Choo Shin-soo, who dismissed the manager's theory that he has no thoughts yet, eventually chose the front, not the leader

Choo Shin-soo, who dismissed the manager's theory that he has no thoughts yet, eventually chose the front, not the leader

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Professional baseball SSG Landers Choo Shin-soo (42) will make a new challenge as the front desk.메이저놀이터

SSG announced on the 27th, "Choo Shin-soo was appointed as the assistant manager of the team. I paid attention to the passion and career of baseball shown by Choo Shin-soo's assistant."

Choo Shin-soo is a star player who has been active for a long time as one of the best hitters in Korea. He had a batting average of 275 (1,671 hits in 6,087 times at bat) in 1,652 games in the Major League, 218 home runs, 782 RBIs, 961 runs, 157 steals, OPS .824 runs, 263 runs, and 54 home runs, 205 RBIs, 266 runs, 51 steals in 439 games in the KBO. In the Major League, he played for 16 seasons in Seattle (2001-2006), Cleveland (2006-2012), Cincinnati (2013) and Texas (2014-2020), and returned to Korea after signing a contract with SSG for four years in 2021. In 2022, he also became the first player to win a wire-to-wire title.

Choo, who announced his retirement this year at the end of his final season, has agonized a lot over his second career path. At a press conference to celebrate his retirement on April 7, Choo said, "I am very tired both physically and mentally. I am receiving various suggestions, but for now, I think it is more important for me to do well on the spot than to go to a certain position. That is why I have to think about whether I am ready enough to go to a certain position. It hasn't been long since I finished playing baseball, so I will take a break and think about it slowly."

After two months of consideration, Choo chose the front desk, not the leader. He will be the first assistant manager of the team to serve as the team's assistant manager and nurturing manager for the first time in the Korean pro baseball league, and will contribute to strengthening SSG's capabilities. "Choo gave sincere advice to the team and the front desk for the advancement of the first and second teams, as well as his selfless attitude to share his experiences and know-how in the Major League." With his leadership led by the team, he has strong trust in the team and excellent communication skills. Above all, since Choo has a human network with various hands-on staff including U.S. Major League teams, front desk and coaches, he decided to use his accumulated assets to contribute to strengthening his team's capabilities, so he was appointed as the assistant manager of the team," SSG said.

Rumors of a coach surfaced when SSG manager was vacant last winter, and there were constant rumors that Choo would take over the post in the future. However, Choo said, "In a way, I think it's a position that has a lot of baggage. It's a position that needs to be evaluated in every aspect. I don't think such a position is easily made. I don't think I'll be the coach even if such an offer comes because I'm not ready," he said, stressing that he has no intention of taking over the post yet.

In the end, Choo has decided to start his second career as a front-runner, rather than taking on a leadership role in the field. "I looked into cases in various leagues including the Major League Baseball, and decided on a position," an SSG official said. "Ichiro Suzuki (special advisor for Seattle Mariners) and Park Chan-ho (special advisor for San Diego Padres) can be considered to play a role similar to those of Ichiro Suzuki (special advisor for Seattle Mariners). He can participate in and advise management when making important decisions in club management and team management. Since he has always emphasized the environment and support of the team and the environment in which players play baseball with his news, he will likely take on various roles in this regard as well."

Of course, Choo has yet to completely engage in communication with players. As he has been in charge of development along with the assistant manager of the team's owner, he will play a role of bridge between the first and second division teams, strengthen team strength and nurture, and continue his teamwork with the field. There is still a possibility that he will continue his career as a leader in the future. Attention is focusing on where Choo will end up as he makes a fresh start and what he will do in the future.