Yesterday, an article written by Noah Wright over at Rum Bunter created a lot of buzz around Pirates Twitter. Wright had suggested that the Pirates look into bringing back Ji Man Choi in an effort to shore up the team’s first base woes.
Wright opened with this:
The Pittsburgh Pirates could desperately use some first base help. I’m not going to name names because it’s obvious who I am talking about, but I don’t want to pile on even more, and I also feel bad for him. Either way, that doesn’t change the fact the Pirates could use another first baseman.
Connor Joe has been struggling since receiving more playing time, so a platoon is very much needed. While I still expect the Pirates to make some sort of move to get a higher profile first baseman this summer — at least, a reliable platoon-mate — one player who recently hit free agency is worth looking into: Ji Man Choi.
He who shall not be named is obviously Rowdy Tellez, who has suffered yet another bad series so far in Toronto, and continues to show close to zero signs of life and now sits at a .177 batting average and .462 OPS.
I’m not sure how much I agree with the premise that Connor Joe is struggling. Sure, he’s cooled off a little since getting more at bats, but he is still well above an average batter for the Pirates at .281 with an OPS of .807. He was riding a six game hitting streak (half of those being multi-hit games) before the season opener vs Toronto.
He also recorded another multi-hit game in Pittsburgh’s second game vs the Blue Jays and accounted for an RBI.
But that is mostly besides the point. The first base job still needs help, and while Tellez continues to flounder, the frustration and the anger over his performance actually shifts away from him personally and more towards the organization.
Now into the month of June, it’s do or die for teams who are hopeful to still be playing meaningful baseball when the leaves change colors. Any serious effort cannot be made as long as a team is still trotting out a batter struggling as much as Tellez is on a regular basis.
We’ve all been speculating about and looking for any possible solution to this problem. Jake Lamb was the popular pick when he was dominating Triple-A with Indianapolis. At his peak, Lamb was hitting almost .400 with the Indians, but the 33-year old has gotten a little cold in recent weeks.
Brandon Belt was also an option for some during this saga. The free agent 36-year old hit .254 in Toronto last season, but his climbing age and injury concerns had many other Pirates fans looking down on those who suggested that.
Now, Ji Man Choi is an option, and I understand why he would be considered.
Choi was a very brief Pirate, having been acquired by trade from Tampa Bay ahead of the 2023 season. He played in just 23 games before injury kept him out long term and a subsequent trade to the Padres shipped him out west.
In that time with Pittsburgh, however, he had some memorable moments. Despite being a .202 batter, he carried an OPS of .731. In just 76 at bats, Choi smacked 6 home runs and 11 RBI.
It should be noted that Choi’s time was the Pirates was completely opposite pre-injury and post-injury. In 11 games before he went down, Choi was slashing .125/.125/.344, with 2 home runs and 2 RBI. His strikeout rate was just under 50% and he only registered 4 hits before he missed significant time with an Achilles strain.
When he returned on July 7th, he was an entirely new man. In 14 games post injury, he slashed .268/.296/.634 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI. His strikeout rate plummeted to 29.2% in 41 at bats during the month of July.
He was making great contact with the ball and was one of the team’s best batters when he returned. Not that this matters to the conversation, but he was also a very fun guy to have in. the dugout.
Oh how I miss that sword.
However, when looking at all that has transpired since, that may have been a flash in the pan. Choi was sent to San Diego at the deadline last year along with starter Rich Hill for Jackson Wolf, Alfonso Rivas, and 18-year old Estuar Suero.
Choi completely fell off the map after arriving in California. He only got into 16 games with the Padres, but he batted .065 and had an OPS under .400. He also had a quick stint in El Paso (San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate) that only went marginally better.
As a free agent, he signed with the New York Mets organization, but the South Korean couldn’t make the major league team out of spring training, and was assigned to their Triple-A club in Syracuse.
He had an opt-out clause with the organization on June 1st, which he exercised today and became a free agent. He left the Syracuse Mets with a .191 batting average, .674 OPS, 4 home runs and 12 RBI in 26 games (84 at bats).
I’ll admit, when looking at his July run in Pittsburgh last year, it can be tempting to bring that bat back. However, ever since that mini hot streak with the Pirates, he has not hung on to success anywhere he was been.
He couldn’t cut it with the Padres and he didn’t even make the Mets out of camp. It’s highly unlikely that he somehow rekindles that magic by putting on a Pirate uniform again.
Rowdy Tellez has been awful. Frustratingly, maddeningly, depressingly awful. But Choi has not been any better in recent time, and bringing Choi in probably only sets him up to be the next Tellez when he can’t figure it out either.
We have a tendency in this town for reunions, and I won’t lie I am no exception. I love a good reunion story as much as the next Pittsburgher, but with the numbers he has had recently, I just don’t know if it would be worth it.
It’s more an indictment of the organization as a whole that the Pirates are in this spot. They are in year five of a rebuild and there is still no secure, long term answer at first base – and there doesn’t seem to be one coming any time soon.
It’s a really bad look for the Pirates that bringing in a player who was batting under .200 in Triple-A could be seen as an upgrade over the guy they handed $3.2 million to in the offseason.
But as for Choi, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Pirates to extend him a minor league contract. If he tore it up in Triple-A with Indianapolis, then maybe you see what he can do.
But that still means a lot more time of Tellez in the big leagues, and that’s banking on Choi finding his game, which is so very far from a guarantee.
(Featured photo by Matt Freed/AP)
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