Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 162

Winter League (4)

I, Lee Joo-hyuk, and Alex Thomas visited the stadium again to watch another game.

It wasn’t far from the stadium we visited the day before.

“Play ball!”

The game started, and we watched the players closely, recording each play in detail.

I meticulously examined the players, comparing the data with their performance on the field.

However, unlike the previous games, these weren’t top-tier teams, so the deficiencies were quite noticeable.

There were reasons for the poor performance, but it was difficult to concentrate on the game for other reasons as well.

After the game, we sat down at a cafe again and talked to the players.

Regardless of position, we met and talked with powerful hitters and pitchers who seemed to have good control.

The reason we even met with pitchers, who weren’t initially planned, was that since we had come all the way to America, I wanted to bring back at least a second-best player if not the absolute best.

However, this time again, they didn’t seem suitable for various reasons.

“It’s so difficult to find the right person…”

I leaned back in my chair and sighed deeply.

“I know. I thought it would be easy since we had a lot of players on the list, but I guess I was too naive.”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s reaction wasn’t much different.

“Sigh—I know.”

I was newly grateful to be working with Lee Joo-hyuk and the rest of our agency staff.

“Kang, don’t worry too much. Let’s move to California and look for other players. There are more players in America than just these guys.”

Thomas said, trying to comfort me.

“Director, should we move on to the California players now? Thomas sent me their data before, and I’ve organized it.”

Lee Joo-hyuk asked, handing me the data.

“That’s a good idea, but…”

“Yes…?”

Lee Joo-hyuk tilted his head as I fell into thought.

“Thomas, when is Watson’s game?”

Watson was also one of the players participating in this Winter League.

“He has a game tonight. It’s about to start, I think.”

Thomas replied, looking at his watch.

“Then, shall we go out and watch one more game to clear our heads?”

At my suggestion, we closed our laptops and got up from our seats.

* * *

We moved quickly and headed back to the stadium.

When we sat down in the stands, the bottom of the first inning was almost over.

As soon as I sat down, I fixed my gaze on Watson, who was playing center field.

Thomas cautiously approached me and said,

“Kang, honestly, it was hard to find a suitable player from these two teams. There is one player with good speed, but I don’t think he’s the type that the Korean league wants.”

“That’s right. After all, Korean clubs expect home runs or long hits from foreign players.”

I replied without taking my eyes off Watson.

In the meantime, the bottom of the first inning ended, and the game moved on to the second inning.

Now Watson stepped up to the plate with his bat.

“Finally, Watson is coming up.”

At my words, Lee Joo-hyuk and Thomas also focused on the game.

“Play ball!”

The opposing pitcher seemed conscious of Watson, his face full of tension.

Whack!

“Ball!”

Whack!

“Ball!”

It seemed like a strategy to avoid a head-on match and induce a swing, but Watson didn’t flinch at all.

Two balls, zero strikes.

It was a count where he had to throw a strike unless he wanted to intentionally walk him.

The pitcher took a breath and finally threw the third ball,

Watson swung his bat with all his might as if he had been waiting for it.

Crack!

“Oh!”

I, as well as Lee Joo-hyuk and Thomas, stood up and watched the ball fly.

The batted ball flying through the night sky soared over the fence.

“Home run!”

“Wowwww-“

The third base umpire twirled his finger, and the cheers of the crowd filled the stadium.

“He’s definitely merciless in a favorable ball count.”

“He’s powerful and has a good head for the game.”

Thomas was looking at Watson, who was running past third base towards home base, with a satisfied expression.

Following Watson’s defensive inning,

Watson stood in the center of the wide outfield.

The battle between the pitcher and the batter continued fiercely,

Eventually, the batter’s bat swung with all his might and succeeded in hitting the ball.

Thwack!

The batted ball stretched out into the outfield.

At the same time, Watson turned around and started running to where the ball would fall.

After running towards the fence for a while, Watson accurately pinpointed the landing spot and comfortably caught the first out.

Watson’s real play was about to begin.

Thwack!

The next at-bat began, and as soon as Watson heard the sound of the ball hitting the bat, he started running forward as if charging.

However, this batted ball was flying on a course that seemed like it would fall in front of him no matter how fast the center fielder ran.

If I were the center fielder, I would have chosen to give up a single and catch it comfortably,

But Watson’s speed as he ran towards the ball didn’t decrease at all.

“Oh? Can he really catch that?”

Watson ran, only looking at the ball, and eventually stretched out his arm and even slid.

It seemed like he would get the out,

“Ah… He dropped the ball.”

Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go into his glove in one go.

Seeing that, the runner sprinted towards second base,

Watson, who belatedly picked up the ball, threw it with all his might towards the second baseman.

As soon as the second baseman caught the ball, he tagged the runner coming in,

“Wowwww-“

“Out!”

The second base umpire confidently raised his fist.

“Amazing.”

Although the aggressive slide was not successful, he succeeded in getting the out with a strong throw.

Not only in defense, but also when Watson was at bat, his aggressive tendencies did not change.

Thwack!

In his second at-bat, Watson swung his bat with all his might, sent the batted ball to the outfield, and then ran with all his strength towards first base.

“Wowwww-”

The batted ball fell exactly between the center fielder and the right fielder and was rolling towards the fence.

“Run! Run! Run!”

Watson’s teammates, as well as the spectators watching, gave an enthusiastic cheer as the cool long hit exploded.

Excited by the cheers of the fans, Watson didn’t stop at second base and ran towards third base.

There was not a hint of hesitation in his movements as he stepped on second base and moved towards third base.

“He’s running to third on this hit?”

I was speechless at his relentless aggressiveness,

“Out!”

This time, unfortunately, the ball arrived at the base before Watson.

“His aggressive play is still there.”

“Watson’s problem is that his defense, batting, and base running are all too aggressive. If he could restrain his aggressiveness a little, he would have much better results than he does now.”

Thomas shook his head as if he was sorry.

“But that’s what makes him so attractive.”

In the following games, Watson revealed his unique aggressiveness.

It was a play that lacked finesse, but his outstanding physique made up for it.

* * *

After the game, we returned to our hotel room.

While I was lost in thought, Thomas spoke first.

“Kang, let’s move on to California now. We’ve checked out all the players we can meet here.”

“Hmm… How about this?”

I raised the corners of my lips slightly and said.

“Do you have another good idea?”

Lee Joo-hyuk looked at me and asked, tilting his head.

“Let’s bring Donald Watson to Korea.”

“Watson?”

Lee Joo-hyuk was startled and widened his eyes.

“That’s a card I never expected.”

Thomas’s expression wasn’t much different.

“It’s clear that Watson’s skills are still undeniably excellent, but isn’t it a waste that he can’t play because he doesn’t have a team?”

“That’s true. He definitely played well today.”

Lee Joo-hyuk nodded, recalling the game.

“If he can play, wouldn’t it be a good offer for Watson to advance to the Korean stage?”

Thomas, who had been thinking about my words, cautiously opened his mouth.

“But I think Watson will try to re-enter the major leagues? He’s already a proven player in the major leagues, so it’s not impossible.”

“That’s true, but the fact that he hasn’t received an offer from any team since last year means that the chances of him receiving an offer from a major league team this year are slim, don’t you think?”

“Hmm… To be honest, that’s true.”

Thomas replied with a bitter expression.

“But even if we make an offer, will any Korean clubs try to recruit Watson? It doesn’t seem easy…”

This time, Lee Joo-hyuk asked with a worried expression.

“The Jaguars need a center fielder with both hitting and running skills. They need exactly a player like Watson.”

“There’s no room for argument about his baseball skills. But Korean clubs and fans will know about the incidents Watson has been involved in. Moreover, Korea is stricter than the United States in those areas. Considering those things, it won’t be easy to decide to recruit Watson.”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s face was still full of worry.

“That’s right. The reason Watson can’t find a team right now isn’t just because of the assault incident that happened recently. It’s probably because of the accumulation of various incidents and the way he’s behaved on the field.”

Thomas added with a worried expression.

“Yes, I’ve thought about that part. But the problems Watson showed on the field were due to his strong competitive spirit, and the last assault incident was a situation where he was clearly wronged, as we all heard.”

“That makes sense, but…”

Lee Joo-hyuk still didn’t seem to be relieved of his worries.

I turned my head to Thomas and asked.

“Thomas, is it true that Watson has changed a lot from before?”

“Hmm… One thing is clear, he’s changed a lot since he got married and had a child. His hot-tempered personality has decreased a lot, and I can feel that he has a sense of responsibility for his family.”

Thomas replied cautiously.

“Watson’s personality has changed from before, and Watson was clearly wronged in the last assault incident. If we explain that well to the Jaguars club and the fans, wouldn’t it be worth a try?”

As soon as I finished speaking, I looked at Lee Joo-hyuk and Thomas’s expressions.

“If that happens, it would be good for Watson and our agency…”

“Let’s try it first. If either Watson or the club opposes it, we can give up then.”

I watched Lee Joo-hyuk and Thomas’s reactions.

“Okay, Kang is right. Then shall we contact Watson right away?”

Thomas picked up his smartphone as if he was going to call right away.

“Yes, let’s meet and ask him first.”

Whew-

It was exciting, but it was the first time I had made such a nerve-wracking proposal.