by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com (5/23/2013) Though it is seven months away, Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo already is fielding plenty of questions about his upcoming free agency.
"I get asked the question a lot: 'Choo, where do you want to go and where do you want to play?'" Choo said to MLB.com Thursday.
Thanks to a hot start, Choo looks likely to be one of the top free agents in the league next offseason, and with Scott Boras representing him, he will likely get a big pay day. Choo is hitting .300 with a .984 on-base plus slugging percentage through the first 45 games of the season, while serving as the team's leadoff man. For their part, the Reds would like to extend Choo, but general manager Walt Jocketty realizes that might not be the best option.
"I hate to even address it," Jocketty told MLB.com. "We got him with the idea we would get him for the year and then try to develop [Billy] Hamilton to play next year. If we're in a position where we think we can sign Choo, it's a big bonus for us. Would we love to? Absolutely. But we have to really look and see where our financial revenues and financial projections of future revenues are. It's still a little early to do that."
Shin-Soo Choo willing to play in New York?
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/21/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who is off to a great start in 2013, will be a free agent after the season. If he hits the free-agent market, he's expected to be a hot commodity, according to the New York Post.
"He would be a good fit for anybody," an American League scout said. "He brings a little bit of everything: power, speed, hitting for average, and getting on base. He can play all three outfield positions. He’s disciplined and can serve as a good influence for younger outfielders. He can also take pressure off other players."
Choo played his first game at Citi Field against the Mets Monday. He said he hasn't given much thought about where he will be playing next season, but he didn't rule out signing with the Mets if the opportunity arises.
"With New York, you never know. If I have a good opportunity, I’ll take it," he said.
Shin-Soo Choo a late addition to Reds' Monday lineup
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (5/20/2013)Shin-Soo Choo will start for the Reds Monday.
Choo was not on the original lineup card, but was a late addition. He'll hit leadoff and play center. Shane Robinson will no longer get the start. Choo is hitting .309/.456/.549 in 162 at-bats this year.
Shin-Soo Choo out of starting lineup Monday
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (5/20/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is not in the starting lineup Monday.
Choo has been strong with a .309/.456/.549 line in 162 at-bats. He will be replaced by Shane Robinson, who will hit leadoff. He should return to the lineup Tuesday against Mets' starter Jonathon Niese.
Shin-Soo Choo adds to HR total
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (5/15/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo recorded his second multi-homer game of the year on Wednesday night against the Marlins. He hit a pair of solo shots and also singled twice to finish 4 for 5 in a 4-0 win.
The 30-year-old is batting .289 (13 for 45) in May with five homers and eight RBI.
Shin-Soo Choo walks off vs. Braves
by Adam Moore | CBSSports.com (5/7/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo belted a walk-off home run Tuesday against the Braves. Choo launched a 2-1 offering from Craig Kimbrel over the center-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Cincinnati a 5-4 win.
Choo also blasted a solo home run in the third inning off starter Kris Medlen, giving him his first multi-homer game of the year. He finished 2 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Choo has hit safely in each of the last five games and is batting .320 (8 for 25) with three home runs and four RBI over that stretch.
Shin-Soo Choo shrugs off injury scare
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (5/5/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo shrugged off an injury scare during Sunday's series finale against the Cubs.
Choo collided with second baseman Brandon Phillips while trying to catch a fly ball hit by Alfonso Soriano in the fifth. The ball bounced off Choo's face and left him with a bruised lip. He remained in the game and finished 2 for 5 with a run scored in a 7-4 victory.
"It looked really ugly," manager Dusty Baker said. "This wind play havoc with the ball. I saw Choo break back. I knew we were in trouble."
Choo, who homered Saturday, is hitting .280 (7 for 25) with six runs scored and three RBI in his last six games.
Shin-Soo Choo quickly finds his stroke
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (5/4/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo crushed a home run on the first pitch of the game from Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija during a 6-4 win at Chicago on Saturday. Choo went 1 for 4 with a walk and scored twice as he continues to work past a minor rough patch at the plate that included his first two-game hitless streak of the season.
"Baseball is a long season, 162 games. A couple of times, it will happen," he told MLB.com. "Good players on good teams [separate from] bad players on bad teams in how quickly they come out of slumps. I worried about it. I thought about it. I tried to think positive. I didn't have many strikeouts. The good thing was to have contact."
Shin-Soo Choo ends brief hitless run
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/27/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo homered for the first time in his past 19 games during Cincinnati's 6-3 loss at Washington on Saturday. A day after he went hitless to end a 22-game streak in which he reached base safely, Choo slugged a solo homer off Nationals starter Dan Haren to lead off the sixth inning.
He finished 1 for 3 and also drew a walk to maintain his top spot in the majors with a .504 on-base percentage. Choo has four home runs on the season.
Shin-Soo Choo's streak finally ends
by Adam Moore | CBSSports.com (4/26/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo failed to get on base for the first time this season during Friday's contest against the Nationals. Choo, who had reached base at least once in each of his previous 22 games, finished 0 for 4 in the 1-0 defeat.
Choo is batting .360/.505/.558 with three home runs and 15 RBI over 86 at-bats.
Shin-Soo Choo reaches base four more times
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/24/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo reached base four times as part of a 3-for-4 night Tuesday against the Cubs.
Choo maintains his MLB lead in on-base percentage at .535. He has now reached base at least three times in 11 games, trailing just teammate Joey Votto for the MLB lead. Choo scored his 18th run of the season as well, which puts him on pace for 146 over 162 games. He likely won't reach that gaudy total, but his placement in the excellent Reds' lineup combined with his on-base abilities likely means he'll be scoring in bunches.
Shin-Soo Choo keeps getting plunked
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/23/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was hit by a pitch for the 10th time in April Monday against the Cubs, which set a franchise record for a month, according to MLB.com. It was the most HBP for any player in a month since Craig Biggio had 10 in August 1997.
Choo was hit by a pitch 14 times last season and his career-high for a season is 17. Choo is batting .366 with a .521 on-base percentage, .606 slugging percentage and 1.127 OPS through 19 games.
Shin-Soo Choo earning his way to first
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (4/22/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is getting on base at a ridiculous clip to open the year, but it's coming at a price.
Choo's OBP now sits at .523, putting him at the top of the majors. That number has been boosted by Choo's nine hit-by-pitches this year. Choo leads the league in the category by a wide margin, with Kevin Youkilis trailing him by five. Some hitters, like Carlos Quentin, consistenly are near the top of the league in the category due to their stance, but Choo has never shown this ability before. The added on-base is nice for Fantasy owners, but you do have to worry a little about injury.
Shin-Soo Choo moves atop OBP leaderboard
by Jack Moore | CBSSports.com (4/21/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo reached base five times Sunday against the Marlins -- two singles, two hit-by-pitches, and a walk -- to attain the league's top on-base percentage at .523. He overtook teammate Joey Votto (.522) on the leaderboard.
He's providing the power too, with a .632 slugging percentage and three home runs. Choo scored twice Sunday and notched an RBI.
Shin-Soo Choo stays active on base paths
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/20/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo went 3 for 4 with three walks in a 3-2 victory over Miami in 13 innings Saturday. It was the first time this season Choo drew multiple walks as he reached base six times to raise his OBP more than 30 points to .494.
The 30-year-old also extended his streak of games with an extra-base hit to three with a double and added a stolen base, his second of the year.
Shin-Soo Choo destroying righties
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com (4/18/2013) Reds center fielder Shin-Soo Choo continued his dominance of right-handed pitching this season, going 2 for 4 with two runs, one RBI and a walk in his team's 11-1 win over the Marlins Thursday.
Choo is 15 for 36 against right-handed pitching this season, getting on base over half the time and hitting all three of his home runs against righties.
Shin-Soo Choo hits safely again
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/13/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo hit safely for the ninth time in 11 games on Saturday night against the Pirates. He went 1 for 4 in a 3-1 loss.
Choo is batting .341 (15 for 44) with three homers, six RBI and one stolen base.
Shin-Soo Choo enjoying success in Cincy
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/8/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo had a couple of errors in Monday's series opener against the Cardinals but made up for it at the plate.
He extended his hitting streak to five games by going 2 for 5 with three RBI, two runs scored and a walk in the 13-4 win.
Choo singled in the seventh and doubled home three during Cincinnati's nine-run ninth.
Choo is batting .429 (9 for 21) during his streak and has hit safely in all but one game.
Shin-Soo Choo surging early
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (4/6/2013) Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo homered for the third straight game Saturday during Cleveland's 7-6 loss to Washington in 11 innings. Choo, obtained from the Indians in the offseason to bat leadoff, finished 2 for 5 and was hit by a pitch for the fourth time in five games.
He has reached base safely in 13 of his 25 plate appearances this season.
Shin-Soo Choo launches first HR with Reds
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/4/2013)Shin-Soo Choo homered on Joe Blanton's first pitch of the game Thursday, the first of Cincinnati's three homers off the right-hander, and the Reds earned a 5-4 victory over the Angels.
Choo got the Reds started with his sixth career leadoff homer. It was his first homer with the Reds. Choo finished the game 2 for 4 with two runs. It was his second multi-hit game of the season. He's batting .333 (4 for 12) through three games.
Shin-Soo Choo staying in CF
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/3/2013) Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday he has no plans on moving Shin-Soo Choo out of center field even with the injury to Ryan Ludwick.
Choo, who played mostly corner outfield in his time with the Indians, went 2 for 5 with a run scored in his Cincinnati debut on opening day.
Chris Heisey is expected to see the majority of playing time in left field while Ludwick is out.
"He's been there all spring," Baker told MLB.com. "We got him over here to play center field. He's equal to Heisey in center field. You don't want to tear up everything."
Shin-Soo Choo collects two hits in Reds debut
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (4/1/2013)Shin-Soo Choo made his debut for the Reds in Monday's season opener against the Angels. After being acquired from the Indians in the offseason and dealing with some minor injuries during the spring, he went 2 for 5 with a run scored in the 3-1 loss.
Choo was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat before leading off the third inning with a double. He also singled in the eighth.
Choo batted .340 (16 for 47) during Cactus League play with two homers, three RBI and three stolen bases.
Shin-Soo Choo eager for leading role
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/26/2013) As a member of the Indians last season, outfielder Shin-Soo Choo saw plenty of movement in the lineup and even received some at-bats in the No. 6 spot. That scenario is not expected to be the case this year during his first season with the Reds as the team plans to keep him atop the batting order.
In 99 games as Cleveland's leadoff hitter, he produced a .310 batting average and solid .389 on-base percentage. He also scored 68 of his 88 total runs, a number that could rise as the catalyst for Cincinnati's dynamic offense.
"A lot of leadoff hitters run and steal bases. I'm not that type of player," Choo told MLB.com. "I have home run power and can do damage. I always think, wherever I hit, I will do the same thing. I'm not going to change. That's what I've proved with my numbers. If I see a good first pitch, I will swing. If I take a walk or get hit by a pitch -- there are a lot of options to get to first base."
Shin-Soo Choo hitless in return to lineup
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/23/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo returned to the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Rangers. After missing the previous six games with back spasms, he went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in the 6-2 loss.
Choo is 10 for 28 (.357) this spring with a homer, two RBI and three stolen bases.
Shin-Soo Choo moves back into lineup
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/23/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo returned to the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League contest against Texas after missing the past six games due to back spasms. Choo, projected to serve as the team's leadoff hitter this season, was hitting .400 with a .444 on-base percentage before the minor interruption, but the team is not overly worried about his status.
"He was rolling before he got hurt," manager Dusty Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We’ve still got time to get him sharp again. But we’ve got to be careful to overextend him and have it happen again. That’s the fine line."
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/22/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo said he could return to the lineup by the end of the weekend after missing Friday's game with persistent back spasms, MLB.com reports.
Choo has not appeared in a Cactus League game since March 15 because of the back issue, but he believes he will be at full strength for opening day.
"It’s good," he said. "[Thursday], I did a full schedule of batting practice, shagging in the outfield, running. It was great, no problem. Today, I will do it again and if it feels real good, I think I will play [Saturday]. ... It’s not really a major injury. I feel a lot better now."
Shin-Soo Choo out again
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com (3/21/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo will not be in Thursday’s starting lineup. The 30-year-old outfielder already has missed the past four games with back spasms.
Though he won’t play, Choo is expected to go through a full workout. Manager Dusty Baker said he would like to have Choo back in the lineup during the first week of the season.
Last year, Choo hit .283/.373/.441 in 686 plate appearances.
Shin-Soo Choo taking a few days
by Ed Gauna | CBSSports.com (3/18/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo remained sidelined for Monday's Cactus League game against the Rockies as he continued to deal with a back injury. Manager Dusty Baker plans on resting the 30-year-old for at least a few more days.
"He's day to day," Baker told MLB.com. "He's getting better. He's not playing [Tuesday]. Then we have a day off [Wednesday] and we'll check and see after the off-day."
Choo, acquired from the Indians in the offseason, is batting .400 (10 for 25) with one homer, two RBI and three stolen bases through 11 spring games.
Sore back limits Shin-Soo Choo
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/17/2013) Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was held out of the lineup again Sunday as the team remains conservative with his sore back, MLB.com reports. Choo was scratched from the lineup as a precaution on Saturday after experiencing back spasms. "He's still a little sore, but I had him off today anyway," manager Dusty Baker said. "He just came in for treatment. ... He's never had any back problems, he said, before."
Choo is entering his first season in the National League after spending the last six-plus seasons with Cleveland and is slated to serve as the Reds' leadoff hitter. He is hitting .400 with a .444 on-base percentage this spring.
Choo's approach unchanged
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (3/13/2013) The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Reds manager Dusty Baker has been impressed with outfielder Shin-Soo Choo's ambitions to ask questions and continue to improve, even though he is a veteran player. However, one thing Baker doesn't want Choo to change is his approach at the plate. “The most important is scoring runs, because that’s his job,” Baker said. “I envision Choo scoring 100 runs with the guys behind him. Most leadoff men in our league, a leadoff man who drives in 50 runs is pretty good. The American League is different because they have good hitters in the eighth, ninth spot. You want your middle guys to account for 100 both ways (RBI and runs). Choo is going to have the ability to drive in 70 runs, because he’s going to drive himself in 20 times. You figure someone is on base half the time, you figure 30 RBI before he’s scored off someone driving him in.”
Choo takes the field
(3/6/2013) After dealing with a sore quad over the last week, Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was back in action Wednesday against Team Canada. Playing center field, he went 3 for 3 with two runs scored in the 12-2 win.
Choo not allowed to DH
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (3/4/2013) Cincinnati outfielder Shin-Soo Choo would have led off and started as the designated hitter on Monday in Cactus League action against the Diamondbacks. Instead, Arizona manager Kirk Gibson wanted to let the pitchers hit in the game and there was no DH used so Choo, who is dealing with a quadriceps injury and not yet ready to play in the field, didn't start. He did pinch-hit in the sixth inning and flied out to left, reports MLB.com. “He wanted his pitcher to hit and I wanted Choo to DH,” Reds skipper Dusty Baker said. “They sent over word that’s what they wanted to do. It would have been fine with me to do both. It’s up to the home team of what they want to do. Usually here we let teams DH early.”
Choo dealing with sore quad
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (3/3/2013) Cincinnati outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and catcher Ryan Hanigan are both dealing with injuries keeping them out of the team's spring lineups. Choo is dealing with a sore quadriceps and Hanigan an oblique issue, reports MLB.com Sunday. Neither injury is expected to be too serious. “They’re doing pretty good. I don’t think they’re ready,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said on Sunday. “If it was later in the spring, I think they’d be ready. They’re disappointed not to play, especially Choo. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.”
Choo adjusting to center field
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (2/11/2013)The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo admitted he is still adjusting to the move to center field. “I’m not comfortable there yet,” he said. “At the major league level, I played 99 percent of my games in right field. I’ll try. I’ll work on it this spring training. We’ll see how they’re thinking. If they’re not (happy), somebody else will be playing in center field. I’ll try the best I can.” A major reason the Reds traded for Choo this offseason wasn't because of his defense, but rather his ability to get on base. Choo has a career .381 on-base percentage in 699 MLB games. “It doesn’t matter to me where I hit -- 8 hole, 9 hole -- it doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “My goal is to play every day in the lineup." The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Choo agreed to a one-year deal Monday to avoid arbitration.
