Batting average .297 Name Park Hae-min Stolen bases 36 | RBI 31 Home runs 1 | |
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Park Hae-Min (Hangul: 박해민) (born February 24, 1990 in Seoul, South Korea) is a South Korean outfielder for the Samsung Lions in the Korea Baseball Organization. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
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Amateur career
Upon graduation from Shinil High School in Seoul, Park was eligible for the 2008 KBO Draft but went undrafted. Instead, he entered Hanyang University to continue to play baseball.
Park had mediocre freshman and sophomore seasons, but finally showed signs of promise in his junior year in 2010 when he led the team attack alongside Ko Jong-Wook, posting a .299 batting average.
In 2011, Park was moved to the leadoff role right after the team's four-year leadoff hitter Ko Jong-wook graduated from school. In July 2011, Park won the batting title with a .452 batting average at the 2011 National Summer League Championship, going 14-for-31 as the team's leadoff hitter. Park finished his last collegiate season with a career-best .429 batting average which was ranked first in the 2011 national collegiate season, 11 RBI and 7 stolen bases. In September 2011, Park was called up to the South Korean national baseball team for the 2011 Baseball World Cup held in Panama. Park went 3-for-4 in the Team Korea's first game against Venezuela. He blasted a game-tying three-run homer off Darío Veras in the ninth inning of the Team Korea's last Round 1 game against Dominican Republic which ended with a Korea's 5-4 victory.
2012 KBO Draft
When Park, the 2011 college batting champion, made himself eligible for the KBO draft after his senior season at Hanyang University, many expected him to be an early-round pick. However, some scouting reports highlighted his lack of prototypical height, inability to hit home runs and questioned his defensive abilities, and Park eventually did not hear his name called in the 2012 KBO Draft. A week later, he signed with the Samsung Lions as an undrafted free agent.
Samsung Lions
In 2012, Park played his professional rookie season with the Lions' farm league affiliate. In the 2012 KBO Futures League for the reserve teams, he batted .254 with 20 RBI and 3 stolen bases. Park made his first KBO League appearance on September 13, 2013, as a pinch runner for Choi Hyoung-woo, who had singled, but did not score.
In 2014 Park had a breakout season, making 119 appearances as a starting center fielder for the Lions, and batting .297 with 31 RBI and 36 stolen bases. He was ranked fifth overall in stolen bases and third in the 2014 KBO Rookie of the Year Award.