South Korean Ballplayers In MLB: 2000-2011

Author’s note: I dedicate this series of posts to Damon Bruce from KNBR 1050. His insights on internships—”Take advantage of all opportunities to learn, do something new, and help”—still resonate with me today.

For the past decade, Asian ballplayers have steadily risen to the Major Leagues, or “The Show.” From Ichiro Suzuki to Kurt Suzuki, these Major League players resemble living examples redefining the Model Minority label, suggesting sports as an alternative career to attain the American Dream.

In a series of posts, I will focus on the different foreign-born Asian and Asian American ballplayers making it to Major Leagues from 2000-2011, documenting their debut, their Major League contributions and their Asian heritage.

In this post, I will focus on MLB players of South Korean heritage.

I did not, however, include South Korean ballplayers who made their debut in the 1990s, and continued playing in the 2000s.

2001

Sun Woo Kim debuted with the Boston Red Sox on June 15^th, 2011, posting a 5.83 ERA in two starts in 20 games. He would lower his ERA to 4.75 the next season but his ERA ballooned again during the 2003, where he posted 7.45 ERA. He would later be traded to the Montreal Expos in 2004, posting pedestrian numbers until he was traded to the Colorado Rockies during the middle of the 2005 season. He continued playing with the Colorado Rockies for the rest of the season, and the first half of the 2006 season. He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds but was released after the end of the season.

He is a native of Inchon, South Korea.

2002

Jung-Keun Bong made his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves on April 23^rd, 2002 as a starter. But he only played one game during the season, returning to the Braves’ 25-man roster the next season as a reliever. He would later be traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2004 season, making three starts during that season. In 2006, he was released by the Reds.

He is a native of Seoul, South Korea.

Jae Weong Seo made his debut with the New York Mets on July 21^st, 2002, recording a scoreless relief appearance against the Cincinnati Reds. The next season, he was inserted into the starting rotation, posting a respectable 3.82 ERA in 31 starts. He would spend the next two seasons with the Mets until he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2005 season. As a member of the Dodgers, however, he would inflate his ERA, posting a 5.78 ERA in 10 starts. He would be dealt to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during the middle of the season. He would finish the season with one win and eight losses with the Rays, while recording three victories the following season but he finished the 2007 season with the 8.13 ERA.  He became a free agent after the season but never played in the majors again.

He is a native of Kwanju, South Korea

Hee Seop Choi appeared in his first major game with the Chicago Cubs on September 3^rd, 2002, becoming the first Korean born position player in the major leagues.  He would begin the next season as the opening first basemen but suffered a concussion that reduced his playing time. He was then traded to the Marlins in 2004 but was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the trade deadline but was often used as a bench player. He reclaimed the starting first basemen role the next season, hitting six home runs in a three game series against the Minnesota Twins. That season would be his last season in the major leagues, as the Dodgers later waived him during the off-season.

He is a native of Chun-Nam, South Korea.

2004

Dae Sung Koo debuted with the New York Mets on April 4^th, 2005 after he was signed as a free agent. He is best remembered for recording his first major league hit against New York Yankee’s starter Randy Johnson. He would later score a run for the Mets after sliding towards home plate on a close play. That would be his only season in the big leagues; the Mets later sold his contract to the Hwanhua Eagle, Koo’s original team in South Korea.

He is a native of Daejeon, South Korea.

2005

Shih Soo Choo made his pro-debut on April 21^st, 2005 with the Seattle Mariners, batting .068 in two seasons. He was later traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he would hit his first major league home and finished the season with a .295 batting average in 45 games. Since then, he remained as a fixture in the Indian’s lineup for the next five seasons. In 2009, he became the first player in the American League to post a .300 batting average with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He was also granted military exemption by the South Korean government on November 19^th, 2010 after helping South Korea win a gold medal in the 2010 Asian games, allowing him to continue his major league career.

He is a native of Pusan, South Korea.