Hey, at the very least, he's no Jacque Jones, but that's a good thing...
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After a couple of weeks of fill-ins, the King is back!
This week, two more treasures for you. This week, we have an outfielder emerging in Detroit, and getting significant playing time. Will that keep up, and how good will he be? Over in the National League, an old gun has returned to where he had his greatest success, and he has found success in a new role. Will his success keep up?
Chan Ho Park, Reliever, Los Angeles Dodgers
It has been a long and winding road for Chan Ho Park with the Dodgers; with him making his major league debut as a Dodger all the way back in 1994. He would make two appearances that year, two more the following, before becoming a major league fixture in 1996. Park would make 48 appearances, but only ten as a starter, and it would be the only year in which he would be used primarily as a reliever. From 1997 through 2001, Park would be a front-of-the-rotation (although, not a No. 1) fixture for the Dodgers. While never dominating, he would be successful enough to run off at least 13 wins each season, and he would parlay that success into an obscenely lucrative contract with the Texas Rangers.
It was money he would never earn on the mound. The only two people on the planet that had to think it was money well spent were Park and agent Scott Boras. Sure, someone could quibble here and say, “nice sarcasm, but his family would think it was money well spent too, and that more than two,” but even they had to know he was being grossly overpaid. Not only was he grossly overpaid, but he would also grossly underperform as a Ranger. In his first season with the Rangers, Park was 9-8 with a 5.75 ERA, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio that was easily the worst of his career, at 121:78.
The next year, Park would make just seven starts, as he would spend most of the season injured, with the Rangers probably hoping he was injured for all season instead of most, as he was 1-3 with a 7.58 in those seven that he did make. 2004 would be spent pitching ineffectively when not hurt, and hurt half the time. In 2005, he would be healthy enough for the Rangers to actually trade him, and one has to wonder what the Padres were doing taking him. With the Rangers, Park was 4-7 with a 5.46 ERA in 16 starts, while he was 4-3 with a 5.91 ERA in ten appearances, nine as a starter.
Park would spend the entire 2006 season with the Padres, much to their delight. The season was only slightly less of a mess than the 2005 season, as he was 7-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 24 appearances, 21 as a starter. His strikeout-to-walk ratio would actually improve, back to close to former quality performances, as he struck out 96 and walked just 44.
The 2007 season though would not be a positive one for Park, as he spent all but one outing in the minors. Pitching in the Houston system, Park posted an ERA over 6.00 in Triple-A. Pitching in the Mets’ organization, he would post an ERA of 5.57 in Triple-A. Numbers like that do not exactly get one phone calls the following year.
The Dodgers decided to take a flier on Park though, hoping that his return “home” would help turn him around. The Dodgers also did not envision needing to use him as a starter, and to date he has spent the entire season in the pen. Somehow, the results have been positive, with a record of 1-0 and an ERA of only 2.16 in 25 innings over 12 appearances. Now the word has come down that he will be moving in to the rotation, and that record has to have people thinking happy thoughts about Park.
Do not be fooled, however; the reality is that he is still the same lousy pitcher, only just lucky so far. How else do you explain that ERA when you look at his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 9:10? Yes, he has more walks than strikeouts.
The new Chan Ho Park is the same as the old one. Just like the old one, you should stay away from the new one.
Matthew Joyce, Outfield, Detroit Tigers
A 12th round selection by the Tigers in the 2005 draft out of Florida Southern, Joyce made his professional debut that season, hitting .331 with four home runs, 45 RBI, and 51 runs scored in 245 at-bats for Oneonta in the New York/Penn League. Promoted to the Midwest League to open 2006, his offense took a serious beating, as he would hit only .258 with 11 home runs in 465 at-bats – not exactly top prospect numbers. In 2007, he would move up to Double-A Erie, but similar mediocrity would occur in the batting average department, with a .257 batting average, but he would belt out 17 home runs, and he would tease additional power potential with 33 doubles.
That brings us to this year, where the expected mediocrity of Jacque Jones lived up to expectations, and he was released. The call went out then to Joyce, who was hitting .299 with five home runs, 21 RBI, 17 runs scored, and six doubles in Triple-A. Joyce had been extremely hot at the time of his call-up too, hitting .389 in his last ten games, with seven RBI and six runs.
Since his promotion, he has been making himself quite at home, hitting .292 with three home runs, five RBI, and four runs scored in 24 at-bats. The power is for real, and he should hit for a respectable average too, albeit not one over .300.
Last Week Revisited
Hey, it wasn’t me, so I won’t comment, good or bad. Next week, I will be sure to critique my own here though.
