Shin-Soo Choo

2013

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2012

Choo's season essentially came to an end in June with a thumb injury that required surgery. He made it back from the DL, but dealt with an oblique injury from August onward in what was a very disappointing season (.259 average, eight homers, 36 RBI in just 85 games). Choo battled the injury-prone tag early in his career but appeared to have rid himself of that label in the previous two seasons and is a good bet to rebound. He still offers a nice power/speed combination, particularly in formats that reward his patience at the plate. He'll be back as Cleveland's everyday right fielder and should anchor the middle of the lineup alongside Carlos Santana.

2011

Choo set career highs in homers (22), RBI (90) and steals (22) last year, his second straight 20-20 campaign. He even earned a military exemption by winning gold for South Korea in the Asian Games this winter, eliminating the possibility of losing some of his peak years to military obligations back home. He'll anchor the middle of the Tribe lineup again as its everyday right fielder. Expect similar numbers from him at age 28 as the Indians continue their rebuilding efforts around him.

2010

Choo finally shed the "if can stay healthy" tag and built on his breakout season of the previous year (.309/.397/.549) with his first full season, hitting .300 with 20 homers, 86 RBI and 21 steals. He actually held his own against southpaws, hitting .275 in an everyday role. If he hits behind Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore as expected he should see plenty of RBI chances. He's in the middle of what should be a nice two-to-three year run.

2009

Choo didn’t join the Indians until the very end of May thanks to elbow surgery but was healthy and productive from that point forward. He hit .343 with 11 homers and 48 RBI in the second half of the season and has finally earned himself the inside track on an everyday job heading into spring. If he can stay healthy and handle southpaws he'll build on last season's breakout campaign.

2008

A crowded outfield in Cleveland landed him in Buffalo for much of the season where he had elbow problems before finally undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of the year. The Indians hope he'll be back close to full strength by April, but that seems optimistic. The expected departures of Trot Nixon and Kenny Lofton should open up a spot but he'll still have to battle David Dellucci, Jason Michaels, Ben Francisco and Franklin Gutierrez for playing time. With elbow surgery putting him behind to start the season it looks like another uphill battle for the oft-injured Choo. He's still young enough to put up a 10-homer, 20-steal season someday, but he's got to get healthy first.

2007

A prototypical Mark Shapiro find, Choo played extremely well in Cleveland (.812 OPS in 157 at-bats) and became a fan favorite in the meantime. Playing almost exclusively against righthanders, Choo was able to draw walks (17) and put the bat on the ball (39 strikeouts), which will get you playing time in most situations. With the offseason acquisition of David Dellucci, Choo's role for 2007 is still up in the air, but a fourth outfielder job is not out of the question.

2006

After being named the organization's 2004 player of the year, Choo had a disappointing 2005 as his numbers dropped across the board. His power hasn't developed as the Mariners hoped, and he doesn't do enough other things to push himself into Seattle's lineup. His best attribute right now is the ability to draw walks (69 in 115 games at Triple-A Tacoma last season), but unless his power improves that won't be enough. Still, he'll contend for a bench spot in spring training.

2005

Choo was named the organization's 2004 minor league player of the year. After a strong stint in the Arizona Fall League, he'll compete for a spot on the major league squad in the spring, but likely is headed for Triple-A Tacoma. He could get called up at some point this season, though, and remains a good keeper candidate.

2004

Choo is one of the Mariners' Top 10 prospects. He had 40 extra base hits last season at high Single-A Inland Empire and led all Mariners minor leaguers with 13 triples. He could be the Mariners' future in left field. That won't be for a while, though, but he's still a keeper prospect to take a flyer on.