Hee-seop Choi
| Hee-seop Choi | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in 120 | | |
| KBO statistics | ||
| Batting average | .291 | |
| Home runs | 100 | |
| Runs batted in | 393 | |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | ||
| Teams | ||
| ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
| ||
| Hee-seop Choi | |
| Hangul | 최희섭 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Huiseop |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Hŭisŏp |
Hee-seop Choi (. He was the first Korean-born position player to play in the major leagues.
Early life and amateur career
Choi was born in Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea on March 19, 1979. He graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School[1] in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1998. He attended Korea University in 1998 and was a member of the South Korea national baseball team that finished second in the 1998 Baseball World Cup. He was scouted and signed by Leon Lee, the father of former major league first baseman Derrek Lee. Coincidentally, he later was traded to the Marlins for Lee.
Professional career
Chicago Cubs
Beginning in 1999, Choi spent four seasons in the Cubs minor league system and was considered to be one of the organization's top prospects. On September 3, 2002, Choi made his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers and became the first Korean-born position player to play in the Major Leagues.
In
Florida Marlins
With his new team, Choi began the 2004 season impressively batting .295 with nine home runs and 18 RBIs in April. But his stay with the Marlins was a brief one. On July 30, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Brad Penny and minor league pitcher Bill Murphy for Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota, and Juan Encarnación.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Choi went on to bat only .161 for the remainder of the 2004 season with the Dodgers, leading many to criticize the Dodgers'
Choi's production picked up during the 2005 season as he played in 133 games that season and posted a .253 batting average, while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 42 runs. The highlight of Choi's season came during a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins from June 10–12, when he accomplished the rare feat of hitting six home runs in a three-game series.
However, during the
Post-Dodgers
Choi represented South Korea in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, in which his most significant contribution was hitting a three-run pinch-hit home run against Team USA.
Choi spent the entire 2006 season with
On December 1, 2006, Choi signed a minor league contract with the
Kia Tigers
On May 14, 2007, Choi signed with the Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization. In his KBO debut game, He went 0-for-5 against the Doosan Bears.[3] Choi finished his first KBO season with a .337 batting average, 7 home runs and 45 RBI, playing in 52 games.
Choi began the 2008 season in a slump due to a waist injury, finishing the month of April with a batting average of just .208 and going 25-for-120 to close out the month, and was then demoted to the Korean minor league affiliate of the Kia Tigers. In July, he returned to the 26-man first-team roster, but finished the season with disappointing offensive numbers, batting .229 with only 6 home runs and 22 RBI.
In
On December 11, 2009, he obtained his first KBO League Golden Glove Award nomination for his play at 1st base.[5][6]
In
In 2011, Choi was limited to 70 games due to injury. He hit .281, with 9 home runs and 37 RBI.
In 2012, Choi hit .252, with 7 home runs and 42 RBI in another injury-plagued season.
In 2013, Choi hit .258, with 11 home runs and 42 RBI. After the season, he underwent knee surgery.
Achievements
- 2009 Runs Leader (KBO)
- 2009 Golden Glove Award (First baseman)
All-Star appearances
- Choi was one of eight representatives in the 2005 Home Run Derby, representing South Korea.[8] Although he lasted only one round, he matched The Netherlands' representative, Andruw Jones, with a total of five home runs. He did not feature in the All-Star game.
References
- ^ Keh, Andrew (October 3, 2015). "School Spirit May Be Metaphysical for South Korean Baseball Players". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ "MLB - Cubs' Choi hurt in violent collision with Wood". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 7, 2003. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Choi debuts in Korean baseball league". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ (in Korean) 'CK포 11타점 합작' KIA, 두산 격파…두산 3위 추락 – OSEN
- ^ (in Korean)1루수 수상 최희섭, "山과 술 한 잔 하고 싶다"
- ^ (in Korean) KIA, GG 수상자 4명 배출…최다득표 김현수(종합)
- ^ "[2010 올스타전]최희섭, 예비신부 가족 앞서 '130m 최장거리포 작렬'".
- ^ Schlegel, John (July 11, 2005). "Choi takes his cuts in Home Run Derby". MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Career statistics and player information from Korea Baseball Organization