Hidden All-Star nominee Choi Ji-man’s best season
“I’m having the best season.”
infielder Choi Ji-man (31, Tampa Bay Rays) is drawing attention. MLB Dotcom, the official website of the Major League, posted an article titled “Hidden All-Star Candidates for 30 Teams” on the 29th (Korea Standard Time). He introduced the faces of each team that are relatively less attractive despite their active performance. In Tampa Bay, Choi Ji-man was selected. MLB Dotcom said, “Tampa Bay has a lot of first baseman and is paying more attention to pitchers than batters. But Choi Ji-man is having the best season of the year.
In fact, Choi Ji-man’s report card this year is quite compliant. He batted .287 (48 hits in 167 at-bats) with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 52 games. 1st place in the team for RBI. In particular, MLB Dotcom focused on OPS+. OPS+ is an indicator that evaluates the league’s average OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) to 100. The minimum is 155. He seemed to be stuck in the platoon system (deciding whether to play or not depending on the type of opponent pitcher), but he is slowly getting out of the game this year. He is batting 0.520 against a left-handed pitcher 안전공원
He has not played in the All-Star Game yet. Will he be able to take his first step this season? First of all, he is a candidate in the first baseman category of the American League (AL). It seems difficult to secure many votes in the fan vote. In the second All-Star fan vote announced on the 28th, he received 112,695 votes, ranking 10th in the American League’s first baseman category. He came down one notch from the first round (9th). Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the No. 1 player in this category (Toronto Blue Jays, 1,624,228 votes), has a wide gap. It is necessary to aim for the coach’s recommendation.
There were also bad news. Choi Ji-man did not play against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is because of the pain in the left ankle. He felt uncomfortable while playing base against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 27th. At that time, Choi Ji-man tried to come home from second to third base, but changed direction and returned to third base. It seems a little too much. It is not said to be a major injury. Choi Ji-man will be back in a matter of days, the Tampa Bay Times said