Late-blooming slugger adds new chapter to improbable journey with RBI record

Late-blooming slugger adds new chapter to improbable journey with RBI record: Baseball / 유지호 / 2023-06-20 19:51:18

baseball player-career

▲ Choi Hyoung-woo of the Kia Tigers hits a two-run home run against the Hanwha Eagles during the top of the fourth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 20, 2023. The homer gave Choi 1,500 career RBIs, the most in KBO history. (Yonhap)

▲ Choi Hyoung-woo of the Kia Tigers high-fives his teammates after becoming the all-time RBI leader in Korea Baseball Organization history with a two-run home run against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Choi Hyoung-woo of the Kia Tigers (C) is congratulated by teammate Socrates Brito (R) after becoming the all-time RBI leader in Korea Baseball Organization history with a two-run home run against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

baseball player-career

Late-blooming slugger adds new chapter to improbable journey with RBI record

By Yoo Jee-ho

DAEJEON, June 20 (Yonhap) -- One day in 2007, Kim Eung-yong, a legendary former manager then working as president of the Samsung Lions, was in the stands for a game in the Futures League, the minor league for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Kim was particularly enamored with a big-bodied slugger playing for the National Police Agency team, a squad created in 2005 to open doors for players to complete their mandatory military service while playing competitive baseball.

The name of the player was Choi Hyoung-woo, who had been drafted by the Lions as catcher in 2001 but had been released after the 2004 season with only six KBO games under his belt. Choi almost quit baseball then and even did some manual labor to make ends meet. He decided to give baseball another shot with the police team. After converting to an outfielder and rebuilding his swing, Choi, then 23, had developed into one of the most feared hitters in the Futures League.

Kim, for one reason or another, didn't know his team had already cut Choi three years earlier.

"That kid is still with us, right?" Kim asked a front office employee sitting next to him.

"Yes, of course," the employee lied. He then frantically went out and signed Choi so that he'd be back with the Lions for the 2008 season once he got discharged from the duty.

And Tuesday, Choi, the player that no KBO team wanted to touch with a 10-foot pole, became the all-time RBI leader in KBO history.

Choi, now playing for the Kia Tigers, drove in his 1,499th and 1,500th run with a two-run home run against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul. With that, Choi broke a tie with his former Lions teammate and current Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop atop the league's career RBI list.

It's the latest chapter to a journey so improbable that, if a script had been written on it, it wouldn't make it past a receptionist at any film studio.

Choi was originally a catcher but was regarded as a defensive liability during his first stint with the Lions. A position switch and a revamped swing while with the National Police Agency did wonders for Choi, who led the North Division of the Futures League in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, runs and slugging percentage in 2007.

He parlayed that into a second chance with the Lions and hasn't looked back since.

Choi won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008, after leading the Lions with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs in 126 games. About a month shy of his 25th birthday then, Choi became the oldest winner of the top rookie prize at the time. At an age when more highly-touted prospects are typically into their sixth or seventh full seasons, Choi was just starting to scratch the surface.

He played for the Lions through 2016, winning four Korean Series rings, one batting title, one home run title and two RBI crowns.

Choi signed with the Tigers as a free agent after the 2016 season, and put up at least 20 home runs and 100 RBIs in three of his first four campaigns.

Though he will probably never be the 30-homer, 120-RBI threat from his prime years, he will also never be accused of being a stats compiler who overstayed his welcome to pad his career numbers. After some subpar performances in 2021 and 2022, Choi has shown so far this year that he can still be a productive bat.

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