Choo Shin-soo appointed as advisor to SSG team owner

Choo Shin-soo appointed as advisor to SSG team owner. December. 28, 2024 07:28. by Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com.
Choo Shin-soo, known as the "Choo Choo Train," has concluded his career as a player this season and will embark on a second stage in his baseball career as an advisor to the team owner and the head of player development for the SSG baseball team.

"Choo possesses exemplary leadership, enjoys deep trust within the team, and demonstrates excellent communication skills. He also has an extensive network in Major League Baseball (MLB). We believe he can utilize these assets to strengthen the team's capabilities," the SSG team announced on Friday, explaining the reasoning behind appointing him as an advisor to the team owner and head of player development.

The role of team owner advisor, which involves offering direct and indirect counsel to the owner and participating in team operations, is a position commonly seen in MLB. For instance, Japanese player Ichiro Suzuki, who had a distinguished MLB career, is serving as a special advisor to the Seattle Mariners after his retirement.

"I'm honored that the team has entrusted me with such an important position. I'm thrilled to have another opportunity to contribute to the development of South Korean professional baseball," Choo, the first in South Korean professional baseball to take on such a role, expressed his gratitude. "I will actively offer opinions on team operations and act as a bridge between the first- and second-tier players." He has agreed with the team to waive any remuneration for his new role.

Choo played 1,652 games in MLB from 2005 to 2020, recording a career batting average of .275 (1,671 hits in 6,087 at-bats), 218 home runs, 782 RBIs, and 157 stolen bases. Since joining SSG in 2021, he has achieved a batting average of .263, 54 home runs, 205 RBIs, and 51 stolen bases before retiring this year.