Choo Shin-soo becomes 1st Korean on Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

Former All-Star outfielder Choo Shin-soo, who paired excellent on-base skills with a power-speed combination, has become the first Korean player to be nominated for the National Baseball Hall of Fame selection. Choo, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 to 2020, was among 12 new candidates for the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) on Monday (U.S. local time). They joined 15 holdovers from the 2025 voting cycle. Players must earn 75 percent of the vote within 10 years to be elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and must receive at least 5 percent of the vote to remain on the ballot. First-year candidates all last appeared in MLB in 2020. Choo is joined by former World Series MVP Cole Hamels, ex-National League MVP Ryan Braun and 2016 American League Cy Young winner Rick Porcello. Choo signed with the Seattle Mariners out of high school as pitcher but made his MLB debut in 2005 as outfielder. After two partial seasons with the Mariners, Choo was traded to the Cleveland Indians (currently Guardians) in JWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times