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Manager Rob Thomson Philadelphia Phillies blows a bubble.
The Phillies agreed to sign a 17-year-old South Korean pitcher this week.
The Philadelphia Phillies are quietly adding one of the international market’s most coveted teenage arms, agreeing to a $1.2 million deal with 17-year-old South Korean right-hander Chan-min Park, according to a report Wednesday by Beisbol FR journalist Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. The seven-figure sum is the largest bonus paid to any pitcher in the current 2025–2026 international signing period, Romero reported.
The agreement still needs to be officially signed, but multiple industry sources confirmed to Romero that the deal is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. MiLB.com reporter Joe Doyle first reported the news on X (formerly Twitter).
For a club that has aggressively targeted high-upside arms this cycle, Park represents both a long-term investment and one of the most intriguing bets in its international pipeline.
“Park (6-3, 205) is up to 94 and can really spin it,” Doyle wrote in his report. “He’s got four pitches and a polished operation and throws strikes.” The teen pitcher already throws a fastball, slider, curveball and splitter that doubles as a changeup, according to Doyle’s report.
What Kind of Pitcher is Chan-min Park?
At 6-foot-3 and 200-plus pounds, Park, even at his youthful age, boasts the kind of physique that immediately draws attention on the international market. According to Romero’s reporting, scouts who watched him during talent showcases held in South Korea during March and April highlighted his natural strike-throwing ability and fastball that typically sits between 89 and 93 mph from a three-quarter arm slot. His breaking ball generates between 2,400 and 2,600 rpm of spin, according to Romero’s report.
That combination of size, command and spin rate was enough for Korean baseball evaluators to project Park as a top-three selection in the 2026 KBO Draft. But Park won’t be playing pro ball in his native country, choosing instead to sign directly with a Major League organization, a path increasingly utilized by elite Korean prospects in recent years.
The high school that produced Park has perhaps the most distinguished baseball pedigree in the Republic of Korea. Gwangju Jeil High School, also known as Gwangju Ilgo, has produced more MLB players than any other high school in the country, Romero reported. Notable alumni include Byung Hyun Kim, Hee Seop Choi and Jung Ho Kang. In 2025, Seong Jun Kim, a two-way prospect from the same school, signed with the Texas Rangers and became the first player to go directly from a Korean high school to a Major League organization without passing through the KBO Draft.
Philadelphia Phillies Used McGarry Trade Pool Money to Land Chan-min Park
Philadelphia did not have unlimited resources to make this deal happen. The Phillies engineered a trade earlier this cycle, sending right-hander Griff McGarry to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for $500,000 in international bonus pool money. The Phillies used that cash to cover almost half of Park’s signing bonus, according to a report by Sporting News writer Conor Liguori.
The Phillies have made pitching the clear priority of their current international cycle. Of the 25 players the organization signed as of April, 15 were pitchers. Park would become the 16th, according to Romero’s reporting. Philadelphia also signed Venezuelan outfield prospect Francisco Renteria for $4 million and shortstop Juan Parra for $600,000 earlier in the period.
The Phillies will almost certainly assign Park to their rookie complex in Clearwater, Fla., to begin his development. But at 17, with his four-pitch arsenal and promising physical build, Park enters the Philadelphia system as one of its most intriguing international investments. The payoff on that investment won’t come quickly, but if Park’s development tracks as evaluators expect, the Phillies may look back on this signing as one of the most impactful long-term additions of their current international cycle.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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