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Shin-Soo Choo

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Shin-Soo Choo
추신수
Cincinnati Reds – No. 17
Center fielder
Born: (1982-07-13) July 13, 1982 (age 42)
Busan, South Korea
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
debut
April 21, 2005, for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics
(through 2013 season)
Batting average.288
Home runs104
Runs batted in427
Hits900
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Cleveland Indians Man of the Year award (2009)
  • Bob Feller Man of the Year award (2010)
Shin-Soo Choo
Medal record
Men's baseball
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2009 Los Angeles Team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guangzhou Team
Choo Shin-Soo
Choo running to home plate in 2008.
Korean name
Hangul
추신수
Hanja
秋信守
Revised RomanizationChu Sin-su
McCune–ReischauerCh'u Sin-su

Template:Korean name

Shin-Soo Choo (Korean: 추신수; Hanja: 秋信守; born July 13, 1982) is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Choo was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Pitcher of the 2000 World Junior Baseball Championship as South Korea won the event. Choo signed a $1.35 million contract with the Mariners after the championship and converted to the outfield.

Career

2005–2006: Seattle Mariners

Choo made his Major League Baseball debut with the Seattle Mariners on April 21, with the Class A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2005, but spent most of the 2005 season and the first half of the 2006 season in the minor leagues with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. He 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.

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 three home runs and 22 RBIs.

2007

He spent the first few weeks of the 2007 regular season with the Buffalo Bisons, a Triple-A 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.[1] He was optioned back to Buffalo on May 3.[2] Choo missed several months of the 2007 season due to injury and in September 2007 underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.[citation needed]

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 RBIs. His hit and RBI totals were also a new record 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 RBIs, Choo was named the AL Player of the Month.[3]

2009

In February 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the Indians.[4] 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 a career-high seven RBIs in an Indians 15–3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. On October 3, 2009, Choo hit his twentieth 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[citation needed]. 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 RBIs, and a .300 batting average.

2010

On February 26, 2010, Choo hired baseball agent Scott Boras.[5] Choo became eligible for arbitration after the 2010 season and will become a free agent after the 2013 season[citation needed]. Choo hit three home runs in a road game against the Kansas City Royals on September 17, 2010. He first hit a two-run homer 420 ft to right in the top of the fourth inning. In his next at bat he hit a towering grand slam to deep center. In the top of the eighth Choo hit a 405 ft solo homer over the right field wall. Choo finished the game a three-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.[6]

2011

Choo showed promise in spring training, hitting for a .322 average with three home runs in 19 games. However, Choo's season fell apart quickly. In what was his worst statistical season as an Indian, Choo finished the season with eight home runs, a .259 batting average, 12 stolen bases, and 36 RBIs while accumulating 78 strikeouts and 36 walks in 313 at-bats. On June 24th, Choo was hit by San Francisco Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez on his left thumb. The resulting fracture kept him out for six weeks.[7] In the first game of a double header on August 23, a game in which during an earthquake he hit a double, Choo hit a walk-off home run against his former club, the Seattle Mariners. It was the first of his career. In mid-September, Choo suffered severe back pains which put him once again on the disabled list on September 15, which ended his season.[citation needed].

2012

Choo signs autographs for fans prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

On April 14 in a game against the Kansas City Royals which would see bench clearings by both teams, Choo was hit by Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez on his right knee. It was a pitch from Sanchez that hit Choo in 2011, resulting in a broken thumb and nearly two months on the disabled list. Choo would finish the game and win it for the Indians in the tenth inning when he hit a two-run double.[8] On April 24, Choo left in the eighth inning in a game versus the Royals after suffering a mild hamstring strain.[9] Choo would return on May 2 in a 6–3 Indians win versus the Chicago White Sox.[10] On May 24 in series finale home game against the Detroit Tigers, Choo hit a second-deck home run off of Tigers starter Justin Verlander in the first inning. That was Choo's first career lead-off home run. The Indians won that game 2-1, finishing the sweep against the Tigers.

2013: Cincinnati Reds

On December 11, 2012, Choo was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with Jason Donald in a three team, nine player deal also involving the Arizona Diamondbacks. The trade brought Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers, Bryan Shaw, and Drew Stubbs to the Cleveland Indians.[11] On February 11, 2013, Choo avoided arbitration with his new team, the Reds, by agreeing to a one-year, $7.375 million deal, the exact midpoint between both sides.[12] In April 2013, Choo set a Reds franchise record for most hit by pitches in a month.

On May 8, 2013, Choo hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning in a game with the Atlanta Braves. It was his second walk-off home run in Major League Baseball.[13] On August 27 in a game against the St Louis Cardinals, Choo hit his 100th career home run. On October 2, 2013 Choo hit the homerun in the bottom of the 8th inning in a game with Pittsburgh Pirates as wildcard game. He is the first batter who hit the homerun in the Major League Baseball Postseason as a Korean player.[14]

World Baseball Classic

Choo was on the 2009 World Baseball Classic 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.[15] 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 in the finals against Hisashi Iwakuma of Japan, where Korea lost to Japan 5–3.

Personal

Family and friends

Choo and his wife Won-Mi Ha have three children, Alan, Aiden, and Abigail.[16] Choo is the nephew of park jeong tae who is the one of the best player of Korea baseball player[17] Choo is a close friend of Lee Dae-Ho, first baseman for the Orix Buffaloes, since attending the same elementary school together.[18]

Drunk driving arrest

Early on the morning on Monday, May 4, 2011, Choo was arrested and charged with drunk driving in Sheffield Lake, Ohio.[19] Pulled over by police around 2:25am because of his vehicle weaving, Choo's blood alcohol content (via Breathalyzer test) was reportedly 0.20%, more than twice the legal limit in the state.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Transactions – April 2007". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Transactions – May 2007". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Shin-Soo Choo Stats, Video Highlights, Photos, Bio". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  4. ^ Hoynes, Paul (February 2, 2009). "Cleveland Indians sign nine to one-year contracts". Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH: Advanced Media. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  5. ^ Adams, Luke (February 26, 2010). "Shin-Soo Choo Hires Scott Boras". Mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  6. ^ "Shin-Soo Choo Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  7. ^ Hoynes, Paul (April 10, 2012). "Shin-soo Choo praising thumb guard after another HBP". Plain Dealer. Cleveland, OH: Advance Media. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  8. ^ "Indians hang on to beat Royals 11–9 in 10 innings". SI.com. New York, NY: Time Warner. April 14, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  9. ^ Bastian, Jordan (April 28, 2012). "Indians remain cautious with injured Choo". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  10. ^ "Santana, Hafner homer as Indians beat White Sox". SI.com. New York, NY: Time Warner. Associated Press. May 2, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  11. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121211&content_id=40619926&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
  12. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben (February 11, 2013). "Reds, Choo Avoid Arbitration". MLB Trade Rumors.
  13. ^ "Choo's HR lifts Reds over Braves". Channel A. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  14. ^ http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/nwtoday/article/3348454_5782.html
  15. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (March 4, 2009). "Choo's injury complicated for Indians". Mlb.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
  16. ^ Unknown (2013-03-28). "Shin Soo Choo's wife Won Mi Ha Choo". playerwives.com. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  17. ^ http://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1109316761
  18. ^ tarafraney (2013-02-10). "A Shin-Soo Choo Movie + Bonus Choo HS Stats". Aerys Sports. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  19. ^ "Indians' Choo charged with DUI". SI.com. New York, NY: Time Warner. May 3, 2011.
  20. ^ "Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo apologizes to team, fans for DUI arrest". Plain Dealer. Advance Media. May 3, 2011.
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