2009 Projection: Chan Ho Park
Age: 35 (36, June 30)
2008: 95.1 IP / 4-4 / 3.40 ERA / 36 BB / 79 K / 0 CG / 1.40 WHIP
Summary: Spending most of the season in a bullpen, Chan Ho Park actually pitched very well as a starter. He went 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings as a starter (five starts). He struck out 30 and walked eight. As a reliever he recorded a 3.84 ERA in 70.1 innings. Left-handed hitters struck Park well with a .301 average and .399 on-base mark. He also pitched badly outside of Dodger Stadium, recording a 4.50 ERA in 50 innings (comparitively, 2.18 ERA in 45.1 innings in Los Angeles). Park also didn’t pitch well in the second half, recording a 5.04 ERA in 30.1 innings, after being relegated to the bullpen.
Career Level: Descent (Year 3)
Green Flags: Park seemed to have more gusto pitching as a starter, considering his dominant ERA. … Hitters had some trouble smashing line drives off Park, as he threw only them at 18.9 percent. … At the same time, Park had easily his best grounder season, inducing 50.9 percent ground balls and 30.2 percent fly balls. … Park also left 78.2 percent of runners on base, his best mark ever.
Red Flags: You can attribute a lot of Park’s success to luck, especially the runners on base percentage. … The lefty averages stick out like a sore thumb. … Park walked 3.40 batters per nine innings, a lousy rate, though it runs along with his career averages.
Prognostication: Park seems rejuvenated to have another big season or two, but it’ll be touch considering his stuff isn’t completely outstanding. He did work on a changeup that is supposedly turning heads. He’ll give up hits (more than one per inning) and he’ll walk batters, so he’ll need some luck to be strong.
2009 Projection: 134.2 IP / 9-10 / 4.88 ERA / 54 BB / 91 K / 0 CG / 1.51 WHIP
