Park not eager for relief role
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Park not eager for relief role
Paul Hagen
The modern professional athlete is well schooled in limiting his remarks to platitudes. So Chan Ho Park’s answer to a question on whether he’d be willing to accept a relief role if the Phillies decide to use him out of the bullpen and award the final spot in the rotation to lefthander J.A. Happ was the most interesting thing that happened around the Phillies yesterday.
“Uh, I don’t know,” he said somberly. “Let’s see. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Sometimes I’m crazy.”
That got a laugh and Park wouldn’t elaborate. But it’s apparent that he’s going top be unhappy if he doesn’t win the competition.
Making what is expected to be his last exhibition start of the spring in yesterday’s 13-3 win over the Houston Astros, Park gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He also struck out seven, lowering his Grapefruit League earned run average to 2.53.
His walk-strikeout ratio is an amazing 2-to-25 in 21 1/3 innings.
Happ has a 3.15 ERA with six walks and 14 strikeouts in 20 innings. He’s expected top pitch at least once more.
When the Phillies signed Park to a 1-year, $2.5 million contract this winter, they envisioned him as a reliever who could give them multiple innings. But they also promised him an opportunity to start, a promise that Park has clearly taken seriously.
For our previous entry with Phillies odds and Cole Hamels' day, click here.
Worry more about Moyer as your 4th.- Happ is the starter. Park has a body of work to show his effectiveness as a starter - given his performance over the past EIGHT years (7 spent primarily as a starter), I don't trust he'll be nearly as successful over the full season as he has been in the relatively small sample size that is spring training (21 1/3 innings, the equivalent of 3-4 starts). Ignoring 08 when he was primarily a reliever and 07 when he appeared in one game, from 02-06 Park had one season with a sub-5 ERA (4.81 in 2004).— tjc
- Burrito_77 Congratulation! You are one of the few that gets it. This town and team has had enough trouble with players NOT wanting to come here. In fact some players like Rolen and Schiling asked to leave. Now we finally have a team and atmosphere that would attract players and some people want to set an example by rewarding a free agents great performance with rejection. What nonsense. Murphy you didn't mention who the reporter was who asked that negative, rediculous question. Who was it? Just so we all know who is trying to undermine our team.— Wally 24
- BTW, we're the WFC - Charlie and staff should be trusted to make whatever decision is best for the team. This nonsense about credibility with free agents and not attracting talent is just plain stupid (players want money and rings). Park was offered a chance to compete for the 5th starter spot - that's NOT a guarantee. This team is better with him in the pen and Happ in the 5 spot, at least until JA shows he can't do the job. Wally, "undermine our team"? You're the one who's being "rediculous"...— tjc
- i have been rooting for ever since i heard about the sacrifice he made to earn a starting spot. hes pitched well, hes earned it.. give it to him— DrKall
- From the Philllie Website ......................................."But this certainly is going to be an interesting decision. Park signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract over the winter. The Phillies liked him as a reliever, but they got him to sign when they agreed to give him an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation. Park badly wants to start, partially because of national pride. His countrymen in South Korea can watch him pitch more regularly if they know he is going to throw every five days. "I'm expecting their decision to make me as the starter. That's my goal," Park said. "That's why I signed with this team." I guess he'll be happy to go to the pen with those thoughts in the back of his mind. Right Get real!— Wally 24
- You don't have to denigrate either Happ or Park in making the decision on the starting rotation. Park has pitched extremely well and outpitched just about every other Phillie starter, not just Happ. He has looked better than the 5th man in the rotation. That doesn't mean Happ has done poorly, but he has not outperformed Park. It is odd to think that the Phils should trade him because he has done so well and then for a backup, part-time right handed bat.— madridge
- They're seasoning Happ for when Brett Myers leaves....— Captain Awesome
- Why are so many people's solution to potentially negative issues to trade the player away! Goodness. And Park's not even really complaining, all of this talk is about whether Park WOULD complain. Considering how Park pitched, no one could blame him for being disappointed if he didn't get the starting job. But that doesn't mean he's going to complain about it all year. If he does, then we'll deal with it then. By the way, if the Phils don't give him the starting job, I want to know exactly what they expected of him to receive the starting job. Park deserves to be #5. Keep Happ in the minors. There's a chance that Moyer's productivity MAY drop off. It's going to happen sometime and when he does, Happ will be ready. Solid rotation for years to come....— androoo
- The team told him he could win the spot with a solid spring and he did that and beyond. Deserves to start the season in the rotation, with Happ waiting in wings— eisenser
- Are people even baseball fans here? J.A. Happ has one career win. Park was almost unhittable as a starter last year and is a former All-Star with 117 wins. Between last year and this spring it looks like he has clearly returned to his dominant form. The question mark is his durability in recent years. If he is healthy, Park has the best stuff on the team bar none. The phillies would be crazy to walk away from that good fortune. If he breaks down, you have Happ and he can go for career win #2. In the meantime, maybe he can go to Lehigh Valley and see if he can turn his minor league record into a winning one. He currently has 28 wins and 28 losses in 6 plus minor league seasons. Here is a good rule of thumb- pick legit big league talent and results over pedestrian minor league work every day of the week and twice on Sundays.— jtj06
- tjc, you'd have a point about Park's 02-06 big league stats, if the alternative wasn't somebody who was 12-13 with 4.26 era in AAA for 2007-08.— jtj06
- Park starts. Happ goes to the bullpen. How difficult is this ?????— erdrick
- Park won the job. Besides, you don't need 3 leftys in the rotation unless you're playing the Phils.— fla
- What more does Park have to do to be named 5th starter? The job should be his...Happ will have his time when someone gets hurt or next season when Myers, Blanton, and Park will all potentially be gone.— Jeff Dowder
