FOX Sports North Midweek Stock Report for April 20
Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who is making a big impact (like South Korean slugger Byung Ho Park), and who is quickly plummeting.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in Minnesota.
Byung Ho Park, Twins designated hitter
Park Bang, indeed. The former KBO home run king has been living up to his pedigree early on, and has hit three home runs over his last four games, four overall, good enough for eighth in the majors. This past week, Park batted .318 with an .818 slugging percentage to up his season slash line to 233/313/558.
Erik Haula, Wild forward
Haula's return galvanized the Wild in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars, and salvaged Minnesota's chances against the league's top offense following a pair of road losses. The third-year winger scored and nabbed an assist to help the Wild to a 5-3 win at Xcel Energy Center that cut Dallas series lead to 2-1 with another game in Minnesota on tap Wednesday.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves center
Towns capped off his rookie season with a huge performance against the New Orleans Pelicans, powering the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 144-109 win, a franchise record for total points. Towns led the Wolves in scoring with 28 points and added 14 rebounds to pick up yet another double-double.
Sam Mitchell, former Wolves coach
The passing of beloved team president Flip Saunders thrust Mitchell into the spotlight, and while the wins never quite materialized, the former Wolves assistant managed the team's young core well. Guards Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins progressed under Mitchell's tutelage, while Towns took the NBA by storm as a rookie. The Wolves' desire to move on following a 29-win season is understandable, but it's hard not to feel for Mitchell given the circumstances.
Zach Parise, Wild forward
Parise's situation went from mildly concerning to downright alarming after his absence from the Wild's regular-season finale -- initially labeled "maintenance" by coach John Torchetti -- was downgraded to an indefinite absence. The star winger's back issues could require surgery, while his availability for the rest of the playoffs remains in doubt.
Byron Buxton, Twins center fielder
One of the top-rated prospects in the majors over the last few years, Buxton is off to a slow start after cracking the Twins' lineup out of spring training. Buxton has just five hits in 33 at-bats this season and was just 1 for 11 (.091) last week. His speed was on full display as he stretched a shot to the left-field corner into a triple during a win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, but his .152 batting average is cause for concern.
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