Jeong Choi, the top third baseman in Korea and a former Korean Series MVP, is looking to make the leap to Major League Baseball next season, agent Melvin Roman tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The athletic 27-year-old is considered a five-tool player and enjoyed the best season of his career in 2013.
Choi has hit .300 and posted an OPS over .900 each of the past four seasons playing for SK Wyverns while averaging more than 23 home runs. Last season, he slashed .316/.429/.551 and belted 28 home runs, putting him amongst the offensive elite in the KBO. Choi also demonstrated his speed, swiping 24 bases.
Last winter’s third base free agent market was rather thin, but 2015’s figures to have several big names as Chase Headley, Aramis Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval could hit the open market. The addition of Choi could add even more depth and Heyman cites the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Red Sox, and possibly the Giants and Padres depending on what happens with Sandoval and Headley, that could be shopping at that position.
