The Awesomeness of Choo

FanGraphs has an article about Shin-Soo Choo tearing the cover of the ball the past month. He leads all AL hitters in WPA over the last 30 days at 2.21. He's hitting .376/.459/.706 over the past 85 at-bats. We here all know how great he's been but it's nice for him to get some national recognition. He certainly looks like he's locked up a starting spot in the OF next year, at least against right-handed pitchers.

10 months ago Buckeye Brad Comment 58 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Now if only someone would hypothesize a reason for batting him leadoff and Grady second.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That would just be silly.

(We ALL know Grady needs to be batting third (or cleanup).)

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Sep 5, 2008 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’d say 5th. I don’t think his average is high enough to be an ideal 3 or 4. He’s more of a speedy Adam Dunn.

by KevinV on Sep 5, 2008 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not sure if you ended the satire or not.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, me neither. Kevin — please tell me you were joking.

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Sep 5, 2008 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Although I will say, considering your statement, then where do we bat Dunn when he’s on the team?

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He can lead off and clog the bases more effectively than Garko.

by peter m on Sep 5, 2008 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I should really make a FanPost about that . . .

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Sep 5, 2008 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just one?

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ouch!

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Sep 5, 2008 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You could make a FanShot linking to your old FanPost.

Or never.

by Jay on Sep 6, 2008 7:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I think Choo is a lock at RF for next season. I still don’t know how the rest is going to shake out. Could be a half year of Francisco in LF then Laporta. Its looking more and more like 1B or 3B could be improved on in the offseason. Although I still think they can upgrade over Francisco/Gutz in the outfield particularly if they don’t think Laporta will stick in LF/RF, or simply if it is easier to pick up a OF than a corner infielder (although without really checking I bet there is going to be a few first base options available.)

by hans on Sep 5, 2008 12:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Before we anoint Choo as the right fielder of the future, is there any update on his military service obligation? I’d much rather have him patrolling the outfield in Cleveland as opposed to some parcel of land just south of the Korean DMZ, but his countrymen may feel differently.

"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.

by Harry Doyle on Sep 5, 2008 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it would depend on a couple of things including whether he signed up to be a soldier, or a member of the police force. If it is the former, we just have to pray that Kim Jong-Il doesn’t go and do something crazy.

Fingers crossed, but breathing normally

by Chief WaDrew on Sep 5, 2008 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Too late.

Crazy Here.

by cclemens31 on Sep 5, 2008 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

3B pickings via FA are slimmer than a teenage celebutante. Among 1B, Cot’s reports these fellas (I haven’t vetted this list, other than to move Helms from Philly to Miami):

Rich Aurilia SF
Ben Broussard NYY
Carlos Delgado * NYM
Nomar Garciaparra LAD
Jason Giambi * NYY
Wes Helms FLA
Kevin Millar BAL
Richie Sexson NYY
Mark Teixeira LAA
Frank Thomas OAK
Jim Thome CWS
Daryle Ward CHC

Other than Teixeira, most of those guys aren’t a substantial improvement over Garko.

by FredOx on Sep 5, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Adam Dunn?

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He’s only played 5 games at 1B in the last three seasons, so I’d call him a FA OF.

by FredOx on Sep 5, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yikes. he’s the quintessential old player skills kind of guy, isn’t he? not the kind of player i’d like to have under contract in his thirties. . .

a three year deal might be acceptable though, especially since it seems like there’s a total lack of interest in dunn and you could get him on the cheap.

by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 5, 2008 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

When we say “old player skills” we seem to usually mean walks a lot, strikes out a lot, and hits the ball hard. Um, aren’t two of those things exactly what we want offensively? And isn’t the third (strikeouts) pretty closely linked to seeing many pitches (that is, the very selectivity that leads to walks)? And don’t these skills last later in life than speed-based skills?

by jds16 on Sep 5, 2008 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mostly yes, but here’s a good summary of the whole “old player skills” problem re: Dunn.

Basically, for whatever reason, players who exhibit that kind of skill set as a young ’uns tend to decline big time as they age into their thirties. I suppose it has something to do with their game being too reliant on HR/walks and thus, if they lose anything off of their bat speed or vision they have nowhere to compensate. I dunno—someone could probably explain this whole thing better than I have.

by Cap'n Snegiryov on Sep 5, 2008 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the link. It was an interesting read, though what I got mostly out of it is that Dunn will probably be a fat DH within a few years, who is still mashing and walking unless he gets so fat that fat-induced injuries end his career. So really, the deal with players with Old Player Skills (OPS—it works on two levels!) is just like pitchers—sign them for just a few years unless they’re really young. Seems simple enough.

That said, if we could get Dunn on a 3-year deal, at any position, I’d be delighted. (Heck, we gave Dellucci 3 years, and he has Platoon Player Skills.) It comes down to a matter of whether other GMs are smart enough to want him but stupid enough to give him too many years on the deal.

by jds16 on Sep 5, 2008 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you’re both right.

For the right price, I’ll take Dunn at first. He couldn’t be any worse than he is as an OF.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Slim pickings, unless you want to ante up for Teixera. I say play Vic at first and identify a back-up catcher.

by peter m on Sep 5, 2008 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Think Thome would come back? Nahhhhh …..

by talonk on Sep 5, 2008 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Certainly not to play a position.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 5, 2008 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

platoon Thome and Broussard!

by APV on Sep 5, 2008 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it shows real recklessness for you to have announced that list without vetting it more thoroughly.

by Jay on Sep 6, 2008 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the problem with not being able to talk politics on LGT is that when someone makes what I think to be a political joke I want to follow up with another one but then my partisan bias would show and probably at least a third of the people would be like hey who is this jackoff

by Gradyforpresident on Sep 6, 2008 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

fascist

by APV on Sep 6, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

There is probably (in hindsight) a political joke in there, but all I meant was that the Cot’s 2009 FA lists are prone to error (deadline trades not accounted for, re-signings), and I didn’t take the time to look up whether Wes Helms or Rich Aurelia have a new deal yet.

by FredOx on Sep 7, 2008 6:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

At least two Hall of Famers on that list.

by odradek on Sep 6, 2008 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’d also say at most, but not with as much confidence.

by Jay on Sep 6, 2008 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tex is the x factor. Remember when Nomar was good? He looked like a lock.

by odradek on Sep 8, 2008 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Still an uphill climb for Tex. He ain’t THAT awesome.

by Jay on Sep 8, 2008 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, you’re right. And he’s already 28. You know who looks possible? Delgado. He has 464 homers and 1474 RBI in an offensive era. But all those years in Flushing will help.

by odradek on Sep 8, 2008 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thomas will definately get in. Thome should get in, but he’s alwasy been underappreciated and I could see writers not voting for him as a backlash against the “steroids era” offensive numbers (not that Thome has ever been accused of steroids). Most writers see Thome as a guy who hit a lot of homers but struck out a lot, and don’t appreciate his value because of OBP. There were years in Cleveland where he was putting up fantastic numbers and didn’t even make the friggin’ All-Star team. I know the All-Star selection is stupid, but people do look back on that stat when assessing HoF value.

The best thing probably is to hit [Grady] 2nd -- Jay

by Buckeye Brad on Sep 6, 2008 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s all the stats Thome will need: over 600 career HRs. He’s a shoe-in.

Resident LGT beer kinda sewer

by mauichuck on Sep 8, 2008 9:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For what it’s worth, Choo is hitting .300/.395/.532 for the season. Since the All-Star break, he’s hitting .343/.431/.615.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 8, 2008 10:13 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

gaaaaaa. that’s incredible.

by Voltaire on Sep 8, 2008 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was going to suggest it was downright Pujols-ian, if it weren’t for the fact that Pujols is having a better total year in all three stat categories than what Choo has managed since the ASB.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Sep 8, 2008 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but that’s in the CFL.

by Jay on Sep 8, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pujols scares me. He’s reached base in 120 of 129 games, and has had an OPS this year of less than 1.000 only three times, the last coming on April 8. Not bad.

by FredOx on Sep 8, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since August 5, he’s raised his OPS from .745 to .927. The only thing holding his season stats down are two mini-slumps in which he was 0-for-10 and 0-for-14. Take those away and he’s got an OPS of 1.018.

by FredOx on Sep 8, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

this is my favorite stat move. why not take away a hot streak and re-work the numbers? how about replace all his strikeouts with homeruns? then his numbers would be even better? this is where we should also re-project his numbers acroos the whole year as though he were injured to see how many doubles and rbi he’d have if he didn’t have surgery and miss the start of the season.

by Brick. on Sep 8, 2008 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

typos galore. [PREVIEW]

by Brick. on Sep 8, 2008 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, it’s blatant stat manipulation, and wasn’t intended to prove much of anything, other than that Choo has not gone through extended cold spells like the rest of the team. What happened during those tow relatively short stretches? If he can figure it out and address it, he could be really scary.

by FredOx on Sep 8, 2008 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs