In what could be considered a minor upset, Chan Ho Park has defeated a field of pitchers to win a position in the Phillies starting rotation. When Park signed in January, it came amid some controversy when he told a Korean newspaper he would have a chance to compete for the job. Consider it settled after distancing himself from the pack with a very solid spring.
It was a wide open battle, with Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco falling out of favor early on, creating the head-to-head battle with J.A. Happ. Neither player made it a simple decision, but Park had the edge with a 2.53 ERA and 25 strikeouts to 2 walks in 21 1/3 innings.
Park had struggled as a fulltime starter in Texas, which led to him bouncing around and winding up in the Dodgers bullpen. Whatever he did there, he seems to have gotten himself right and is poised to have a huge impact this year, and I'm not talking about the Adam Eaton-variety. There was some adverse reaction to the idea he could start here when he signed, but that seems like ages ago. He clearly earned the opportunity.
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Meanwhile, Happ could pitch out of the bullpen, which may be the only downside to the whole thing. You'd like to give the kid a chance and see what he could do, but in Park the Phillies have a known commodity who once pitched at an All Star level. If nothing else, Happ gives the club a guy who can step in to the rotation if the need arises. It's also a possibility he starts the season in Triple A.
Back to Park, what a tremendous signing this turns out to be if a nice spring translates into quality season. Guess that promise didn't work out too bad after all.