A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 320

76. Does He Even Eat Properly? (4)

The next morning.

Jisup, having arrived at work a bit earlier than usual, was intently focused on the laptop screen, his chin propped on one hand.

Diligently scrolling, he was reviewing the data on Julio Arcos.

This concerned the designated hitter who had been called up to the major league to replace Paul Torres the previous day.

‘Julio Arcos, 31 years old, from Guanajuato, Mexico, huh…’

A typical AAAA player [a player who is too good for Triple-A but not good enough for the major leagues].

That was Jisup’s assessment.

A power hitter capable of averaging 20 or more home runs each year in Triple-A.

However, in the major league, his batting average plummeted to the mid-.100s, marking him as, in a word, ‘struggling’.

He was undeniably above the Triple-A level, yet he couldn’t deliver any significant performance in the major league. Hence, AAAA player.

‘He’s got a history of bouncing around teams, but that’s pretty standard for a power-hitting AAAA guy…’

Even a scan of press articles revealed no obvious red flags.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that there were hardly any articles focusing on Julio Arcos at all.

Aside from a piece about him signing a $1 million contract about 10 years ago, there was virtually nothing else of note.

‘He seems to have had a smooth career… So what’s the problem?’

Jisup frowned, then closed his laptop.

“……”

That evening, watching the game in the office, he began to get a sense of what kind of person Julio Arcos was.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

It was a home game against the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the score at 6-5 and one out with runners on first and second, Julio Arcos stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter.

“Oh, it’s a new guy.”

“Hmm.”

Despite it being Triple-A, he was a power hitter boasting a .280 batting average with 22 home runs this season.

Jisup, along with David Wilson and John LaMar, who were watching the game, looked on with anticipation.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whooosh!

What followed were three wild swings that sent shivers down their spines.

Julio Arcos swung the bat with such force that he completely lost his balance and ended up on the ground.

“Strike, batter out!!!”

Strikeout.

At the umpire’s call, a quiet sigh of ‘damn’ escaped from the future strategy planning department.

But even then, it didn’t seem like a major issue.

He was a player fresh from Triple-A, and the pitcher on the mound was one of the Detroit Tigers’ top relief pitchers.

In fact, the fact that he swung confidently without being intimidated by the opponent’s reputation could even be seen as a positive.

“Hmm?”

Jisup’s thick eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

“……”

Julio Arcos, using his bat like a cane to push himself up from the plate.

He seemed to nod slowly as he headed toward the dugout, but then he abruptly turned his head and looked at the pitcher on the mound.

And his next action was-

Thumbs up.

He was giving the opposing pitcher a thumbs up.

With a genuinely bright expression.

“Wow, that ball is amazing?!

* * *

That day, Julio Arcos’s ‘thumbs up’ became a minor sensation among baseball fans.

[The true sportsman of this era.gif]

[The class shown by Tampa Bay’s No. 6 hitter today]

[Manager Klemblass’s expression when Julio gave the thumbs upㅋㅋㅋㅋ (laughing sounds)]

Regardless of how great the pitch was, it was unusual to praise the opposing pitcher during a game.

On internet baseball forums, Julio Arcos’s gesture began circulating as a ‘gif’ [Graphics Interchange Format, a short animated image].

His actions even reached Korea, and Jisup received several messages that night.

-Jisup, is Thumbs-up Arcos always this eccentric? I laughed so hard watching the video.

-Get me an autograph from Thumbs-up Arcos later. A signed ball from a player like that is worth collectingㅋㅋㅋ

In the major league, it was an uncommon sight, and baseball fans were amused.

However, for Tampa Bay, who now had Julio Arcos on their roster, it wasn’t necessarily a cause for celebration.

Predictably, when Jisup attended the coaching staff meeting the next morning, he found the hitting coach tearing his hair out in frustration.

“Ugh, I’m going to get that guy…”

Still clearly agitated, he writhed like a fish out of water.

“That guy hasn’t changed a bit. Actually, doesn’t he seem even worse than last year?”

“Hey, take it easy. It’s not good for your health,” pitching coach Thomas Culkin soothed him gently.

“Everyone knew what to expect when we decided to call up Julio, right? His spacey behavior isn’t anything new.”

“It’s frustrating, so frustrating! Considering Julio’s age, how many more chances will he get to come up to the major league? And he’s still not taking it seriously…”

The hitting coach sighed deeply.

Jisup, observing their mood, quietly approached Thomas Culkin, who was sitting beside him.

“Is he a pretty well-known guy?”

“Hmm?”

“Julio, I mean. Julio Arcos.”

Jisup elaborated.

“He doesn’t seem like a player who’s gotten much attention… But listening to the coaches, it sounds like he’s quite the character.”

“He definitely has a way of capturing the coaching staff’s attention. Whether it’s his way of talking or acting.”

Thomas Culkin’s face was etched with a wry smile.

“How can I put it… In some ways, you could say he’s the biggest baseball enthusiast on our team.”

“He loves baseball?”

“Yeah, you know what the kids say these days? ‘Enjoys playing’? That’s him in a nutshell.”

A person who enjoys the game.

In the fiercely competitive major league, if there was someone who genuinely loved baseball for its own sake, it was him.

“He doesn’t worry much about winning or losing, and he doesn’t get hung up on striking out or hitting into a double play. He just loves stepping up to the plate and swinging the bat.”

Even hearing this much made Jisup’s head spin, but Thomas Culkin wasn’t finished.

“He barely glances at the data we give him, and he hardly listens to our advice… I’ve been in this business a long time, and I think he’s the first guy I’ve ever seen who plays baseball without a care in the world.”

“You mean he has no intention of improving his skills or contributing to the team…”

Jisup lowered his voice.

“How did a guy like that make it to the major league? I thought Manager Klemblass valued a player’s attitude.”

Thomas Culkin responded to Jisup’s question with a strange ‘hehehe’ laugh.

“That’s true, he’s not the kind of player the manager usually brings up… But Julio has a knack for charming people.”

“Huh?”

“He really does. I think I have a video of him saved somewhere…”

Thomas Culkin pulled out his phone and started searching.

Soon, he showed Jisup a video of Julio Arcos’s batting practice.

“What do you think? Do you see what I mean?”

“I’m not sure?”

In the video, Julio Arcos was smoothly hitting the batting practice pitcher’s offerings.

Each time he swung, the ball soared towards the outfield fence.

But plenty of players could hit like that, so it didn’t seem particularly special.

“Timing.”

Perhaps it takes a hitter to truly appreciate the nuances of hitting.

David Wilson chimed in from behind Jisup.

“He’s got a gift for timing.”

“Timing?”

When Jisup turned, David Wilson pointed at the phone screen.

“Yeah, watch closely. Julio’s timing his swing for a fastball. But instead, a breaking ball comes in…”

The moment Jisup focused on the part David Wilson was indicating, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh.”

It was a fleeting moment, almost imperceptible unless viewed in slow motion.

Julio Arcos was using his wrist and forearm to subtly adjust the timing of his swing.

By delaying the bat’s swing ever so slightly, he managed to make solid contact, producing a satisfying ‘thwack!’

“Amazing.”

Jisup took a short breath.

“Adjusting the timing of the bat in an instant… That’s not something just anyone can do, right?”

“Of course, you have to be born with it. You can only describe it as natural bat control.”

He added that most players would risk injury just trying to replicate it.

Swinging with the full force of the body is one thing. But how much strength and feel would it take to alter that timing and trajectory?

Having heard this much, Jisup could understand why Julio Arcos had managed to sustain his career.

“He’s a hitter you can’t easily give up on.”

Jisup nodded.

“Even if it’s just in the minor league, he has the power to hit 20+ home runs every year, and he has the bat control to adjust his timing in an instant… It’s not easy to discard a player like that.”

If he were only a little more serious.

If he only had a little more ambition.

Instead of simply filling Paul Torres’s spot, maybe he could perform at an even higher level.

“So you can imagine how frustrated we are. Time keeps passing, but he doesn’t seem to be waking up.”

“It’s such a waste. He’s a player with truly wasted talent…”

How could they change Julio Arcos’s mindset?

Was it even possible to change the attitude of a player already in his thirties?

And more fundamentally, why was a player with this kind of talent bouncing back and forth between the minor and major leagues?

‘What an enigma.’

As he pondered this, watching Julio Arcos’s batting practice on his phone, a familiar voice spoke from behind him.

“Julio Arcos… It seems you guys are concerned about him too.”

“Yes?!”

Jisup turned around in surprise.

Standing before him was Manager Mike Klemblass.

“I apologize. The discussion with the president ran long, so I’m a bit late.”

The Tampa Bay Rays’ manager stood in the conference room with his usual composed expression.

He placed his phone on the desk and turned his gaze back to Jisup.

“Kim.”

“Yes?”

“So… Have you come up with any ideas?”

Jisup initially thought it was a joke.

He wasn’t an idea vending machine; how could he possibly devise a solution just from watching a player’s training footage?

However, contrary to Jisup’s assumption, the Tampa Bay Rays’ manager seemed to be serious.

“I’d like you to come up with an idea for Julio Arcos as soon as possible.”

He continued.

“The president seems inclined to entrust the future strategy planning department with this task.”