Cleveland Baseball Insider

Former Cleveland Fan Favorite Retires From Professional Baseball

Former Cleveland outfielder Shin-Soo Choo retired from professional baseball after his final at-bat in the Korea Baseball Organization on Monday.

Logan Potosky

August 5, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) receives congratulations from teammates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
August 5, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) receives congratulations from teammates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Cleveland Guardians have had a number of fan-favorite players over the past two-plus decades.

From current third baseman José Ramírez to former outfielder Grady Sizemore, a number of Cleveland players during this span have been known for their exceptional performance and personality.

For Guardians fans, another player in this group would be former outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.

The 42-year-old finally retired from professional baseball after concluding his 2024 season with the KBO’s SSG Landers. He played nearly 3,000 regular season professional baseball games across Minor League Baseball, Major League Baseball, and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Choo was acquired by Cleveland from the Seattle Mariners in 2006 as part of the trade that sent first baseman Ben Broussard to Seattle.

Choo, a South Korea native, then spent six-plus seasons with Cleveland from 2006 through 2012. He hit .292 with 736 hits, 162 doubles, 19 triples, 83 home runs, 372 RBI, 85 stolen bases, and an .852 OPS in 685 regular season games.

A baseball player with teammates while wearing a gray jersey, navy batting helmet, and red batting gloves.
August 5, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) receives congratulations from teammates after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Arguably his best season with the team was in 2010, when he hit .300 with career-highs of 22 home runs, 90 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. This performance led to him finishing 14th in the 2010 AL MVP voting.

Choo recorded a number of single-season career-bests during his time with Cleveland, including a .309 batting average (2008), 43 doubles (2012), six triples (2009), a .549 slugging percentage (2008), and a .946 OPS (2008).

He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds following the 2012 season as part of the three-team deal that brought Trevor Bauer, Drew Stubbs, Jason Donald, Matt Albers, and Bryan Shaw to Cleveland.

Published |Modified
Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

Home/News