Pirates A to Z: After struggling in 2nd half, trade gives Ji-Man Choi chance to start at 1B

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Ji-Man Choi

Positions: First base/designated hitter

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Age: 31 (May 10)

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 260 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Slashed .233/.341/.388 wtih 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBIs in 113 games for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Contract: Final year of arbitration.

Acquired: From the Rays in a trade for minor league pitcher Jack Hartman on Nov. 10.

This past season: After slashing .278/.385/.449 with 16 doubles, seven homers and 41 RBIs in the first half, Choi attributed the slip of his second-half numbers to bone chips in his right elbow.

“Throughout the season I felt that my elbow was a bit swollen,” Choi said through interpreter Daniel Park in a video conference call Tuesday. “Obviously, the chipped bone was stuck in between my elbow. It was hard to extend my arms. Just felt a little uncomfortable throughout the whole season.”

It was noticeable, as Choi batted .164 with six doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs over his final 47 games. He started only 16 of the final 32 games as the Rays made a playoff push, and went 0 for 5 with two walks in the AL wild-card loss to Cleveland.

That didn’t scare off Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, who was in desperate need for a first baseman after cutting ties with Yoshi Tsutsugo and Michael Chavis. Cherington said the Pirates looked at Choi’s career arc and decided he would be a good fit.

“Even the at-bats late in the year, although the raw performance kind of fell off a little bit, we’re still seeing good at-bats, good swing decisions,” Cherington said.

One decision made Choi the talk of Tropicana Field. A former switch hitter who would take warm-up swings as a righty during batting practice, he batted right-handed for the first time in 735 MLB plate appearances to face Toronto lefty Anthony Kay on July 26. After striking out in his first at-bat, Choi crushed a 429-foot homer to left-center at an exit velocity of 109.1 mph.

another rays legend gone today. tbt to when ji-man choi hit a right-handed homerun vs toronto ???????????????? #choi pic.twitter.com/bl7Gy3O5ar

— el patrón ???? (@ExtendKevinCash) November 10, 2022

“That’s pretty impressive to be able to do that,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Switch-hit and then not do it for five years, other than kind of goofing around in the cage, and then he comes off against a good Major League pitcher and hits the ball into the deepest part of the ballpark.”

Choi said he has no plans to be a switch-hitter again but is “confident enough to show them a good result.”

The Rays likely would have non-tendered Choi, who made $3.2 million last season and is projected to make $4.5 million in his final year of arbitration. The Pirates sent Hartman, a 2020 fourth-round pick who made 22 relief appearances at Low-A Bradenton, to the Rays in a low-risk deal to secure Choi’s services.

Cherington did so knowing that Choi will undergo surgery to remove the bone chip, a procedure Choi described as “nothing major.”

“The rehab shouldn’t take that long, either,” Choi said. “I’m confident that I’ll be available in time for spring training.”

Gracias por todo Ji-Man Choi. ???? pic.twitter.com/SkFoyosa5V

— Rays de Tampa Bay (@raysbeisbol) November 10, 2022

The future: If healthy, Choi should be the frontrunner for the starting job at first base. He started 92 games there for the Rays last season and has a career .994 fielding percentage despite limited range.

Choi also could be used as a designated hitter, as the Pirates never replaced Daniel Vogelbach after trading the slugger to the New York Mets last July.

A left-handed hitter who slashed .294/.351/.373 against lefties, Choi batted only .223 against righties but accounted for 18 doubles, 11 homers and 43 RBIs. Those numbers should improve with MLB’s elimination of the defensive shift next season.

“Obviously, I’m a left-handed batter so most of the time, my hits would mostly go to the first-base side,” Choi said. “With the shift being not available next season, I feel like there’s going to be a higher chance of me getting a base hit and helping the team win the game.”

The Pirates were attracted as much to his on-base percentage and appear to be willing to live with his frequency of swing-and-miss. Choi’s 13.8% walk rate ranks in the 96th percentile, per Statcast, but his strikeout rate (29.4%) is in the ninth percentile.

Choi is the opposite of his predecessor. Where Tsutsugo struggled to hit fastballs but hunted curveballs, Choi batted .238 against heaters but only .186 against breaking pitches last season.

Even though he’s never played at PNC Park, Choi’s power should work favorably with the short right-field fence as eight of his 11 homers last season were to right field or right-center.

“We think he fits well for us,” Cherington said. “A left-handed hitter with a history off on-base skills, good defender, good reputation as a teammate.”

A fan favorite with the Rays, Choi described his relationship with the Pirates’ fellow South Koreans Hoy Park and Ji Hwan Bae as “very close” and embraced the concept of serving as a veteran voice in the team’s clubhouse.

“I’m aware the Pirates are young right now, but when I first got to the Rays, it was kind of a similar situation,” Choi said. “There were a lot of young guys. But I’ve learned how to approach them through the veterans who were there at that time. If I use my background and experience and bring it to the clubhouse with the Pirates, I feel like I should have no problem. I’m trying to bring everyone together and create a good synergy for the team.”

For now, Choi is focused on repairing his elbow and preparing to arrive at spring training healthy and ready to win a starting job.

“The biggest goal of mine is to have statistics better than last season,” Choi said, “but also something bigger than that is not having an injury throughout the whole season and being healthy.”