Ex-MLB All-Star Choo Shin-soo calls it career after 20 seasons in MLB, KBO

After 16 seasons in the majors and four more in South Korea, former big league All-Star Choo Shin-soo officially called it a career on Thursday.

Choo, 42, held his retirement press conference in Incheon, the home city of his final professional club, the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), lying just west of Seoul.

Choo had announced his plans to hang up his spikes after the 2024 season in December 2023. He played for the Landers from 2021 to 2024, winning a Korean Series title in 2022 and becoming the oldest position player in KBO history in July this year.

“This is former baseball player Choo Shin-soo,” Choo introduced himself with a smile at the start of the event, with his right arm in a sling following a shoulder surgery from two weeks ago. “I truly enjoyed my time in Korea, and I won’t trade memories here for anything else.”

Choo’s four-year stint here came after a 16-year career with four clubs in Major League Baseball (MLB), during which he became one of the most successful Asian-born players in the big leagues.

Choo signed with the Seattle Mariners out of high school in 2000 and made his big league debut with them in 2005. He went on to play for the Cleveland Indians (currently Guardians), the Cincinnati Reds and the Texas Rangers. In 2018 with the Rangers, Choo earned his first and only All-Star nod.

In 2009 with Cleveland, Choo put up 20 home runs and 21 steals, becoming the first Asian-born player with a 20-20 campaign in MLB history. He also had 20-20 seasons in 2010 and 2013.

He finished his big league career with 218 home runs, which stood as the record for an Asian-born player in MLB before Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers topped the mark in September. He still leads all Asian players with 782 career RBIs.

Choo signed with the Landers before the 2021 season and made an immediate impact, posting 21 home runs along with 25 steals to become the oldest player to join the 20-20 club in the KBO. In 2022, Choo helped the Landers win the Korean Series title.

He was plagued by injuries in recent years. Choo played only 78 of the Landers’ 144 games this year while dealing with shoulder problems, and batted .281 with five homers and 37 RBIs.

For his KBO career, Choo had a .263/.388/.424 line with 54 home runs, 205 RBIs and 51 steals.

Asked how he’d like to be remembered, Choo said he wants to be known for his love of the game.

“Objectively speaking, I don’t think I had special talent in any particular aspect of the game, but I always considered myself a versatile player,” Choo said. “But if people remember me as a player who was completely dedicated to baseball and serious about the craft, then I think it will make all the years I put in this sport worth it.”

Choo served as the Landers’ captain in 2024 and played on the league minimum salary of 30 million won (US$21,480) — all of which he donated to charities.

Known for his philanthropy dating to his big-league days, Choo has donated more than 1.4 billion won to charities during his time in the KBO.

After making up his mind to retire in late 2023, Choo came into the 2024 season wondering if he would have second thoughts. But as injuries kept him on the sidelines for most of this year, Choo admitted he gradually started losing his fire.

“When you watch your teammates play while you’re stuck on the bench, you would naturally feel the desire to join them on the field,” Choo said. “But with injuries holding me back, I started losing that drive. Plus, I wanted to give other guys a chance to play, and I decided I’d played long enough.”

Choo had his final regular-season at-bat on Sept. 30 as a pinch hitter. He said he received so many calls and text messages in the days that followed, which gave him an opportunity to reflect on his career, all the way back to his start as a nine-year-old elementary school student.

“Memories of those years brought a smile to my face,” Choo said. “I might not have become the player that I truly wanted, but I feel that I’ve spent my time wisely playing the sport I love so much. That’s why I have no regrets now. I’d like to pat myself on the back for a job well done.”

Choo said he hasn’t yet had time to think much about his life after baseball.

“Right now, I am quite exhausted, mentally and physically,” Choo said. “I’ve had several job offers. But for me, doing a job well is more important than simply getting it. I have to think long and hard about whether I am prepared for whatever I am going to be doing. But I think it’s too early for me to make that decision. I will take my time.”

Asked specifically if he had any desire to manage, Choo smiled and said, “I don’t know if I will be any good.”

“It’s a position that comes with so much burden. You’re constantly under a microscope,” Choo added. “I am not prepared for that role yet. Even if I received an offer now, I don’t think I would accept it. I will do it when I feel I am prepared and I have the passion for it. For now, I want to take some time off and think about things I can really do well.”

Choo said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. His two sons are playing college and high school baseball in the United States, but Choo has missed big chunks of their young careers because of his career in South Korea.

“It’s been five or six years since I last saw my boys play baseball,” Choo said. “For many years, they’ve been playing without their father in the stands. I feel really sorry about the time I’ve missed. I want to be around them more now.”

Choo said he is already enjoying a “stress-free” winter, knowing he doesn’t have to prepare for another season in a few months.

“This has been a really comfortable stretch of time,” Choo said with a smile. “As baseball players, we usually start stressing about the new season about a day or two after one season is over. But I woke up one recent morning and wondered when I had last felt so relaxed. I’ve also been eating well without worrying about putting on extra weight.”

As an elder statesman of the KBO on his way out, Choo said he has been impressed with the level of talent in the South Korean league over the past four years.

He is one of a dying breed among South Korean baseball players, in that he signed with a major league organization as an amateur and worked his way up in the minor leagues. Almost all South Korean players who have recently played in MLB did so after playing for a few years in the KBO first.

Choo said there is no right answer to how a player chooses his career path, saying there are pros and cons to both options. He added he felt any KBO player could knock on the big league doors, as long as they have the drive to do it.

“I don’t think there is such a thing as being average in MLB,” Choo said. “Every pitcher you face on the mound and every hitter that steps into the box is well above average. But after spending four years here, I think there are a lot of players here good enough to play in the majors.”

Choo also reserved a particular message for those talented KBO players.

“I want them to remember that they won’t be where they are forever, and that there will always be someone who wants to take their spot,” Choo said. “And for young players coming up, they should keep trying hard to overtake players at the top. That’s how players can get better individually and that’s how South Korean baseball as a whole can improve, too.”