Shin-Soo Choo: Right Man Leading Off In Cincinnati

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has given his team new life at the top of the order and has been playing a mean center field at Great American Ball Park.Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

Shin-Soo Choo was the biggest off-season addition to the Cincinnati Reds, a team that felt it was only one player away from reaching the 2013 World Series. Installed into the leadoff slot in the batting order by Dusty Baker, Choo made friends quickly by getting off to a hot start at bat and in the field. He was definitely the missing piece in the Reds lineup.

Although Choo has tailed off somewhat with his hitting, the most important number next to his name in the stats is on-base percentage and going into Saturday play Choo was reaching base at a .432 clip. He was also hitting .277 with 10 home runs and was handling his center field assignment better than some thought he might.

Choo was swapped for Drew Stubbs and it was believed Stubbs had it all over Choo in terms of range in center. Thus far Choo has performed superbly afield and gets a good jump on the ball. Stubbs’ flaw was striking out too much. He is still having that kind of trouble with the Cleveland Indians. Stubbs’ swings and misses were rally killers. Choo getting on base with the frequency he does, is a rally igniter.

At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Choo, who was born in Pusan, South Korea, has a sturdy, somewhat stocky build. He bats left and throws left and at 30 is in his ninth year in the big leagues. He was not expecting to be traded by the rebuilding Indians, but when he digested the move to the defending National League Central Division champs, he didn’t mind at all.

“I was surprised,” Choo said. “But other things were happening. I got another opportunity and then I was excited.”

The Indians were making wholesale changes, but the Reds were very picky about their shopping. They wanted a guy with Choo’s talents. The Reds and the Indians have played several interleague series, so Choo said he knew some Cincinnati players to say hello to, though none of his new teammates that well at first.

The Reds were attempting to address a very specific need and Choo’s skill set seemed to be a perfect fit. While pleased with what he has seen from Choo since spring training, Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said there is no such thing as being certain a guy will produce after a trade no matter what you think of his ability.

“A guy can look like a million dollars on another team and they’re worth 50 cents when you get them on your side,” Baker said.

And vice versa, he noted.

When someone asked Baker if Choo has been worth that $1 million to the Reds, he laughed.

“More than $1 million,” Baker said. “He’s making a lot more than that.”

When trades are made fans are often quick to make up their minds about a new guy. Choo has been a notoriously slow starter, but he picked the right season to burst out of the starting gate like a thoroughbred in the Belmont. He said he made a very conscious effort to alter his hitting approach.

“I changed my mind about the whole picture,” Choo said. “I wanted to look more at the big picture than about every pitch. But I wanted to focus more on pitches one at a time.”

Choo’s first language is Korean and he was having a little bit of trouble getting his point across.

“I wanted a good start every year, but what I was doing didn’t help me,” he said. “Now the numbers are better. I slowed things down and I see it (the ball) better.”

Without a professional interpreter to probe more deeply, it seemed as if Choo was saying that he was being more selective at the plate, not dwelling on individual at-bats that didn’t work out well, and overall things are working better.

Whatever the explanation, Choo and the Reds are happy with the results.