ML 67 home run slugger joined the military in a surprise move → virtually declared a KBO challenge → Are you likely to join SSG? What was the on-the-spot reaction to this?
Apr 27, 2025
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Choi Ji-man, if not as much as Park Chan-ho, Ryu Hyun-jin and Choo Shin-soo, is clearly a player who has made an important mark in the history of the `Korean Major Leaguer.'
As a batter, there were not many successful cases in the big league. Choo Shin-soo has built his wealth and honor as a national star. Among them, Choi Ji-man also had a long reputation. He has a great slugging ability. There was a simple and impactful swing that could cope with the fastballs of Major League pitchers. After moving to the U.S. for his dream in 2009, he hit a total of 67 home runs in the major leagues until last year. In the 2019 season, he played as the Tampa Bay Rays' main first baseman and made a 19-home run season.
However, Choi Ji-man could not overcome the passage of time. I'm 34 years old this year. After signing with the New York Mets last year, he tried a big league challenge in the minor leagues, but failed, and was notified of his release. And ahead of this season, he was not called by any team.
And rumors of Choi Ji-man's KBO League challenge came out. This is enough to cause an issue. Currently, foreign hitters coming to the KBO League have careers that are close to Choi Ji-man. No, based on the records alone, it is at the level of a top-notch foreign hitter.
But there are two problems. First of all, they entered the U.S. without going through the rookie draft, so they need a two-year grace period to come to KBO. Military service again. In order for Choi to play in Korea, he must first fulfill his duty of defense. Then, he can return as a player at the age of 36 and 37 in Korean age. No matter how outstanding a player is, there is no business ahead of the years.
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If that happens, Choi Ji-man can challenge the KBO League through the rookie draft in the 2027 season. If Choi Ji-man comes, will he be able to attract attention as a player who will change the game of the KBO League.
First of all, the current opinion is divided into halves. First of all, the opinion is that age is a stumbling block. It is clear that he is a good hitter, but playing in a new league at a late age will not be easy in terms of adaptation. The two-year hiatus is also a fatal blow. Although he may be nominated, he believes that no club will use the top pick to Choi Ji-man.
The opposite is that he will be able to play well for two to three years. Since Choi Ji-man is not active duty, he is in a condition to train individually in the evening after spending his daily life. Some experts believe that if you stretch your body like that, your sense of play can be raised enough in a short period of time. The swing of a batter who hit 67 home runs in the Major League is different no matter what. In addition, since he is not over 40 years old, it is analyzed that the age problem will not affect him much right now.
Meanwhile, a media outlet reported that Choi Ji-man wanted to join the hometown team SSG Landers. Choi Ji-man is from Dongsan High School in Incheon. He borrowed Choi Ji-man's interview and wrapped it under the title of 「Choi Ji-man, the most likely to join SSG」.
Looking at SSG's response to this, we can roughly gauge the thoughts of KBO league clubs looking at Choi Ji-man. It's two years from now, but if you're a really needed player, you don't have to have a negative nuance. However, an SSG official said "I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the title of the article."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
