Young-pil Choi

Young-pil Choi (최영필)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 202 lb.

• School Kyunghee University
• High School Yushin High School

• Born May 13, 1974 in Suwon South Korea

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Young-pil Choi pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization from 1997 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2017, with one season in the Japanese independent leagues in between his two stints in Mexico. He played for the Hyundai Unicorns (1997-2000), Hanwha Eagles (2001-2010), SK Wyverns (2012-2013) and Kia Tigers (2014-2017).

He pitched for the South Korean national team in the 1993 Intercontinental Cup, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. He was second in the tournament in strikeouts, behind teammate Jae-woong Shin's 40. He also tied for second in wins, behind Hidekazu Watanabe's four. He was taken by the Unicorns in the first round of the 1997 KBO draft.

He began his career with a 4-10 record and 4.88 ERA in 1997 and didn't manage a winning season until his 15th campaign, 2012. He tied for 8th in the league in losses.He was 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 1998, 3-4 with a save and a 5.58 ERA in 1999 and allowed five runs in 10 1/3 IP in 2000. In 2001, Hyundai traded him with Hong-jip Kim to Hanwha for Sang-yeol Lee.

In 2001, he went 4-4 with two saves and a 5.48 ERA then had a save and a 7.77 ERA in 14 games in 2002. The next year, he continued to struggle at 1-3, 6.86 but improved to 0-3, 4.14 with a save in 2004. In 2005, he was 8-8 with five saves and a 2.89 ERA, his best season yet. In 2006, he was 2-3 with a 3.05 ERA; his 11 holds were 7th in the league. He was 5-5 with two saves and a 4.33 ERA in 2007 for his third .500 season though he still had not posted a winning one.

The Suwon native posted a 7-8, 2 Sv, 4.73 record for the 2008 Eagles but slumped in 2009 (0-2, 10.18) and 2010 (1-4, Sv, 7.45). He tried to join the Tigres de Quintana Roo in Mexico in 2011 but did not make the team and wound up in Japan's Kansai Independent League.

He went 2-1 in 46 relief appearances for the 2012 SK Wyverns for his first winning season. He had a save and a 6.23 ERA in 22 games in 2013. He next signed with the Tigers, going 4-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 40 games in 2014. He had one of his best seasons in 2015, at the age of 41, when he was 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 59 relief appearances (second on the staff). In 2016, he was 4-3 with two saves and a 3.61 ERA in 54 games to wrap up a stretch of three solid seasons as a Tigers reliever. He allowed five hits and three runs in 1 1/3 IP in 2017, his last campaign.

Overall, Choi was 50-63 with a 4.73 ERA in 549 games in the KBO. In 1,042 innings pitched, he allowed 1,156 hits and 401 walks (1.494 WHIP) and had 708 strikeouts. After his playing career ended, he became a pitching coach for the kt Wiz.

His brother Young-wan Choi also pitched in the KBO.