rest of this month sit at a record of .500 or better, giving the team a real test following their recent hot streak.
Phillies’ Top International Pitching Prospect Set to Sign During Guardians Series