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Outfielder draws respect for ability. South Korean says baseball all he knows
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2008
CLEVELAND: Where is Shin-Soo Choo when you need him?
He's probably getting a hit, making an accurate and strong throw or maybe stealing a base. The more the Indians see of Choo, the more they respect his ability and makeup.
Going into Monday night's game against the Minnesota Twins, Choo was batting .431 with four home runs and 14 RBI in his previous 17 games. Overall, he was batting .300 with 10 homers and 49 RBI in 273 at-bats.
Tribe officials probably aren't sure what to make of Choo yet. Is he a solid platoon outfielder or can he play every day? What appeared to be Choo's biggest weakness, an inability to hit left-handers, has diminished to the point where he is hitting .295 (in 61 at-bats).
If he has a second-biggest weakness, it might be a tendency to beat himself up.
''Choo has a tendency to be real hard on himself,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ''But he's done a little better job with that this year. What I like about him is that he's a complete player. He can help you with his bat, his arm and his legs.''
Wedge neglected to mention his head.
Last week in Baltimore, Choo was in the batter's box having a conversation with umpire Paul Emmel. What were they talking about?
''The catcher says, 'The count is 2-and-2, right?' And the umpire agrees with him,'' Choo said. ''I say, 'No, the count is 3-and-2,' and I went through each pitch to show him.''
And the umpire agreed with Choo.
In Pusan, South Korea, Choo's home, they take baseball seriously. Choo attended a high school whose curriculum stressed the game. Students practiced baseball three times a day and slept at the school overnight.
''I can't do anything, just baseball,'' he said. ''The first day of (college) football season here, everybody in the clubhouse was excited. I am thinking, 'Why are baseball players so excited about football?' When I said this, everybody laughed.''
Choo was educated to be a baseball player, just as someone here would attend law school or study to be a teacher.
''There's a lot of stress, even in high school,'' Choo said. ''In Korea, I think players were more serious. I ask minor-leaguers here what would happen if they didn't make it, and they say they would just do something else. For me, I can't do anything else.''
That is why Choo is in a quandary. According to South Korean law, every male is required to serve in the military. Choo has two more years before he must comply.
''By the time I come out, I don't know if I can play baseball,'' he said. ''If I can't, then what do I do?''
Taking small steps
At one time, Michael Aubrey was considered one of the top hitters in the Indians' organization. He still might be, but he has to prove it by staying off the disabled list.
' For the first time this season, Aubrey did not miss large chunks of the schedule because of injuries.
''Aubrey has played good defense [at first base] and he's put up some good at-bats,'' Wedge said.
''He looks like a young player trying to find his way. What we want to see is for him to play a full season without injury. This year has been a good step.''
Big week
Asdrubal Cabrera and Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez have been selected as co-Players of the Week in the American League.
For the week ending Sunday, Cabrera batted .455 (10-for-22) with three doubles, one home run and eight RBI. He checked in with a slugging percentage of .727 and an on-base percentage of .481.
''Good for him. That's a nice honor,'' Wedge said. ''When you talk about building a foundation, he's done a great job.''
The attachment
Sal Fasano has caught seven of Jeremy Sowers' starts, though Wedge said he is not trying to make the veteran Sowers' personal catcher.
''I did it the first time to hear what Sal would say,'' Wedge said. ''But it's for Jeremy's benefit the most. And as a catcher, I can tell you that there's nothing like getting back there yourself.''
The other times that Fasano and Sowers have been battery mates happened because of the way the schedule fell.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: Where is Shin-Soo Choo when you need him?
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