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Hee-seop Choi (; ; ; born March 16, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Kia Tigers. He was the first Korean-born position player to play in the major leagues.
In , Choi played in 80 games, hitting .218 with eight and 28 RBI. He was the Opening Day starter for the Cubs, but suffered a concussion following a collision with teammate pitcher Kerry Wood on June 7, 2003. Choi went on the disabled list, and never reclaimed his starting role. After the season, he was traded to the Florida Marlins for Derrek Lee.
Choi's production picked up during the 2005 season as he played in 133 games that season and posted a .253 batting average, while hitting 15 home runs and driving in 42 runs. The highlight of Choi's season came during a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins from June 10–12, when he accomplished the rare feat of hitting six home runs in a three-game series.
However, during the – off-season, DePodesta was fired by Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and new general manager Ned Colletti signed Nomar Garciaparra to be the everyday first baseman. Rather than keep Choi on the bench or blocking prospect James Loney's path to the big leagues, Colletti decided to waive Choi during spring training; he was subsequently claimed by the Boston Red Sox.
Choi spent the entire 2006 season with Pawtucket. He was designated for assignment August 1, 2006, while on Pawtucket's disabled list and removed from Boston's 40-man roster. Choi cleared waivers on August 11, 2006, and was outrighted to Pawtucket.
On December 1, 2006, Choi signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays where he was given a shot to be Tampa Bay's everyday first baseman. Choi decided to return home after failing to make Tampa Bay's 40-man roster after spring training.
Choi began the season in a slump due to a waist injury, finishing the month of April with a batting average of just .208 and going 25-for-120 to close out the month, and was then demoted to the Korean minor league affiliate of the Kia Tigers. In July, he returned to the 26-man first-team roster, but finished the season with disappointing offensive numbers, batting .229 with only 6 and 22 RBI.
In , Choi broke out offensively and became a star, rebounding from his subpar year. He helped lift the Tigers into title contention, batting .308, blasting a pro career-best 33 , leading the KBO league in runs with 98 and helping them win the 2009 KBO regular season. Choi was the runner-up in (33), RBI (100), and walks (103), 4th in slugging percentage (.589), 6th in on-base percentage (.435), and 11th in batting average (.308). Choi and Kim Sang-hyeon hit 69 home runs, and the two together were called the "CK Cannon". 'CK포 11타점 합작' KIA, 두산 격파…두산 3위 추락 – OSEN
On December 11, 2009, he obtained his first KBO League Golden Glove Award nomination for his play at 1st base. 1루수 수상 최희섭, "山과 술 한 잔 하고 싶다" KIA, GG 수상자 4명 배출…최다득표 김현수(종합)
In , Choi had a .286 batting average, with 21 , 84 RBIs, and drew 81 walks. Choi received an all-star selection and also participated in the home run derby, where he set the record for longest home run.
In , Choi was limited to 70 games due to injury. He hit .281, with 9 home runs and 37 RBI.
In , Choi hit .252, with 7 home runs and 42 RBI in another injury-plagued season.
In , Choi hit .258, with 11 home runs and 42 RBI. After the season, he underwent knee surgery.
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