Shin-Soo Choo
Encyclopedia
Shin-Soo Choo is a South Korea
n professional baseball
outfielder
with the Cleveland Indians
of Major League Baseball
in the United States
.
Choo was selected as the Most Valuable Player and Best Pitcher of the 2000 World Junior Baseball Championship
as South Korea won the event. Choo signed a $1.35M contract with the Mariners after the championship and converted to the outfield.
on April 21, with the Class A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in , but spent most of the 2005 season and the first half of the season in the minor leagues with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers
. Batted .068 in a handful of major league at-bats over two years. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with minor leaguer Shawn Nottingham on July 26, 2006, for first baseman
Ben Broussard
.
, a AAA team in the International League
affiliated with the Indians, before being called up on April 23, 2007 to take the place of the injured third baseman Andy Marté
. He was optioned back to Buffalo on May 3. Choo missed several months of the 2007 season due to injury, and in September 2007 underwent Tommy John surgery
on his left elbow.
Player of the Month for September Award.
. During that season, he broke his own records for home runs, RBIs, stolen bases and hits. On July 3, Choo hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven runs in the Indians' 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics
.
On October 3, 2009, Choo hit his 20th homer off of Paul Byrd
of the Boston Red Sox
, thus joining the 20-20 club. He is the first Asian to accomplish this feat in the Major Leagues. He was also the only player in the AL to have a .300 average, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases at the same time. He finished the season with 20 home runs, 21 steals, 86 RBI, and a .300 batting average.
. Boras is known for his high profile MLB clientele and for his ability to broker huge contracts for his clients. Choo will be eligible for arbitration after the 2010 season and will become a free agent after the 2013 season. Choo hit three home runs in an away game against the Kansas City Royals on September 17, 2010. He first hit a 2-run homer 420 ft to right in the top of the 4th inning. In his next at bat, in the top of the 6th, he hit a towering grand slam to deep center. In the top of the 8th Choo hit a 405 ft solo homer over the right field wall. Choo finished the game a 3-run homer away from the elusive "home run cycle". On September 19, 2010, Choo again reached the 20-20 club of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the second straight year. He also led the AL right fielders in assists with 14.
pitcher Johnathan Sanchez on his left thumb. The resulting fracture kept him out for most of the season. In mid-September, Choo suffered severe back pains that, on September 15th, put him once again on the DL. Choo was done for the year after that injury.
(via Breathalyzer test) was reportedly 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit in the state.
Korean roster. Cleveland allowed Choo to play under the condition that he play only one game or less as an outfielder in the first round, and only in two non-consecutive games of the second round. Cleveland lifted this restriction from the semifinals on, and Choo started as an outfielder in the semifinal match against Venezuela
. He helped Korea win 10-2 against Venezuela with a three-run home run against Carlos Silva in the first inning. He also contributed a solo home run in the fifth inning at the finals against Hisashi Iwakuma
of Japan
, where Korea lost to Japan 3-5.
.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Choo was selected as the Most Valuable Player and Best Pitcher of the 2000 World Junior Baseball Championship
World Junior Baseball Championship
The IBAF AAA World Junior Championships is an under-18 international baseball competition sponsored by the International Baseball Federation , which was first held in 1981 in United States...
as South Korea won the event. Choo signed a $1.35M contract with the Mariners after the championship and converted to the outfield.
2005-2006: Seattle Mariners
Choo made his Major League Baseball debut with the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
on April 21, with the Class A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in , but spent most of the 2005 season and the first half of the season in the minor leagues with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
. Batted .068 in a handful of major league at-bats over two years. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with minor leaguer Shawn Nottingham on July 26, 2006, for first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Ben Broussard
Ben Broussard
Benjamin Isaac Broussard is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman. He is currently a musician. Broussard was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft...
.
2006: Cleveland Indians
Two days after being traded, Choo hit a solo home run against his former club in a 1-0 Indians victory. In 45 games with the Indians, he batted .295 (43 for 146) with 3 home runs and 22 RBI.2007
He spent the first few weeks of the regular season with the Buffalo BisonsBuffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, a AAA team in the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
affiliated with the Indians, before being called up on April 23, 2007 to take the place of the injured third baseman Andy Marté
Andy Marté
Andy Manuel Marté is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in Major League Baseball. On December 1, 2010, Marte signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.-Career:Marté signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, and succeeded at...
. He was optioned back to Buffalo on May 3. Choo missed several months of the 2007 season due to injury, and in September 2007 underwent Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
on his left elbow.
2008
In the 2008 season, Choo was called up on May 31 and spent the rest of the season with the Indians. He finished the season (after 317 at-bats) with a .309 batting average, 98 hits, 14 home runs, and 66 RBI. His 98 hits and 66 RBI are also a new record for most hits and RBI by a Korean-born player in the MLB. Thanks to a hot September where he put up a .400 batting average, 34 hits, 5 home runs, and 24 RBI, Choo was awarded the American LeagueAmerican League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Player of the Month for September Award.
2009
In February 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. During that season, he broke his own records for home runs, RBIs, stolen bases and hits. On July 3, Choo hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven runs in the Indians' 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
On October 3, 2009, Choo hit his 20th homer off of Paul Byrd
Paul Byrd
Paul Gregory Byrd is an American professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher who is currently a free agent. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2009. He is known as being the "nicest guy in baseball"...
of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, thus joining the 20-20 club. He is the first Asian to accomplish this feat in the Major Leagues. He was also the only player in the AL to have a .300 average, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases at the same time. He finished the season with 20 home runs, 21 steals, 86 RBI, and a .300 batting average.
2010
On February 26, 2010, Choo hired baseball super-agent, Scott BorasScott Boras
Scott Boras is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, Calif. that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients, including many of the game's highest-profile players...
. Boras is known for his high profile MLB clientele and for his ability to broker huge contracts for his clients. Choo will be eligible for arbitration after the 2010 season and will become a free agent after the 2013 season. Choo hit three home runs in an away game against the Kansas City Royals on September 17, 2010. He first hit a 2-run homer 420 ft to right in the top of the 4th inning. In his next at bat, in the top of the 6th, he hit a towering grand slam to deep center. In the top of the 8th Choo hit a 405 ft solo homer over the right field wall. Choo finished the game a 3-run homer away from the elusive "home run cycle". On September 19, 2010, Choo again reached the 20-20 club of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the second straight year. He also led the AL right fielders in assists with 14.
2011
Choo showed promise in spring training, hitting for a .322 average and smashing 3 Home runs in 19 games. However, Choo's season fell apart quickly. In what was his worst season as a Cleveland Indian, Choo hit for 8 home runs, a .259 average, 12 stolen bases, and 36 RBI while accumulating 78 strike-outs and only 36 Base-on-Balls in 313 At-Bats. On June 24th, Choo was hit by San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
pitcher Johnathan Sanchez on his left thumb. The resulting fracture kept him out for most of the season. In mid-September, Choo suffered severe back pains that, on September 15th, put him once again on the DL. Choo was done for the year after that injury.
Drunken Driving Arrest
Early on the morning on Monday, May 4, 2011, Choo was arrested and charged with drunken driving in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. Pulled over by police around 2:25am for due to his vehicle weaving, Choo's blood alcohol contentBlood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
(via Breathalyzer test) was reportedly 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit in the state.
World Baseball Classic
Choo was on the 2009 World Baseball Classic2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
Korean roster. Cleveland allowed Choo to play under the condition that he play only one game or less as an outfielder in the first round, and only in two non-consecutive games of the second round. Cleveland lifted this restriction from the semifinals on, and Choo started as an outfielder in the semifinal match against Venezuela
Venezuela national baseball team
The Venezuela national baseball team is the national team of Venezuela. They are currently ranked seventh in the world by the International Baseball Federation.-World Baseball Classic:...
. He helped Korea win 10-2 against Venezuela with a three-run home run against Carlos Silva in the first inning. He also contributed a solo home run in the fifth inning at the finals against Hisashi Iwakuma
Hisashi Iwakuma
is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently the starting pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.As the Eagles' reigning staff ace, Iwakuma won the Eiji Sawamura Award in and played in the 2004 Athens Olympics as well as the 2009 World Baseball Classic for the Japanese...
of Japan
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
, where Korea lost to Japan 3-5.
.