By Oh Sang-jin Reporter= Choi Ji-Man (32, San Diego Padres), the eldest of the Korean major league baseball players, shared his thoughts on his disappointing season.
“One of the reasons I love baseball is that it’s similar to our lives,” Choi said on his social media account on Nov. 11. It’s unpredictable. This 2023 season was just like that,” Choi said on social media.
“I got traded twice in one season, and I got injured twice. It was like a horrible roller coaster ride, and I had no control over it,” he said, noting that this season has been particularly difficult.
After making his big league debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, Choi played for the New York Yankees (2017), Milwaukee Brewers (2018), and then the Tampa Bay Rays from midway through the 2018 season until last season. Moving to the Pittsburgh Pirates via trade last November, Choi struggled with the platoon system and injuries, hitting just .205 (15-for-73) with six home runs and 11 RBIs in 23 games.
Moved once again to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline, Choi was soon sidelined with a rib injury. He returned from the injury within a month, but his bat never really clicked and he ended the season with a dismal .065 batting average (2-for-31) and two RBIs in 16 games with San Diego.
Heading into free agency, Choi was hitting a career-low .163 with six home runs, 13 RBIs, and an OPS of .624 in 39 games, but he vowed not to let his struggles get him down. “The important thing is that the season is over, and I’m still young, so I can continue to work hard and overcome the challenges ahead of me,” he said.온라인바카라
“I want to thank the fans for their support,” Choi said, “without you, baseball means nothing to me. And that’s why I continue to work hard as a baseball player. Once again, I would like to thank my fans for their support.” He concluded his post by thanking his fans.