The Mets signed Ji-Man Choi on 2/16 to compete for the back up first base / DH role. Choi gained a lot of popularity and attention back in 2022 when he got off to a hot start. In April 2022 he went 15-for-42 hitting .357/.491/.595. He collected a total of six extra-base hits while walking a total of 11 times. He’s been a fairly reliable hitter throughout his career, posting an OPS+ above 100 every year between 2017 through 2022.
Choi was signed by the Mariners as a free agent in 2009. He never played in a major league game for the Mariners and was granted free agency in 2015 when the Orioles picked him up. The Angels then selected Choi from the Orioles in the December 2015 Rule V draft and he would go on to make his major league debut with the Angels. He was a Yankee for a year and then the Brewers signed him and later traded him to Tampa Bay. The Rays would later trade him to the Pirates and the Pirates would then trade him to the Padres. Ji-Man Choi is a name to remember for Immaculate Grid games.
Last year was a bit of a disappointment for Choi. First, the Pirates would not allow him to play in the World Baseball Classic for Korea. He dealt with Achilles strain that sidelined him for months and then when he got back to the field he was traded to the Padres. He then suffered a ribcage strain and got injured a third time while rehabbing. Ultimately he hit .163/.239/.385 last year over 39 games with a 68 OPS+.
The Mets are hoping to get the 2022 version of Choi. That year he was in the 93rd percentile for average exit velocity, 96th for chase%, 96th for walk% and 88th for hard-hit%. His running has always been a rough spot in his game. In 2022 he was in the 8th percentile for sprint speed and 3rd for baserunning run value.
This spring is a chance for Choi to establish himself, either for the Mets or for someone else. He’s been a solid hitter in his career. The Mets should be focusing on using Mark Vientos as their primary DH and Choi has quite a bit of competition to even make the 40-man roster. A strong spring from Choi though could force the Mets to think about their plans.
