Phillies Chan-min Park out of South Korea Pitcher Signing

The Phillies sign 17-year old Korean pitcher with a four pitch arsenal and 94 mph heater

Drew Smith
April 21, 2026
Phillies
1 Comment

The Phillies are active in the international free agent market and on Tuesday they signed 17-year-old right-hander Chan-min Park out of South Korea to a seven-figure deal.

At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Park already touches 94 mph on the fastball and has a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup/splitter. MiLB.com’s Joe Doyle reported the signing and said Park “can really spin it” with a polished operation and the ability to throw strikes.

Phillies sign Chan-min Park out of South Korea

The Philadelphia Phillies are signing Korean RHP Chan-min Park, 17, to a 7-figure deal.

Park (6-3, 205) is up to 94 and can really spin it. He’s got four pitches and a polished operation/strikes. FB, SL, CB, CH/SPL.

Used the $500k for Griff McGarry to help get it done. pic.twitter.com/bvXLiyho00
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) April 21, 2026

The kid is 17. He doesn’t have a Baseball Reference page yet. He’s years away from sniffing the big leagues but the profile is intriguing and the Phillies clearly liked him enough to use the international bonus pool money they got from the Dodgers in the Griff McGarry trade to get the deal done.

That $500K in pool space from the McGarry deal helped finalize it.

Park will likely start at the Phillies’ rookie complex in Clearwater. A 17-year-old with four pitches, a frame that can add more velocity, and the ability to throw strikes at that age is exactly the kind of under-the-radar signing that looks like nothing today and looks like a steal in four years.

The Phillies’ farm system isn’t great, obviously, but this is a good start in building something stable. Use the international scouting department and build a pipeline by not only going after the headliners. You find the Chan-min Parks of the world, develop them properly, and hope one of them turns into something real.

Nothing to get overly excited about today. But file the name away. A 6-foot-3 teenager throwing 94 with four pitches and a polished delivery is worth keeping an eye on.