Shin-Soo Choo won’t make Hall of Fame, but here’s why he made this ballot

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Former Texas Rangers All-Star Shin-Soo Choo didn’t pile up the gawdy stats necessary for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he left an indelible mark on the game.

The roster of newcomers to the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the Class of 2026 is noteworthy for what it lacks: a Hall of Fame player. Many were very good players, All-Stars, two MVPs and a Cy Young winner, but none of them did enough to join the game’s greatest players in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Shin-Soo Choo is right there among them. He was very good, as his career .824 OPS suggests. Each of his four former teams, but especially the Texas Rangers, could have used that in 2025. Will it get him in the Hall of Fame or even the necessary 5 percent of the vote to remain on the ballot? Unlikely.

When it comes to players from Korea, though, Choo is the unrivaled best. He wasn’t the first Korean to play in the major leagues, a distinction that belongs to Chan Ho Park. Choo wasn’t the first Korea-to-MLB position player, either. Hee-Seop Choi did that in 2002.

However, Choo had the best career of a player from Korea, and that shouldn’t be lost at a time when the voting-eligible bloc of the Baseball Writers Association of America gathers its thoughts and assigns checkmarks to players who have had the greatest impact on the national pastime.

As more players make the jump from Korea and fill MLB rosters, they can hope to match the success Choo had. He is a trailblazer.

Choo came from Korea as an amateur, not unlike current Rangers prospect Seong-Jun Kim. (The Rangers arranged for Kim to meet Choo after the 18-year-old’s signing was announced in May.) Choo endured a long road in the minors, which was part of the reason why he gave each Rangers minor-leaguer $1,000 during the Covid shutdown.

Choo was one of the game’s top on-base guys during his career, and he achieved 20 homers and 20 steals in multiple seasons. After he felt his MLB road was blocked after the 2020 season, he finally played in Korea and won a championship with SSG Landers.

Someday a player from Korea will make the Hall of Fame and will reference Choo as the countryman who paved the way. The pioneering aspect of his career is worthy of a checkmark on my Hall of Fame ballot, dutifully submitted via the U.S. Postal Service on Christmas Eve.

I’m not going to lie: The watered-down class of newcomers made the Choo vote possible. He was the only one I added, though I toiled with another former Rangers player, Cole “Anytime” Hamels. Why the nickname “Anytime?” After being thanked for his time at every session he had with the media, he responded, “Anytime.” It wasn’t always true, but, hey, it’s the thought that counts.

He was also a Cy Young contender on a few occasions and was the MVP of the 2008 World Series as the Phillies knocked off the upstart Rays. He was part of a blockbuster deal at the 2015 trade deadline, as the Rangers sent four prospects and left-hander Matt Harrison to the Phillies, and he carried the Rangers into the American League West title.

Hamels, Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre and Choo, who had a historic September as the Rangers chased down the Astros.

Anyhoo, the suspect group of newcomers and departure of the three 2025 inductees (Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner) and Ian Kinsler (didn’t reach 5 percent) left ample room on my 2026 ballot. As always, I started with the carryovers.

Back on my ballot were Bobby Abreu, Felix Hernandez, Andruw Jones, Francisco Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. It’s a travesty that Jones hasn’t been inducted yet, and this is his ninth year on the ballot.

I also added some players who could use a boost while I further consider their Hall cases. I finally came around on Carlos Beltran, who should get in this go-round. He likely didn’t need my help but got it. So did Dustin Pedroia, who was one of the best second basemen in baseball and an MVP before injuries put a dent in his career.

For the first time, I checked the box next to left-hander Andy Pettitte, a Yankees postseason fixture who later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career. PEDs weren’t banned at the time, so he is OK in my mind.

To sum up my 10: Abreu, Beltran, Choo, Hernandez, Jones, Pedroia, Pettitte, Rodriguez, Rollins and Utley.

I hear the question already: Why Pettitte but not Manny Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez? Here is my longstanding policy on PEDs: If a player was suspected of PED usage but never tested positive, he’s OK. Baseball and the Hall profited off that class of player while turning a blind eye to a burgeoning controversy, so they have to sleep in the beds they made.

Ramirez and Rodriguez tested positive after league-wide testing was implemented. They’re out.

And, with that, there’s my ballot for the Class of 2026. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Have a very nice day. Happy New Year.

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com

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