Watch out for the ex-Cub factor.

I believe "Seoy" is Korean for "stiff".

They're going to be the Back Bay Bombers soon - will lead the majors in homers in 2007.

Via BronxBanter, some scary numbers for Yankee fans, comparing HeeSeop to Big Papi prior to his signing with the Wrong Sawx:

"David Ortiz: .266/.348/.461, .524 OWP, 1693 PA
Hee Seop Choi: .240/.349/.437, .531 OWP, 1086 PA

Indeed, the age-27 player Choi is most similar to according to PECOTA is none other than Big Papi himself."

I've been a HeeSeop fan since his days in the Cubs system. Shame to see him don the uniform of the hated Sawx. Good move by the Sawx tho. (Now if only they had some starting pitching . . .)

Even scarier is to compare Wily Mo to Ortiz.

Except that Wily Mo struck out once every 2.6 at-bats last year (311 abs) and walked just 20 times. As Eric Wilbur pointed out in the Globe last week that's the same strikeout rate as Mr. Bellhorn, so beloved by Sawx fans.

Papi's obp was over 80 pts higher than his ba, showing that he had plate discipline.

That's the beauty of HeeSeop too, his obp is over 100 pts higher than his avg.

HeeSeop I worry about, Wily Mo, not so much.

Btw: is the Heeseop signing recognition that Lowell and Snow are finished? Put Choi at first and the Greek God of Walks at 3rd and the Sawx suddenly look a whole lot better at the plate.

Look at Ortiz's numbers at Pena's age--recall that he got cut a few years later.

Snow looks great and Lowell is fielding incredibly but isn't hitting.

You could definitely see them moving Youkilis back to 3b.

I wouldn't be surprised if they grab Carlos Pena--who went to Northeastern--as well.

In 1998 Ortiz was 23. In 278 abs he walked 39 times and struck out 72x. He hit .277 w/ an obp of .371 . . . far superior to Wily Mo as far as strikes outs and walks.

Yup, and slugged less and already couldn't run. Wily Mo has been ill-served by his contract which has prevented his getting the at-bats he ought to have early in his career and he'll have to raise his OBP to be a great hitter, but he's going to have several 40 or even 50 HR years.

GAB is a launching pad, no? Esp compared to the Fens. And his home runs dropped last season. And will continue drop until he learns to lay off the offspeed stuff out of the strike zone. He's no Papi, more like Alfonso Soriano.

His slugging was actually considerably higher until he got hurt, then dropped off some when he came back. Hitting in Fenway has never deflated anyone's numbers. Soriano has had a couple 40 HR years too.