Hee-Seop Choi

[Brandon Glick]

Hee-Seop Choi is a former professional first baseman, having starred in both the KBO and MLB, including two seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Choi was a member of South Korea's second-place team at the 1998 Baseball World Cup. He signed with the Cubs shortly after in 1999. After four seasons of raking in the minor leagues, including 45 homers in 810 Triple-A at-bats, Baseball America named him the Cubs’ top prospect in 2003, while ranking him as the 22nd best prospect overall.

Finally, on September 3, 2002, Choi made his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers and became the first Korean-born position player to play in the major leagues. He was unimpressive in that initial debut, posting just a .601 OPS in 57 at-bats. Nevertheless, he was the Opening Day starter at first base for the Cubs in 2003, and he slashed .244/.389/.496 with seven homers through early June. He looked to be the team's cold corner star of the future, but a collision with Kerry Wood on a Jason Giambi pop fly on June 7 brought ambulances to Wrigley Field as Choi suffered a serious concussion. He was never the same after that collision, hitting just .164/.263/.269 in 77 plate appearances for the remainder of the season.

"Big Choi", as manager Dusty Baker called him, was traded that offseason to the then-Florida Marlins for Derrek Lee. Of course, that deal worked out mostly in the Cubs favor as Lee made first base his home in Chicago for the next six years, but it was also ironic since Leon Lee, Derrek's father, was the scout who originally signed Choi with the Cubs.

Choi was excellent for the Marlins in his lone half-season in Florida, hitting .270/.388/.495 with 15 homers. He didn't last long there, though, as he was the centerpiece in the deal that brought Brad Penny to Miami at the 2004 trade deadline. After initially struggling with the Dodgers, Choi thrived in Los Angeles in 2005, hitting another 15 home runs while posting a .789 OPS in 320 at-bats. He also made an appearance in the 2005 Home Run Derby, getting knocked out in the first round. With top prospect James Loney on the way and free agent addition Nomar Garciaparra taking over first base, Choi was once again ousted by a team he had success with, getting non-tendered following the 2005 season.

Choi spent the 2006 season with the Boston Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate. He moved on to Tampa Bay the following spring training, though he elected to return to Korea after losing out on the starting first base job to Carlos Pena. He signed with the Kia Tigers of the KBO and starred with them from 2007-13, eventually retiring after a knee surgery.

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[imb]

Choi was my first sabr-crush. If it wasn't for that god damn concussion, he plays a decade in the majors at least. But the concussion did get us Derrek Lee, which is still an unfathomable coup. But Hee Seop was a big NSBB fav in the nascent message boarding days for sure.

[We Got The Whole 9]

As much as I loved Lofton and Karros was a solid addition, losing Choi and CPat was such a huge bummer in 2003. Makes you think about what might have been. CPat had a friggin 500 SLG, he was a menace up until that injury. The injuries basically happened a month apart, such a kick in the dick.