Choo wants to 'pay back' Rangers for his contract
Shin-Soo Choo wants to give back to the Texas Rangers, and he intends to do it with better production on the ball field.
Despite being one of the most consistent hitters in all of baseball after the All-Star break, Choo feels like he needs to do more for the club that gave him a seven-year, $130-million contract prior to the 2014 season.
"The last couple of years I felt like I put everything on my shoulders and now I want to do something to pay back the Texas Rangers and my contract," Choo said Sunday, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Stefan Stevenson and Jeff Wilson. "Now I feel like I'm more free."
After a brutal April in which he hit .096/.254/.173 with one home run and five RBIs, Choo turned things around in May. His impressive second half, where he slashed .343/.455/.560, helped the Rangers to a division title.
Choo has nothing but appreciation for manager Jeff Banister for sticking with him after his horrid start.
"He gave me the opportunity," Choo said. "That's not easy to do because everybody wants to win. The first half was not really me. Not many managers would give you that opportunity."
Overall, Choo finished the 2015 campaign hitting .276/.375/.463, tying his career high in home runs with 22, while adding 32 doubles and 82 RBIs.