Choi excited to make opening day roster
SAN DIEGO – Ji-Man Choi was not worried Thursday morning about how long his stay with the Milwaukee Brewers might be. All he knew was he was wearing a big-league uniform on opening day.
“I was extremely happy when I heard the news,” said Choi, kept as an additional position player with the decision to open with six relief pitchers instead of seven.
“I knew the team was thinking about it all the way through, and I was just really excited when I heard I made the opening day roster. I didn’t want to think like I was going to make it. I wanted to just take it as it was.
Choi had a huge camp, batting.409 with three home runs, 10 runs batted in and a 1.247 OPS. But he admitted it was difficult not to think about whether he’d make the roster or not.
“It’s extremely tough,” said Choi, who jumped to a $850,000 big-league salary with the decision. “It takes a toll on you. But I just trusted in the results I put out and was happy the result was good.”
The decision also meant translator Daniel Cho would be with the team, but it is expected to be a very short stay for both. The Brewers have an agreement with reliever Dan Jennings, who was released by Tampa Bay, pending a physical exam. That announcement could come as early as Saturday.
“It’s not something that I decide, ultimately,” Choi said. “I just want an opportunity. Just being on the roster is a really good feeling, so I’m trying not to think about that too much.”
General manager David Stearns declined to confirm the Jennings deal, sticking to his policy of waiting until the physical is completed. But the move follows past additions of relievers Carlos Torres and Jared Hughes at the end of the last two spring trainings.
“We’ve proven in the past that we’re open, if there’s the right fit, to bring in somebody at the end of camp,” Stearns said. “We think it has benefitted it in the past. If we’re able to accomplish something this year, we’re hopeful it will benefit us as well.”
Jennings was cut by the Rays rather than pay him a $2.4 million salary. His bigleague deal with the Brewers is expected to be for less than $1 million.
The original thought was that either Choi or another backup first baseman, Jesús Aguilar, would make the roster. Aguilar fueled speculation Wednesday that he had been traded to Detroit when folks noticed he had “new Tiger” on his Twitter profile page.
Aguilar was a new Tiger, but not of Detroit. Back home in Venezuela, he had been traded from the Caracas Leones to the Aragua Tigers, a winter ball transaction. After translator Carlos Brizuela informed him of the speculation, Aguilar changed the profile to read “Tigres de Aragua.”
“I didn’t know until (Brizuela) called me,” Aguilar said. “I was happy to go to Aragua. It’s where I am from. It’s my home team.”
Aguilar said it was “a tough moment” waiting for word that he made the opening day roster.
But, even when Choi leaves, he is not certain of the same playing time he had last season behind starting first baseman Eric Thames because Ryan Braun will see action there as well, getting the start in the opener.
“I’m still a little in-between but that’s what we’ve got,” Aguilar said. “I just want to stay positive. If they need me, I’m going to be there. We have a lot of people (at first base), but I’m still here.”
Familiar surroundings: After righthander Jhoulys Chacín signed a twoyear, free-agent deal with the Brewers in late December, the first thing he did was check the team’s 2018 schedule. He immediately broke into a big smile.
Chacín saw the Brewers opened the season in San Diego.
“I said, ‘That might be my first game,’ ” Chacín recalled. “That made me laugh. It’s funny.”
Chacín’s humor stemmed from the fact that he pitched for the Padres last season, with a ridiculously good record at home: 9-3, 1.79 ERA in 16 starts, with a 0.977 WHIP and .175 opponents batting average. Conversely, he fared quite poorly on the road, going 4-7 with a 6.53 ERA in 16 outings, with a 1.638 WHIP and .302 OBA.
The 30-year-old veteran didn’t know at the time where he’d fit in the Brewers’ rotation, but manager Craig Counsell quickly penciled him in to the No. 2 spot, assuring he’d pitch at Petco.