The Pirates went into the offseason knowing they needed to boost their production at first base.
Their first move of the winter helped address the weakness.
The Pirates traded for Ji-Man Choi of the Rays last week, giving them a veteran for first base who graded as a plus hitter for most of his major-league . He will be looking to boost the former in 2023, though. While he had an above-average 114 OPS+ according to Baseball Reference, that was due in large part to the bonus points he got for playing in a pitcher friendly ballpark. His raw statistics were less inspiring, slashing .233/.341/.388 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. Those results were weighed down by a second-half slump that made him expendable in the Rays' eyes.
While he's never hit 20 home runs, he has had an OPS+ of at least 108 every year since 2018, showing that he can provide the Pirates' lineup a much-needed quality bat.
"I think the biggest goal of mine is to have statistics better than last season," Choi said over Zoom Tuesday night through interpreter Daniel Park. "But also something bigger than that is not having an injury throughout the whole season and being healthy."
The injury Choi is referring to are some loose bodies in his right elbow, an ailment he dealt with for most of the season and that required a brief trip to the injured list in late April. He will be undergoing surgery to relieve the ailment in the near future.
"It’s nothing major," Choi said. "It’s just surgery for a chipped bone that I have to have taken out. The rehab shouldn’t take that long either. I’m confident that I’ll be available in time for spring training."
The Pirates knew that he would need surgery when they acquired him, and while they can't say for certain that the elbow was causing his second half downturn, they are confident in the ball player they're getting.
"I just think looking at the total arc of time with him, even the at-bats late in the year although the raw performance kind of fell off a little bit, we’re still seeing good at-bats, good swing decisions," Ben Cherington said recently. "...Based on the total information we have, we feel good about him going into next year."
A clean bill of health would be a boost for Choi. He's also getting some help from the league, as aggressive infield shifts will be banned in 2023. Infielders will still move around, but all teams must have two infielders on the dirt on each side of second base.
Last year, Choi saw a shift in 83.9% of his plate appearances and hit .214 with a .342 slugging percentage against it. Conversely, he had a .400 average and .767 slugging clip against what Baseball Savant called "standard" defenses.
Of course banning the shift does not mean Choi is going to become a .400 hitter overnight, and Choi even got a good amount of hits from ground balls to the left side of the infield, as Leo Morgenstern of FanGraphs writes. But for someone who saw shifts so often last year, facing more traditional defenses could raise his batting average on balls in play.
"Obviously, I’m a left-handed batter so most of the time, my hits would mostly go to the first-base side," Choi said. "With the shift being not available next season, I feel like there’s going to be a higher chance of me getting a base hit and helping the team win the game."
Choi is an upgrade at first, but he might not be enough. He's primarily been a platoon in the majors, and the Pirates' lineup is already very left-handed focused. They don't have a good platoon partner at first base for him, and they opted to not select the contract of their top first base prospect, Malcom Nunez, Tuesday, meaning he will be exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
Cherington says the Pirates will continue to look for ways to improve the offense, and that could include more at first base or designated hitter. If they don't acquire anyone else, Choi doesn't feel a platoon partner is essential.
"If there’s a left-handed pitcher that I have to face as a left-handed batter, obviously, I haven’t had many chances to face them," Choi said. "So if the team gives me an opportunity to face left-handed pitchers more often, I’m confident enough to show them a good result."
Choi has yet to be to Pittsburgh, but he has heard good thing from his former Rays teammate Tyler Glasnow, and he knows Hoy Park and Ji Hwan Bae.
He also knows he'll be joining a young club that is trying to learn how to win. It's a challenge scenario, but not one he is unfamiliar with.
"I’m aware the Pirates are young right now, but when I first got to the Rays, it was kind of a similar situation," Choi said. "There were a lot of young guys. But I’ve learned how to approach them through the veterans who were there at that time. If I use my background and experience and bring it to the clubhouse with the Pirates, I feel like I should have no problem. I’m trying to bring everyone together and create a good synergy for the team."
