Phillies make splash in international market with Korean pitcher originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the more notable teams when it comes to producing pitching talent over the last few years. This season has seen the rise of Andrew Painter, who was selected by the Phillies with the 13th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, as he finally broke into the major league level, striking out eight batters in his debut in late March.
Some could even point to Mick Abel, who made his major league debut with Philadelphia last season, going blow-for-blow with eventual Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes in that outing, fanning nine batters to get the win. While Abel was later dealt to the Twins in exchange for Jhoan Duran, he was still a product of the Phillies’ farm system.
While there lies another top pitching prospect in Gage Wood, who was recently promoted to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, it appears that Philadelphia just took a big swing on another pitching prospect, Chan-Min Park.
Who is Chan-Min Park?
Signed & sealed✍️ Welcome to the Phillies family, Chan-Min Park!
We have signed Korean RHP prospect Chan-Min Park as part of our 2026 International Signing Class. pic.twitter.com/MZAGqfO0Ua
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) May 23, 2026
On Saturday, the Phillies announced the signing of Park as part of their international signing class. According to Over Slot’s Joe Doyle, the Korean ace has four pitches in his arsenal, with his top speed in April reaching up to 94 miles per hour. While these numbers aren’t groundbreaking by any means, given that Park is only 17 years old, there is more than enough time to grow and improve his presence on the mound.
In a report by The Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes, Philadelphia’s front office isn’t certain on where their recently announced prospect will begin his time in the farm system, with their academy in the Dominican Republic or Clearwater both being choices.
“The organization is unsure where Park will start. The Phillies’ Dominican Republic academy or their Clearwater, Fla., complex are options,” Varnes writes.
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