Choi Ji-man (34) was honored as one of Tampa Bay's best first basemen in the last quarter century (25 years) by the U.S. media.메이저사이트

The U.S. online media "Blitzer Report" selected and announced one of the "best first basemen of the 30 major league teams" over the past 25 years on the 26th (Korea Standard Time).

The media selected Carlos Peña (47) from the Dominican Republic as the best first baseman in Tampa Bay.

Peña, who debuted in the Major League in 2001 with the Texas Rangers, failed to establish himself in the early days of the big leagues. He often plays in less than 100 games every season. However, he started to burst his potential in 2007 when he moved to Tampa Bay after passing Oakland, Detroit, and Boston.

Having played in a total of 148 games and recorded 46 home runs and 121 RBIs, Peña proved that his previous year's performance was no coincidence with 31 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2008. In 2009, Peña also had 39 home runs and 100 RBIs, achieving 31+ home runs and more than 100 RBIs for three consecutive seasons.

Since then, however, Peña has gone downhill and ended his 14-year major league career with the Texas Rangers in 2014. Peña, who played in a total of 1,493 games in the big leagues, posted a batting average of 0.232, 286 homers and 818 RBIs. He thus enjoyed his heyday with Tampa Bay.

Following Peña, the media selected Choi Ji-man and Yandi Diaz (34) as players who could represent Tampa Bay's first base in the last quarter century.

Choi Ji-man, a native of Dongsan High School in Incheon and made his major league debut in 2016 for the Los Angeles Angels, was not easily able to take the starting position due to poor performance in the early days of the big league. In 2017, he returned to the big league as a member of the New York Yankees, but it did not last long.

However, after signing a minor contract with Milwaukee in 2018 and being invited to the big league spring camp, he showed off his potential. At that time, he played in a total of 25 games and showed off his powerful batting average of 0.409 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and an OPS of 1.245 and produced valuable results to be included in the 25-man roster for the opening game of the Major League that year.

However, as Milwaukee frequently used Choi's minor option to send him down to Triple-A, his agent strongly requested the Milwaukee leadership for a trade, which allowed him to move to Tampa Bay in June that year. This was a turning point in Choi's baseball career.

Having played for two teams, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay in 2018, Choi made his former team Milwaukee's stomach ache with a batting average of 0.263 and 10 homers, 32 RBIs and an OPS of 0.862. His performance was even better in 2019. While playing in his first full-time season in the Major League, he recorded a batting average of 0.261, 19 homers, 63 RBIs and an OPS of 0.822.

In particular, Choi Ji-man became a highly recognized fielder by big league officials for scoring high points in the OPS, which is considered important in modern baseball, based on his outstanding pioneering skills as a mid- to long-range hitter. He also advanced to the World Series in 2020. He was honored as the only Korean fielder who stepped on to the World Series stage and had a hit there.

Choi Ji-man was also much loved by fans as a natural enemy of New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who is known as the most prestigious club in the Major League. Choi Ji-man showed a tremendous performance against Cole with a batting average of .417 with three home runs, eight RBIs, and an OPS of 1.450 against Cole. Cole was in trouble enough to give up intentional walks against Choi Ji-man in the 2020 American League Championship Series (ALCS).

However, it remains to be seen that the COVID-19 outbreak that gripped the world in 2020 postponed the regular season, and even disrupted Choi Ji-man's routine, which was on the rise with a one-third shorter season. Since then, he has no longer performed well in 2019.

However, he is still loved by Tampa Bay fans for his energetic play and fan-friendly appearance on the field. When he visited Tampa Bay again after being traded to Pittsburgh in 2023, fans welcomed him with a standing ovation.

The club also made a "constitutional video" for Choi Ji-man and treated him properly enough to screen him through an electronic display during the game at the time.

(When Choi Ji-man visits Tampa Bay for Pittsburgh, he raises his hand to greet the fans who welcome him.)

(A large photo of Choi hanging at the main entrance of Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay's home stadium in 2022. It shows his recognition and popularity.)

Choi Ji-man, who played in the Major League for a total of eight seasons until 2023, has played in 525 games with a batting average of 0.234 with 67 home runs, 238 RBIs and an OPS of 0.764. After Choo Shin-soo, he ranks second in the career home run category among Korean Major Leaguers.