MLB's Greatest Korean Player Deserved More Praise

[@johnchoi2060]

FYI tokki is pronounced "toke-e" rather than taki

[@zachinn5988]

That pronunciation made me cringe

[@Reenact12]

토끼.

[@Godimus17]

toe-key or toke-ee is probably closer lols but good attempt at korean. Great video btw, keep up the good work!

[@davidh7832]

@@Reenact12맞아요

[@hskshag00]

Another good reference is that it rhymes with gnocchi

[@jakeselig7410]

Shin-Soo Choo truthers have finally won

[@dshyon]

you know ball

[@hectorvega4221]

🫡

[@franklindcottrell]

And the mariners traded him and Adam Jones back in 2007 and 2008.

[@HeySalina]

Shin-Soo Chruthers

[@Johnumms357]

Chase Utley next in the Quest for Truth! Utley (7.6bWAR) was 7th in MVP voting in 2006 despite leading Ryan Howard (4.3bWAR), who won the MVP by over 3bWAR. Utley wasn't as showy as many of his peers on the Phillies of those years, but he put up the best stats/bWAR by a wide margin.

[@dagebis]

Despite Choo only playing one year in Cincinnati You cant meet a baseball fan here who doesnt remeber him. Thats how great of a player and a person he was.

[@sadmarinersfan8935]

It’s so sad my M’s gave up on him so early he was such a good player and person

[@J.C...]

How do yall feel about Junior? Is he as loved by his Cincy family as he is by his Seattle family?

[@J.C...]

​@@sadmarinersfan8935no way! He was on our team at one time?!

[@sadmarinersfan8935]

@@J.C... yes he played like 20 some games at the mlb level for us then we traded him one of the msny bad trades we made back then and even still now

[@markroberts3160]

​@@J.C... oh yeah we love Junior

[@TheStoneyJackson]

The whole stadium yelling “Choooo” every time he came up for the Rangers was always so hype

[@iDaCarrot115]

When Choo played for Cleveland, my dad would always tell me about his day-to-day highlights because the way he would tell the stories would always make my 6 or 7-year-old self laugh because of his name. It's a name I've always remembered as a good player and good person, even as a kid and when I wasn't a big sports fan. My dad ended up passing away from cancer when I was in the 4th grade, and I later fell in love with the game and followed his footsteps and ended up becoming a die-hard Indians/Guards fan in early high school (2016, 2017), and was BLOWN AWAY at the fact that Shin-Soo Choo was STILL playing, along with names in the league like Asdrúbal Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and CC Sabathia. I remembered my dad telling me stories about those names, and I almost felt some sort of strange connection watching them play after I had actually become a fan of baseball. With Shin-Soo Choo set to retire after the 2024 season, it almost feels like the end of an era for me. Godspeed and good luck Sir Choo

[@mostpalone6444]

I love this story and appreciate you for sharing. I can tell your dad was a great man.

[@iDaCarrot115]

The best. Many Cleveland fans like my dad never saw a championship, which makes the next generation of fans like myself even more hungry for it.

[@Yapperofthecentury97]

Aye RIP to your dad man. A good dad is literally the best thing brotha. You can tell that he’s smiling down on you and yours no matter what you do, but especially when you’re watching the game y’all bonded over. Respect!

[@Johnumms357]

Never been so hyped for a Jolly Olive video. Choo was always a favorite player of mine to watch hit and I've always thought he was criminally underrated. He accrued 34.6bWAR over 16 years in the bigs, or just above 2bWAR/season while not surpassing 200ABs until 2008, though be debuted in 2005.

[@DKTV]

Believe it or not, Seattle initially signed Choo as a pitcher. Great video… 👍👍👍 will make sure that Choo watches it!

[@JMPIMP254]

he also named his son Quantavious Choo after one of his favorite teammates in Seattle.

[@JollyOlive]

Thank you! I hope I did him justice.

[@opus1114]

형님 한국선수 영상은 다 찾아보시는겁니까? ㅋㅋㅋ

[@montanaproductions5559]

@@JMPIMP254please tell me you’re not trolling

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

That's pretty common though. A lot of pitchers get switched to positions in the Minors or even a Rick Ankiel type doing it in the Majors. Micah Owings in his Rookie Year was a Pinch Hitter for the Diamondbacks belting 4 HRs with a 1.033 OPS and 152 OPS+.

[@natediscavage690]

My family lived on a military base in South Korea when Choo made his debut in Cleveland, and it was Cleveland-mania on the peninsula. I had just started following baseball, so I watched the Indians play, was drawn in by Grady Sizemore, and committed to being a fan of the team thanks to Choo and Sizemore

[@miraeja]

I don’t remember Cleveland mania anywhere in sk at the time. 😂

[@notmarcus17]

FINALLY SOME SHIN SOO CHOO APPRECIATION! As a Korean-American, he is one of my favorite players of all time. I'm glad he's being appreciated. I remember watching his highlight reel videos on youtube when I was like 8-9 years old lol

[@Panasonicy0uth]

Choo may not have lived up to all of the hype that preceded him when he came to Texas, but I loved him for always putting together professional ABs and giving it his all, even when the Rangers weren't anywhere close being a competitive team. Glad he's finally getting some love ♥

[@tom_simons]

Great call on highlighting a super underrated player. Learned some things I didn’t know about Choo, and I already thought he was great before!

[@tony6666]

After Sizemore was hurt in Cleveland and couldn't play regularly, Choo immediately became my favorite player. He deserves all the appreciation

[@jamesmyrick9083]

I remember Choo most from his playing days with Cleveland and his AB in that crazy 7th inning of the 2015 ALDS in Toronto.

[@mov744]

As a Jays fan I'll never forget Choo being at the plate in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS when Russell Martin struck his bat throwing back a pitch to the pitcher. Was the catalyst of events that led to the crazy 7th inning Bautista bat flip.

[@TheTEN24]

He was such an underrated player, I myself didn’t know he came straight to America out of high school that’s crazy.

[@notmarcus17]

This brought back memories, I remember watching all his highlight compilations when I was younger

[@typicalazn16]

This showed up in my recs and I’m glad it did. Choo is a legend. Great video and captured his career fantastically

[@michael_epp]

I’m not even a huge baseball fan but Shin-Soo Choo definitely left an impact on me when he played for Cleveland. That dude was LEGIT

[@garybrown1396]

Can still hear the fans inside Progressive Field yelling CHOOOOOOOOOO at the top of their lungs.

[@davidh7832]

I literally gave a presentation yesterday for my Korean class with pictures of Choo in it. It was over similarities and differences between the US and korean cultures. Both country likes baseball obviously

[@Djnostyle]

Lifelong Rangers fan here. Choo was one of my favorite players when he was active. One of the most underrated of all time. Miss that guy.

[@ByiLHS]

Thanks for doing this video! I wish my dad was still around, he would have loved to watch this one.

[@roadtrip2943]

Choo is a stand up guy who while rehabing in AA had a well known top texas Steakhouse set up a grill catering event for the AA players and staff

[@kyshro]

Choo was incredible on the Indians/Reds. And to be fair Dae Ho Lee didn’t get an opportunity and came at the twilight of his career. Byung Ho Park got injured early in his MLB career as well 🤷🏻‍♂️ You didnt mention how good Jung Ho Kang did on the Pirates before he got a DUI multiple times….

[@SoftBank47]

I dunno how accurate that statement is about Lee Dae-Ho. After Seattle, he played 6 more very good seasons for Busan Lotte. He was basically the only guy worth watching on those teams after a 2017 playoff season, lol.

[@kyshro]

@@SoftBank47 I’m a huge Mariners fan & Dae Ho Lee would be on the bench more than on the field. He was 35 when he was on Mariners. Way past his prime….He played 6 more good seasons… but it’s the KBO

[@mouseinurhouse]

The way MLB does minor leagues dirty is inexcusable

[@nathancleary3190]

shin soo choo is awesome!!! i wish i got to watch him play. thanks for the vodeo

[@joeseppi_]

I saw him play in Tacoma a few times and remember thinking “wow he’s really good. Can’t wait for the Ms to trade him for a pile of poo”

[@Hezzy_Baseball]

Great video man. You’ll be at 100k soon and it will be well deserved!

[@Broseftoast]

Enjoyed the video man good stuff

[@Karmy.]

Choo is awesome, will never forget watching him play against my Tigers with all that eye black on when he was with the Guardians He's also an integral part of the "Not Happy JV" story too

[@DeidaraOfTheAkatsuki]

Knew my M’s would be mentioned but didn’t expect the early-mid stray. But shoutout Choo for knowing how life was in the minors and deciding to help during the pandemic. It isn’t a lot for some but for the minor leaguers it probably helped them way more than we could imagine.

[@ButterflyBlood]

I saw the post about him watching the vid and crying before watching myself. It was moving to put myself in his shoes!

[@maxwelltalley612]

I’ve been a Landers fan since COVID, and it was so amazing to see him come back to Korea and win a championship with them!! So glad to see Choo Shin-soo get his love 🥺❤️

[@asdfaeou]

A wonderful video truly deserving of a wonderful representative of MLB. Also, found a way to make me love Joey Votto even more.

[@disgruntledtaco3640]

So happy this guy getting the love he deserves

[@jayceh1031]

The Cleveland version of Choo was the real deal. The guy had a cannon for an arm and was a legit 5-tool plyr.

[@hohf85]

I’m a tigers fan and I remember being at a game in the right field stands while the tigers were playing the Indians. A guy in the crowd started a chant where everybody would sound like they’re getting ready to sneeze. “Ahh!!! Ahh!!! Choo!!!!” And after hearing it a few times Choo turned around and laughed. From that moment on I was a Choo fan lol

[@stevec69]

Choo had a certain charisma that places him on top of all Korean MLBers God bless him

[@iPodErgoiAm]

Thanks for this! I didn’t know much about him so this was great!

[@CheeseMasterSports]

My favorite team is the Reds. I remember how good he was that one year he played for them, it felt like he was on base all the time! Miss that guy

[@SheepDoggyDog]

A really significant part of Choo's saga this misses is the situation with his compulsory military duty. Korean men are required to serve in the military (about 2 years at the time) roughly by the age of 30, but can be exempted under certain situations of providing service to lifting the country's national image -- usually by winning an Olympic medal or international competition. Choo wasn't able to play on the 2008 gold-winning team because he was out of options to be sent to the minors, and major league players were unavailable. In 2009 he had maybe his best shot on the WBC team, but Korea ultimately fell to Japan in the final, though there was hope that politicians might pass a bill offering him an exemption because he had played so well. The obvious other option for Choo was to just to refuse to do his service, which could've meant renouncing his citizenship and/or never returning to Korea, but he was very careful never to appear to be entertaining the thought -- even reports of thinking about it would turn public sentiment harshly against him in Korea. But rumors were saying his camp -- or more accurately his agents -- were preparing for that contingency. Ultimately, Choo was able to push off enlistment as far as possible to participate in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou that occurred after the season in November. He was the only MLB player in the whole tournament. Korea has historically dominated the event, and that year was no different, getting him the military exemption and saving his reputation in Korea at the very last moment.

[@isaacchang1702]

Didn’t realize he never served. Is that also the reason he came though the minors instead of going to the KBO?

[@SheepDoggyDog]

@@isaacchang1702 He would've had to play 7 years in the KBO to be posted for the MLB. He was a high school phenom and already knew he wanted to be in the MLB ASAP.

[@DiegoATss]

Amazing video! Choo was an On Base machine, he had a great MLB career

[@johnko1340]

Great vid as usual jolly! Always wanted a player like Choo for our Metropolitans…

[@foramoreperfectamerica8490]

As a Giants fan, I'm so excited about Lee. Let's go.

[@bobbyhamblen2338]

Me Too!!!

[@applejoosh_]

sucks as a korean dodger fan, but I hope Lee becomes the Korean Ichiro 😂

[@TheBorderGeek]

Saw him play in the late 00s as an Indian against the Twins at the Metrodome. A drunk, "rough around the edges," middle-aged woman kept cheering, "Gooooooo, Shinny!" A young boy beside us kept asking, "Why is she calling him 💩ty?" 🤣

[@originaljse9313]

I grew up an Indians fan during his prime and he was a treasure to us. His walk-off via hitting the birds is iconic and he had a CANNON for and arm that was severely underrated! I also remembered I have a Disco Nights themed bobble head of him, so that’s pretty cool.

[@starwarsbaseballboy1]

Choo’s 2013 season with the Reds is one of the most underrated performances in a year during the 2010s.

[@playhard1337]

I love your videos, Jolly. Keep up the great work. Choo is a legend and very underrated. I remember when he was still in the league, he was seen as just another player. MLB needs to do better job in promoting international stars, both Asian and European. It's not all just Shohei Ohtani.

[@jkk2940]

Met this guy once in a hotel lobby after they played in Oakland. He was so gracious and kind when I approached him for an autograph. He will play one more year in kbo and then hang it up. His two boys are athletes too, so maybe we see another Choo in the pros soon.

[@chriscreaturo8809]

Choo was a good player. I remember seeing him in Cleveland when it was him and Sizemore in the outfield

[@michaelcunningham3595]

this is such a great video, again. i am a lot older than you so i remember the early ways, way before any asians were playing. ive always had a huge curiosity about the leagues in Japan and Korea and had closely followed many of their players when they come over here. please do more of these. Chan Ho Park, the Seatle Mariner's history of signing Ichiro, Sasaki and Hasegawa may be the team with the most signings and success.

[@matts82581]

I had no idea he was in the same category as some of the biggest MLB stars during his day. Great video.

[@aaronackerman4364]

Omg is that the MLB Power Pros menu screen music at 5:16

[@bmac4]

Im definitely hopeful that Ha-seong Kim's rise to one of the best all around players last year helps pave the way for further MLB greatness from Korean-based talents.

[@chrislincoln4330]

Remember Choo tossing me a ball while he was shagging BP for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. I'm a CLE fan and this was while he was with SEA so super cool when he came to CLE.

[@kami_in_the_skye]

Choo is easily in my top-10 favorite players ever. He didn't put up eye-popping stats, but they were always solid, and to be able to maintain that standard for so long while still having his fair share of injury struggles sets him apart & makes his career something truly special & worth remembering. All-time underrated on the field, and a class act off of it.

[@danielpenrodii2389]

Us Texans loved chanting “Soo Choo”. Great memories!

[@Baldurmoon027]

Choo has been my favorite MLB player for over a decade and at this point I don't think anyone will ever de-throne him. An Angel among men. Humble and kind. He will remain my #1.

[@danosaur55]

When we saw him hit a bomb into the parking lot in Tacoma, my dad claimed it was the 3rd longest home run he'd seen there, after local legend Bucky Jacobsen and some washout Oakland farmhand named Mark.

[@TheRealitySpin]

I am WAY late to this but SHOUTOUT to Jolly for using MLB Power Pros music! Made my day hearing that song in the background.

[@redsoxlova15]

Jolly Olive never fails to use the MLB power pros soundtrack and make me cream my jeans

[@eunholee2200]

As a Korean MLB fan love the video

[@andrewberardinelli1749]

Choo probably would've gotten a little more recognition for his accomplishments, like his on base streak, if MLB would highlight more players like him, which would then have sports media outlets cover him. Instead, the MLB focuses on the Yankees and Dodgers players when they hit a home run that still amounts to a loss to their opponents

[@thesockpuppetguy7626]

When I used to play franchise mode for MLB the Show 2010 and 2011 I used to trade for Choo ever ly single time for my Rangers. So I was over the moon when they signed him. Man was always one of my favorites, and I'm so glad to see this video

[@rararacheloh]

this is his last season😢what a legend! it has been fun watching him play these last couple years in korea

[@koastle]

I trust your analysis wholeheartedly because you used the MLB Power Pros theme song in the background of this video

[@WaltherPPK909]

Love Choo, as a Rangers fan I enjoyed watching him play for Cleveland. He took a picture with me and I was hyped when he came to Texas! I even saw him in the KBO last year, which was just extra special

[@TheFrontRowe]

The fact that Shin-Soo Choo got emotional watching this video has to feel good. Well done.

[@evan-1337]

As someone who followed baseball very closely and occasionally played fantasy, i knew how good choo was (OBP machine) and i always begged for my team to get him (the Mets)

[@oldman28guy18]

Awesome vid, thanks for doing this. Didn’t know about his bromance with Votto 🐰🐰🐰

[@ericyang5261]

Choo was a hard throwing pitcher in highschool and signed Mariners as a pitcher, during his prime he was one of the best outfield arm in the league

[@orcbollg]

Shin-Soo Choo has always been one of my favorite players, glad he’s finally getting his flowers!

[@dogmanandborisproductions]

Shin soo choo i remember this man watched him live once and thought really cool.

[@Jarrett_Lee]

The big reason why KBO players don't pan out is because their quality of pitching is shit. They consider 88-90 mph fast af and if someone consistently throws 93-95 they are regarded as best in the generation. It is getting better bit by bit but the pitching quality is MILES below Japan and US (just take a look at the most recent WBC). I would say Hyun Jin Ryu's current fastball speed, which I think is around 86-88mph, is considered at worst average velocity in KR I would say all the batters that came to the US had talent, arguably enough to survive in MLB. It's a combination of "not used to 100mph pitching" and failing to adapt to the US that most likely caused them to "fail" in the US I'd say the only two exceptions to this are Choo (who never played in KBO when he was young) and Jung Ho Kang (who, for some reason, had an exceptional ability to hit fastballs). I wouldn't say Ha Seong Kim is an exception because he struggled his first year. Ultimately whether Jung Hoo Lee succeeds would be based on how quickly he adjusts to the fastball speed here (I would argue he has more potential than Kim so if he adjusts he would be pretty godly)

[@MrROKinROK]

Good stuff, dude. 7:04 FYI: The Korean word for rabbit sounds closer to "hokey" than "hockey."

[@MrROKinROK]

NM. I see someone already commented.

[@The300Show]

Choo was a machine! I loved that dude when he was in the league.

[@antoniostrings]

Wow. Always knew he was a great player but never knew how great of a human he is. LEGEND!

[@saulgoodman8501]

Homestly i think he wouldve gotten more credit had the contract for the rangers not been nearly as large. Its something like the 26th worst contract even based on money/WAR when axcounted for "baseball inflation" Edit: this is coming from a die hard ramgers ran whos favorite player was Choo.

[@VegeMaticPragtarian]

Shin soo choos Reds year was awesome. Snubbed of the all star game, remember like it was yesterday

[@sadmarinersfan8935]

It’s pretty crazy when you look at his stats and you see that he barely made any All-Star games. He just had season after season with fantastic numbers even if his defense did fall later in his career, he should’ve made at least seven or eight All-Star games. What a legend

[@seungholee4892]

to be fair to the immortal Dae Ho Lee, he is a childhood friend of choo and was at the tail end of his career when he played for the mariners

[@Mjp22110]

Love seeing you using the office for your videos. Awesome to see the climb!

[@trinidad111]

We loved him in Cleveland and was sad to see him go

[@Ren_Brands]

One of my favorite Players, he had a great career and is a wonderful Human.

[@apagan0075]

nice touch with the Power Pros music.

[@aaron_luke96]

He was a great player man! His swing will always be something I remember.

[@edvaira6891]

I love watching HS Kim with the Padres…he always busts his ass wherever and whenever he gets played! Perfect utility guy!

[@myzgaming2738]

Song at 7:30 gave me some insane MLB Power Pros Vibes

[@The_Ann0uncer]

Great under-the-radar player to highlight 👍

[@YitzyKotler]

I love. How you used the power pros music!!!!

[@CinCity29]

Choo is easily one of my favorite Reds of all time, and he was only here a year.

[@king_ltc_]

We call him Choo Choo Train for a reason. Korean legend.

[@eshep71]

Don't forget bhis controversial moment in the 2015 playoffs. Specifically the 7th inning of the Jose Bat flip game. Choo started it. It was his bat that Martin hit with a return throw, causing the goahead run to score.

[@Luigiman_95]

Loved Choo in the rangers! Always fun and exciting. Very consistent.

[@Snazzeo]

WE WILL GET JOLLY OLIVE TO 100K BY MARCH

[@peterharris6409]

I mean 7 seasons of at least 20hr is impressive. Dude was consistent, just a good solid big leaguer. Under rated for sure

[@mlbmobilegamer]

one of my favs in 9 innings 10 and more!

[@Ian00003]

It’s so cool he was able to go home and play in the KBO

[@armychowmein8021]

As a Korean American and a die hard Seattle Mariners fan, this video was initially tough to get through.

[@jgray2718]

I love videos about guys who were better than they got credit for.