Choi Ji-man Selected 15th Overall by KT Wiz in 2027 KBO Draft

Former Major League first baseman Choi Ji-man is headed to the KT Wiz after one of the most unusual selections in KBO Draft history.

KT selected the 35-year-old Choi with the No. 15 overall pick in the second round of the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft in Seoul on September 21. The move gives the Wiz a veteran left-handed bat with 525 games of Major League experience rather than a conventional teenage or college prospect.

Choi Ji-man returns to Korea after 67 MLB home runs

Choi reached the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016 and later appeared for the New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. Across 525 MLB games, he hit 67 home runs with 238 RBIs and a .764 OPS.

His most prominent run came with Tampa Bay. In 2020, Choi became the first South Korean position player to appear in a World Series.

After returning to Korea, Choi joined the Ulsan Whales in the Futures League while waiting to become eligible for the KBO draft. He hit .328 with two home runs, 12 RBIs and a .918 OPS in 28 games this season before hearing his name called by KT.

KT makes an unconventional second-round choice

Choi’s selection stood out in a draft dominated by players nearly two decades younger. He was not taken in the first round, but KT used its second-round choice to add a player who could potentially contribute far sooner than a typical rookie.

After the selection, Choi said he had expected to wait longer and was surprised to go 15th overall. He described KT as a strong club and said he intends to fill whatever role the organization asks of him.

The move also creates a reunion opportunity with KT manager Lee Kang-chul. Choi said he nearly played for Lee with South Korea at the 2023 World Baseball Classic before missing the tournament.

A very different kind of KBO rookie

Choi’s path to the draft bears little resemblance to that of the players around him. He signed with the Seattle Mariners out of high school in 2009, spent more than a decade in affiliated baseball in the United States and built an eight-season MLB career before returning home.

Now, at 35, he will enter the KBO system as a rookie draft pick. For KT, the question is not how Choi might develop several years from now, but how much of his Major League power and experience can translate immediately to the KBO League.