A’s, Hoy Park Agree To Minor League Deal

The A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with utility player Hoy Park, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He’d reached minor league free agency at season’s end.

Park spent the entire 2023 campaign with the Braves’ Triple-A team in Gwinnett. Atlanta had run him through outright waivers last offseason. The 27-year-old had a decent season, hitting .262/.385/.379 through 389 plate appearances. Park drew walks in a huge 15.4% of his trips against an average 22.1% strikeout rate. He stole 16 bases in 18 attempts while hitting six home runs.

The lefty-hitting Park has a solid minor league track record. He has ridden a patient plate approach to a .258/.385/.402 batting line in just over 1000 Triple-A plate appearances. Park hasn’t carried that over against big league pitching, hitting .201/.291/.346 in 68 games between 2021-22. Virtually all of that playing time came with the Pirates, but Park has also spent time in the Yankees, Red Sox and Braves organizations.

Park has played mostly second or third base during his limited big league action. He has experience at shortstop and spent the bulk of his time in Gwinnett in right field. While Park doesn’t have a ton of power, his plate discipline and defensive versatility give him a shot to compete for a bench role in Spring Training.