Having wrapped up a two-decade playing career that included two MVP awards, six home run titles and a stint in Major League Baseball, retired slugger Park Byung-ho said Thursday he'd like to give himself full marks for things he did on the field.
At 39, he is now ready for a fresh start as a minor league coach for the Kiwoom Heroes, one of his former teams in the Korea Baseball Organization and where he enjoyed his best years.
"As a player, I want to give myself 100 points out of 100. I wasn't a big prospect who shined from the beginning, and I had to really grind my way up," Park said at a wide-ranging press conference at the Heroes' home, Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. "As a coach, I want to become an instructor that can earn players' trust. I will try to become a coach that can be trusted by every player."
Park was one of the most feared sluggers of his generation. He was drafted by the LG Twins in 2004 but what had been a forgettable career up to that point took a dramatic turn following a trade to the Heroes in 2011.
Park claimed the first of his two MVP awards in 2012, after leading the league with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs. Park was voted the MVP again in 2013, when he topped the KBO with 37 home runs and 117 RBIs.
In 2014, Park blasted 52 home runs, becoming only the third player in KBO history to surpass the half-century mark. He followed that up with 53 home runs, and he remains the only player with back-to-back 50-homer campaigns.
Park led the KBO in homers in four straight seasons from 2012 to 2015, the longest such streak in league history. He topped the league in home runs a record six times, also a league record.
Park also spent two seasons with the Minnesota Twins and their Triple-A affiliate in Rochester, New York, from 2016 to 2017.
Park retired in November with 418 home runs, fourth most in KBO history.
Park played the final two seasons of his career with the Samsung Lions. He had 15 homers in only 77 games last year, still solid production for a player his age, but nagging injuries made Park decide his time was up.
"I made up my mind in the middle of last season that I was going to retire. I kept trying really hard but I felt that I could no longer compete," Park said. "But I had set out to reach 400 homers and I accomplished that. I've played in a lot of postseason games and in the Korean Series. The biggest disappointment is that I never did win a Korean Series title."
Park said returning to the Heroes as a coach happened by accident. He reached out to a team official one day to let him know he was retiring, and the official revealed the Heroes had been interested in bringing him back as a player.
"I said I didn't think I was good enough to play anymore and then an offer for a coaching position came up," Park said. "This one feels like a homecoming for me."
Park said he had contemplated getting into broadcasting as an analyst but decided his ultimate goal was to become a coach.
"I thought it would help me to start on that path as quickly as possible," he said. "I know I will have trial and error, but I think I will be able to relate to minor league players because I went through some difficult moments myself as a player."
Park added he will try to bring as much positivity to minor leaguers as he can.
"Players who are stuck in the minors for a long time will need encouragement," Park said. "I will listen to their stories and help them get over the hump, so that they won't just give up on their careers." (Yonhap)
