Chan Ho Park – What Could Have Been
By Mike Silva ~ October 28th, 2009. Filed under: Mike Silva.
It’s easy to forget that Chan Ho Park was a New York Met for about five minutes. His inauspicious start and poor performance at New Orleans will not go down in the great annuls of Mets history. What I do think about is why the Mets didn’t try park in a relief role.
I do remember resistance from Park when Willie Randolph suggested the bullpen as a possibility in the spring of 2007. In reality it was the best thing for him since Park hasn’t been an effective starter since leaving the Dodgers in 2001. Park has essentially been a reliever since 2008 and posted an ERA+ of 125 with LA in 08’ and then a shade under 10 strikeouts per nine innings, along with an ERA in the mid two’s, with Philadelphia this season.
After watching Guillermo Mota, Luis Ayala, Jorge Sosa, and Aaron Heilman fail in relief roles you wonder if Park could have been a difference maker for the Mets out of the pen in 2007 and 2008. It seems it took career mortality for Park to accept his “demotion”, but after his performance this season you have to think he may have revived his career.
Think about how bad the Phils bullpen would have been at various points this season without the performance of Park. It appears he will also be called upon to get big outs in the late innings this World Series. Some of these quality innings from Park could have certainly made the difference for the 2007-2008 Mets.
