Former Padres Infielder to Pause Baseball Career for Military Service

For fans of Major League Baseball, one easily overlooked aspect of life in South Korea is the compulsory military service for young men who are also in their prime baseball-playing years.

It's easily overlooked because star players from Chan Ho Park to Hyun-Jin Ryu to Ha-Seong Kim have been able to obtain permission from the government to effectively postpone their service outside the usual window.

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So it is for former Padres first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that Choi is returning to his home country of South Korea to begin 21 months of mandatory military service.

Choi, 33, played 16 games for the Padres in his last MLB tour of duty in 2023. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the deal that also sent Rich Hill to San Diego, Choi went 2-for-31 (.065) with a double. He became a free agent after the season.

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Choi resurfaced last year with the New York Mets but did not see action in the majors after playing 26 games with Triple-A Syracuse, slashing .191/.317/.357.

A slugging first baseman with power and patience, Choi enjoyed his best seasons with the Rays from 2018-22. He slashed .245/.352/.431 while hitting 52 home runs and driving in 203 in 414 games as a platoon bat.

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Choi also played for the Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, and Milwaukee Brewers, in addition to the Pirates and Padres, from 2016-23.

According to Topkin, Choi hopes to resume his playing career in the KBO, Korea's top professional league, after his military service is complete.

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If Choi has played his final MLB game, he'll retire with 67 career home runs, 238 RBIs, and a .234/.338/.426 slash line in 525 career games. He appeared in an additional 29 postseason games, all with the Rays, slashing .221/.398/.412 with four home runs and six RBIs in 68 at-bats.

Although those are modest career totals in the context of all MLB players, they place Choi among the best hitters ever to emerge from Korea.

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Choi's 525 games played are the third-most among all Korean-born players in MLB history, behind only former Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim (540) and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo (1,652).

His 67 home runs, 238 RBIs and 93 doubles rank second only to Choo. His 4.8 Wins Above Replacement, including pitchers, rank eighth all-time among Koreans in MLB.

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