BRADENTON, Fla. -- You never get a second chance to make a first impression. And things probably could have gone a bit better for the Pirates and their new first baseman, Ji-Man Choi.
The past few weeks have had a few bumps in the road, including Choi being the first player the Pirates took to arbitration in six years and the team objecting to him playing in the World Baseball Classic next month since he is still recovering from an offseason surgery to his right elbow. The latter appeared to be a sore spot, as he released a statement through his agency to Korean media outlets that he was "extremely disappointed."
That doesn't necessarily mean there will be more drama between the two sides. Choi arrived to camp Friday afternoon, and he sounded dismissive when asked if there is any tension between himself and his new club.
“No hard feelings right now. It is what it is," Choi said at his locker at Pirate City Sunday, via interpreter Jung Hoon Na. "I want to focus on the team right now. I want to build a relationship with the players here. I want to focus on the present.”
The Pirates acquired Choi from the Rays for minor-league pitcher Jack Hartman in November, giving them a legitimate option at first base and designated hitter, two spots where they greatly struggled in 2022. They knew at the time of the deal that he would need to undergo a procedure on his elbow, and even though there weren't any setbacks with his rehab, the timetable did not lend itself well for him to play in the WBC.
"In our mind, we thought it was best for the Pirates with where he was at health-wise," Derek Shelton said Friday. "We have to make sure we get ready for the season. We’ll sit down and have a conversation. Don’t really feel that it’ll be an issue at all."
Choi followed up that he has talked to Shelton and Ben Cherington about the decision, though he didn't go into any details.
Health wise, Choi is past the ramp-up stages and is full-go for a spring training that should be without any restrictions.
“I’ve been hitting live BPs [batting practices] even before I got here," Choi said. "I’m good.”
How he is deployed, both in spring training and the regular season, is yet to be seen. The Pirates also signed Carlos Santana and Andrew McCutchen this winter, giving them two other options for the designated hitter spot with Santana also at first base. The left-handed hitting Choi has traditionally been used as a platoon throughout his playing career and has a significantly higher career OPS against righties than southpaws (.810 vs. .589).
When asked if he knows how he'll be used -- both in terms of as a potential platoon or as a fielder or DH -- Choi responded with a simple, "it depends on Shelty, really.”
"We'll have a conversation as we get probably near the end of camp," Shelton said. "See where we're at, see health wise where we're at and how guys are feeling. One of the things with veteran guys, especially Cutch and Santana, who have been playing a long time, is we'll have conversations about their usage, how they're going to do it and where they're going to do it. And then on the flip side, just asking them to be very transparent with me about how they feel so we can put them in the best situations."
The focus for both Choi and the team is on the future, not the past and the WBC.
“I respect the team’s decision," Choi said. "It is what it is. I want to go forward.”
