In both 2009 and in 2010, Choo hit .300, while collecting at least 20 stolen bases and smacking a minimum of 20 home runs. Injuries, combined with off-field distractions, hurt Choo in 2011. He finished with a disappointing .259 average, 8 home runs, and only 8 steals in 85 games last season.
Every season since he came to the Indians, Choo showed how much potential he has by improving his stats every season until 2011. Choo broke out in 2008 for Cleveland, hitting .309 in 94 games and swatting 14 home runs. Good, but not great numbers for a slugger. Choo had never shown tremendous power to that point, but the power did come starting in the 2009 season.
In 2009 , Choo played in 156 games and hit a .300 average, 20 home runs, and 86 RBIs. We saw some power that year which we hadn’t seen from him yet, not to mention that he also stole 20 bases. Those numbers indicated the kind of all-around game he has, which is rare to find in players these days. With his aggressive and highly considered defensive abilities, Choo was looking to be one of those special “5-tool players”.
In 2010, Shin-Soo played in 144 games and became the only player in baseball that season to hit for a .300 average again. Adding 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases completed a pretty good season for the young outfielder. The following season, Choo fell onto hard times. He spent three separate stints on the disabled list and a DUI arrest, that left him embarrassed and which affected his play on the field. A national hero in Korea, Choo felt like he had let his country down. Now he’s healthy again and capable of returning to the player that many experts believe that he can be.
According to MLB.com’s writer Jordan Bastian for the Indians, during the off-season Choo underwent a mandatory military training in his home country of South Korea. Choo said the training help give him a new perspective, which will assist in blocking out off-the-field distractions. Choo looks this season to more focused than he has ever been before.
It is very possible that Choo will have an MVP season this year. If he can go back to his play from 2009 and 2010, then his name will come up in MVP discussions. Now, it is unlikely that he will win the AL MVP award this season. But at the very least, Choo can become one of the top players in the league… if he can stay healthy and put all the past off-the-field distractions behind him. In my eyes, Choo is capable of hitting for a .320+ average in 2012, with 20+ home runs, and even 30+ stolen bases. I have been hearing some Ichiro comparisons with Choo, but he has a long way to go to reach Ichiro’s standards.
Maybe moving Shin-Soo Choo in the lineup could also change they way he hits. Maybe instead of batting third, he could be moved to lead-off hitter. Choo isn’t only a power hitter and I feel that the number 3 spot in the lineup should be occupied by a hitter with more power, like catcher Carlos Santana. Choo does seem to do everything well on the field and he is a workhorse. A guy you would want as a team-captain. So why not make him the lead-off hitter and become the ignitor for the club. His athleticism is highly underrated and goes unnoticed. I think that Choo hitting in the lead-off spot would raise his batting average significantly. He could end up having one of the best batting averages in the American League. Outfielder Grady Sizemore is the team’s current lead-off hitter, but he could easily be moved to second or third since he has more power than Choo (when Sizemore is in the lineup).
One option is to have Shin-Soo Choo batting first, Asdrubal Cabrera batting second, and Grady Sizemore batting third. Starts off an improving lineup. Then have the powerful young prospect catcher Carlos Santana batting fourth. If the Indians want to score runs, that should be their top 4 hitters at the top of the lineup. Not to mention, since there have been reports recently of the Indians working out free agent outfielder/designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero. You add him into the lineup batting 5th and you have a pretty good lineup to say the least.
If the majority of the Indians can stay healthy, they could possibly break out into a great team this season. Ubaldo Jimenez and Shin-Soo Choo are the two main guys on their roster that must stay healthy, with the hopeful return of Sizemore to the lineup once he recovers from his latest setback.
Back in January, Choo and the Indians agreed to a one-year deal avoiding salary arbitration. Choo will make $4.9 million this season which is more than he made last season ($3.97 million). With free agency approaching in 2014- now is the time for Choo to sign? Did I mention by the way, that Scott Boras is his agent…
Dedrick
Hendrix is a Baseball Intern with MLB reports. He is currently a
college student at Ivy Tech Community College majoring in communications. Dedrick is a long time Mariners fan and major Ichiro Suzuki fan.
He began getting into baseball his junior year in high school when he
made the varsity team and played DH/RF. Dedrick loves writing about
baseball and hopes to become a great and successful writer. You can
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