Fangraphs “Choo Shin-soo, 2026 MLB Hall of Fame Candidate”… Possibility of admission?
Choo Shin-soo is expected to be nominated for the Major League Hall of Fame (HOF) in 2026.
On the 31st (Korean time), US statistics company Pangraphs predicted stars who would be nominated for the HOF over the next five years, and put Choo Shin-soo on the list of candidates for 2026. 스포츠토토
Along with Choo Shin-soo, Pangraphs included Cole Hamels, Ryan Brown, Alex Gordon, Edwin Encarnacion, and Nick Makakis in their 2026 list of candidates.
To be nominated for HOF, a player must have played in the MLB for at least 10 years and not played in the MLB continuously for more than 5 years.
Choo Shin-soo has been active in MLB for over 13 years and has not played in MLB since 2020. Both of these conditions are met unless he returns to MLB before 2026.
For now, Choo Shin-soo is expected to finish his active career in the KBO.
Choo Shin-soo made his big league debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2005 and played 1,652 games by 2020, recording 1,671 hits in 6,87 at-bats (0.275 batting average), 218 homers, 782 RBIs, 157 stolen bases, and an on-base percentage of 0.377.
He succeeded in reaching base in 52 consecutive games, a club record for the Texas Rangers in 2018, and also participated in the All-Star Game that year.
If Choo Shin-soo becomes a candidate for HOF, he will become the first Korean player.
Park Chan-ho, who ended his MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010, was not selected as a Hall of Fame candidate in 2016.
It is unlikely that Choo Shin-soo will join the MLB HOF.
So far, among Asian players, only Hideo Nomo and Hideki Matsui have been nominated for the HOF.
It is highly likely that Ichiro Suzuki will be the first Asian to be honored with the MLB HOF admission in 2015.