The San Diego Padres’ Ji-Man Choi, 32, has been playing in the major leagues for quite some time, having arrived in the United States in 2010.
His cheerful personality and stick-to-it-iveness allowed him to build his career from the rookie leagues, even with the Seattle Mariners, and even after moving away from his natural position of catcher, Choi has shown that he can play the outfield and first base with very good defense. Although he has had to bounce around from team to team, there are few Korean major leaguers who have had a career like this. He’s still in his early 30s, so he’s still capable of hitting 30+ home runs if he finds a team that recognizes his value.
For Choi, 2023 is shaping up to be an unforgettable year.
First, his living situation has changed. He started out in Pittsburgh with Bae Ji-hwan, but switched to San Diego just before the trade deadline to join another Korean big leaguer, Kim Ha-seong. While his role in San Diego hasn’t been as extensive, he’s done what he can, and along with Kim, he’s been a breath of fresh air. On the season, he’s batting .183 with six home runs and 11 RBIs as a backup utility man. With a little bit of a spurt, it shouldn’t be hard for him to hit double-digit home runs for the third straight year and reach 70 in his career.
During the season, Choi had to deal with another piece of news. It was the retirement of his “best friend” Kim Byung-hee. Back in 2009, the two were best friends in the third grade at Dongshan High School and were part of the team’s 3-4 batting order. “I think he’s one of the best high school shortstops in Korea,” Choi said at the time. As expected, Kim Byung-hee went on to excel at Dongguk University before joining KT as a special designation. The news of his best friend’s retirement could not have been more heartbreaking.
During his time at Dongsan High School, Choi was one of the “three best friends” along with Kim Byung-hee and ace Kim Kyung-tae. In a 2009 interview on Dongsango’s campus, he boasted of his extraordinary alma mater/teammate love, saying, “Someday I’ll be the head coach, (Kim) Kyung-tae will be the pitching coach, and my brother (Kim) Byung-hee will be the head coach and hitting coach, and at that time I’d like to make Dongsango’s playground grassy.” Now, they’re really stepping into their leadership roles. Of the three best friends from Dongsan High School, Choi is the only one still playing. Kim Kyung-tae also retired and is now a pitching coach at Daedeok University.온라인카지노
When asked about the memories, Choi says, “Honestly, I’m not sure yet.” He is determined to stay in the game. What is certain, however, is that the friendship between the three of them could one day manifest itself on a Korean baseball field at any time.
They’re still in their early 30s, but it’s not too far off to see these young talents make a difference in Korean baseball.