Choi sees chance to lead, win
Hopes shift ban will aid production
A few minutes after the Pirates added four players to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, Ji-Man Choi met with the media for the first time since last week’s trade.
The Pirates’ new first baseman was asked about several things, including his elbow (which required surgery), why he thinks he can bounce back following a down year and whether he has any connections with the city.
Here are five things to know from that Zoom call.
1. Tyler Glasnow gave him a scouting report on Pittsburgh.
Traded to the Pirates from the Rays, Glasnow was an obvious source for intel. Ditto for fellow South Koreans Ji Hwan Bae and Hoy Park, players already on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.
As for what Glasnow said …
“[Glasnow] told me a lot of good things about the city and the club itself,” Choi said, with Daniel Park translating. Choi didn’t expound on what those things might be, but one would presume they didn’t include the organization’s old pitching development program.
2. Choi downplayed a recent procedure he had on his elbow, describing it as a chipped bone that he had to have removed.
“It’s nothing major,” Choi said. “The rehab shouldn’t take that long, either. I’m confident that I’ll be available in time for spring training.”
This is consistent with what general manager Ben Cherington said. It’s also important Choi is healthy because he ascribed his down 2022, at least in part, to his elbow giving him trouble.
In 113 games this past summer, Choi hit .233 with a .729 OPS, well below his
is career mark of .773. He also struck out a career-high 123 times in 419 plate appearances (29.4%).
During his final 60 games, Choi struck out 30.9% of the time and hit just .190.
“Throughout the season I felt that my elbow was a bit swollen,” Choi said. “It was hard to extend my arms. Just felt a little uncomfortable throughout the whole season.”
3. As the most experienced player on the Pirates’ roster, Choi knows he’ll be counted upon for veteran leadership.
It stands to reason that Bae and Park have told Choi what he’ll be getting in Pittsburgh: an extremely young clubhouse and organization looking to build from within.
Choi said that’s fine, that he experienced something similar when he got to Tampa in 2018. A lot of young guys looking for direction.
“If I use my background and experience, I should have no problem,” Choi said. “I’m trying to bring everyone together and create a good synergy for the team.”
Choi has 5.076 years of service, which eclipsed Robert Stephenson’s mark of 5.049.
The Pirates have only seven players with three or more years of service time, and that number could drop if they do anything with Kevin Newman or Duane Underwood Jr. on or around Friday’s non-tender deadline.
4. The shift hurt Choi last season, and he’s confident he’ll fare much better without it.
A left-handed hitter, Choi saw shifts 83.9% of the time last season, a career-high. His weighted on-base average against them was just .304, the second-lowest in his career during a season in which he amassed 100 or more plate appearances.
When not shifted, meanwhile, Choi’s wOBA increased to .415, meaning he hit into plenty of outs. The shift, of course, will be outlawed in 2023 and beyond.
“With the shift being not available next season, I feel like there’s going to be a higher chance of me getting a base hit and helping the team win the game,” Choi said.
5. Overall, Choi feels that he’s poised for a bounce-back season.
And, given the reaction to this deal from the outside, it would certainly assuage some concerns for that to happen.
Choi might be a placeholder for someone else to take over at first base, but he’ll make more than $4 million via arbitration and simply must perform better than he did in 2023.
“I’m always going to prepare well for the season,” Choi said when asked what gives him confidence that he might perform better in 2023. “In preparation for the season, I think the biggest goal of mine is to have statistics better than last season. But also something bigger than that is not having an injury throughout the whole season and being healthy.”