A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 529

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good 529

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good 529

112. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (2)

How many months ago was that?

KH Cannons in Korea had sent a document file to Ji-seop’s email address.

It was said to be a guidebook for the KH Group’s new employee orientation, and Ji-seop couldn’t help but smile wryly when he checked the contents.

It was about halfway through the booklet. There was a special page with the following title:

[Now a Prestigious Team! KH Cannons!]

[Introducing Baseball Heroes from the Cannons Who Are Active in the ML (Major League Baseball)!]

Ji-seop’s name was, of course, at the very top of the special page.

It was full of Ji-seop’s achievements in the major leagues, such as being the first Korean to become the head of a major league front office and leading the Tampa Bay Rays to two consecutive championships.

‘Well, that’s all good… But why did they use this picture from his Cannons days? Didn’t they have any other pictures?’

A picture of him holding a handful of boiled beef slices at Jeonju House (a famous Korean restaurant) and making a V sign.

Thinking that this was 100% Go Chang-deok’s doing, Ji-seop turned the page.

‘Hmm, as expected…’

Next was Ryu Jang-ho, as expected.

The best outfielder KH Cannons has ever produced, now a key player for the Boston Red Sox.

It said that he was the first Korean to win the Major League batting title and that he had 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases last season.

With a hopeful message saying that he had promised to return to the Cannons someday, and that they were waiting for that day.

‘Jang-ho is doing so well that I don’t think Boston will let him go so easily…’

He clicked his tongue.

‘Damn it, they only put in cool pictures of Jang-ho? Wow, people who didn’t go pro must be sad to live!’

Ji-seop was thinking that he should definitely call Go Chang-deok to complain later.

Either change his picture to a cool one or put a humiliating shot of Ryu Jang-ho—one of the two.

As he was thinking about the demands to make to his old teammate, he scrolled down with the mouse.

Yes, it was at that moment that this person’s name came into Ji-seop’s view.

[Manager of the El Paso Chihuahuas, a Triple-A team under the San Diego Padres]

[‘Heart of the Cannons’ Cheon Jin-woo]

If Ji-seop was making a name for himself as a front office executive and Ryu Jang-ho as a player, Cheon Jin-woo was recently attracting attention in the major leagues as a coach.

Since he started working for the Tampa Bay Double-A team at Ji-seop’s introduction, he had made quite a few significant achievements.

Aaron Trapp, a former World Series MVP third baseman, was also Cheon Jin-woo’s student, and Warren Livingston, who has established himself as Tampa Bay’s No. 2 starter, was also Cheon Jin-woo’s creation.

‘Hehe, Senior Cheon Jin-woo’s contribution was great. The players that guy raised are performing amazingly…’

In fact, there are plenty of coaches in the major leagues who are considered to have a knack for development.

In addition, Cheon Jin-woo was receiving support from the Tampa Bay front office, which is considered the best in the major leagues.

But he had a point that differentiated him from other coaches, and that was that he made sure to take care of the players’ ‘personality’.

-Kim, what would you say about the players Mr. Cheon has raised…? They have a ‘decent’ feel to them.

That was the report that came to Ji-seop.

-They always put the team first rather than their own interests, and they respect their fellow players and coaches… The players who learned from Mr. Cheon all have that tendency, right?

-Half of the players who come up to the major leagues ruin their careers because of their personality, don’t they? In that respect, I think Mr. Cheon is a coach with a special talent.

With the praise pouring in from inside and outside the team, Ji-seop was secretly preparing for his promotion.

He had to give Cheon Jin-woo a more important position. What about the manager of a High-A team, or the main hitting coach of a Triple-A team?

Ji-seop was trying to take things one step at a time, but as a result, this became one of the few mistakes he made in the major leagues.

While Ji-seop was weighing the pros and cons of such a position, the San Diego Padres made a shocking offer.

The manager of a Triple-A team.

A 3x increase in salary.

The addition of coaches he wanted to recruit.

And most of all, the condition that he would be guaranteed to join the major leagues after his managerial contract expired.

-President, I’m really sorry.

That was what Coach Cheon Jin-woo said at the time.

-It’s hard to refuse San Diego’s offer. It’s the first time that a Korean like me has been offered a Triple-A managerial position, and with the right to appoint coaches.

-Yes, I think you should accept this offer. I’m in a situation where I can’t match the conditions right now…

That’s how Ji-seop had to swallow his deep regret and let Coach Cheon Jin-woo go.

Even after joining San Diego, he continued to develop great players and gradually gained more fame.

In particular, his leadership as a manager was attracting attention, and from this season, he was gradually being mentioned as a candidate for major league manager, mainly by lower-ranked teams.

The phone call from Cheon Jin-woo that afternoon was quite embarrassing.

“Wait a minute, Manager! What did you just say?”

Ji-seop blinked.

“You’ve been kicked out of your managerial position… What are you talking about all of a sudden?!”

* * *

Manager Cheon Jin-woo, who surprised everyone by being the first Korean to be appointed as a Triple-A manager.

The news that he, who had been raising his stock with ‘development that takes care of personality’, had suddenly stepped down from his managerial position.

It was two days later that Ji-seop met him at a cafe near Clockwise Field.

“Wow, Clockwise Field! Seeing it in person like this gives me a sense of power that’s different from seeing it in pictures! It’s a really amazing ballpark!”

It was a cafe with a wide-open window that offered a panoramic view of Clockwise Field.

Manager Cheon Jin-woo, who was sitting with a cup of coffee, was constantly admiring the wonderful scenery.

Of course, Ji-seop, who was sitting across from him, couldn’t see Clockwise Field.

“Manager… No, Senior! Please tell me specifically. How did you get fired?”

“Hey, fired? I just received a notice that my contract wouldn’t be renewed. The nuance is completely different, isn’t it?”

“Okay, a notice that your contract wouldn’t be renewed! Still, isn’t that a bit strange? You were getting good reviews, and according to the contract, it was time for you to join the major league coaching staff.”

“Well, that’s…”

For some reason, former Manager Cheon Jin-woo was hesitant and reluctant to open his mouth.

Fortunately, there was someone here who could explain the situation in his place.

“Hmph! He can’t break his old habits.”

Coach William Doran snorted and shook his head.

He and Cheon Jin-woo had been working together since their Tampa Bay Double-A days.

At one time, there was a lot of noise about racism, but now the two were moving around like gum stuck to each other.

When Cheon Jin-woo moved to Triple-A as manager, William Doran moved with him as head coach.

“Oh, Coach. Has your Korean improved a lot since I last saw you? You’re even using Korean proverbs now?”

“Haha, is that so? I’ve been working hard. I can’t help it, since the manager I’m serving is Korean.”

Looking at Coach William Doran, who shrugged his shoulders, Ji-seop decided to ask him for the details.

“But what do you mean he can’t break his old habits…?”

“It means exactly what the proverb says. It means that Manager Cheon couldn’t kill his nature.”

Coach Doran glanced at Cheon Jin-woo, who was sitting next to him, and sighed deeply.

“There was one pitcher that our Manager Cheon really cherished.”

“Hmm.”

Since a manager is also a person, there’s bound to be a player he likes more than others.

“He was diligent and kind. He was also enthusiastic. Most of all, we thought he had considerable talent.”

The story continued that Manager Cheon Jin-woo ‘picked’ that player and instructed Coach William Doran to give him special attention.

With William Doran’s advice, that diligent friend began to develop his own style little by little.

He was doing not bad in Triple-A, and he was cautiously aiming for an expanded roster, when…

The problem broke out.

“In the recent reorganization of the team, the San Diego team ordered the release of that player.”

“Release?”

Ji-seop found it hard to understand.

“Didn’t you say he was doing not bad? Then there shouldn’t be any reason to release him suddenly…”

“You know, President. The San Diego Padres, they just replaced their general manager a while ago.”

It was Manager Cheon Jin-woo who answered.

“The new general manager came in and turned the team upside down. In the process, the player I was developing got swept away.”

“Ah, so…”

Ji-seop felt like he could vaguely see the whole story.

“Senior, so you went on a rampage? At that new general manager?”

“Cough, cough!”

Manager Cheon Jin-woo coughed awkwardly, and Coach William Doran glared at his friend as if to kill him.

“That’s right. I went on a rampage. Literally, I went on a rampage. I grabbed the general manager by the collar and shook him, and it’s a miracle the police didn’t show up.”

“No, why did you go so far? If he was such a good player, he could have gotten another chance…”

At Ji-seop’s words, Manager Cheon Jin-woo smacked his lips and opened his mouth.

“I promised him. I promised him that I would definitely show him the major leagues this year. And I was confident that I could do it.”

Former General Manager Nicholas Weiner and the current Manager Cheon Jin-woo. Why are they all so eager to make promises to the players that they can’t keep? Ji-seop was smiling bitterly inside.

“I would have accepted it if it was a release due to performance or skill. But to release him simply to change the atmosphere of the team… Isn’t that too much? It’s unacceptable!”

“Well, I understand how you feel…”

In the end, that one riotous incident led to Manager Cheon Jin-woo receiving a notice that his contract would not be renewed.

Coach William Doran, who had joined the team with Manager Cheon, was also immediately notified of his contract termination.

And so, the two middle-aged men, who had suddenly lost their place to stay, seemed to have called Ji-seop after much deliberation.

“Ah, that’s how it happened.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“It’s a bit unfortunate, but I’m glad you came. I’m grateful that you contacted me.”

To be honest, Ji-seop wanted to thank the San Diego general manager at this point.

Cheon Jin-woo and William Doran. They were now coaching staff with considerable reputations in the major leagues.

What luck that they came back to the Tampa Bay Rays on their own.

“First of all, we have prepared instructor positions for the two of you.”

Ji-seop continued.

He was in such a good mood that he was speaking a little faster.

“I told our team’s manager, Brett Evans, and he immediately asked you to join as instructors. I’d like you to support our coaching staff by taking charge of the catcher and pitcher positions, respectively.”

“Instructors?”

As Manager Cheon Jin-woo tilted his head, Ji-seop smiled brightly.

“Haha, don’t worry. It’s a temporary position because we don’t have any openings right now. As soon as this season ends, at least at the Triple-A level, or the major league level… Hmm?”

And the next moment, Ji-seop, who had been happily continuing the conversation, swallowed hard.

He had looked into the eyes of Cheon Jin-woo and William Doran.

“Wait a minute, maybe…”

Ji-seop scratched his head with the back of his pen.

“Don’t tell me you two… Have already found your next job?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m sorry, President.”

Manager Cheon Jin-woo bowed his head.

“Two hours after we received the notice of termination… The San Francisco Giants called. They asked us to join as instructors.”

“San Francisco?”

Damn it.

Ji-seop gritted his teeth.

If it was the San Francisco Giants, he knew who the culprit was.

“David Wilson?”

Ji-seop mentioned an old colleague who he had once worked with in the Future Strategy Planning Division.

“That bastard called?”

“Yes, Manager David Wilson has been working with us since our Tampa Bay days, hasn’t he? He asked so earnestly…”

“Wow, David, you bastard… I’ll have to give him a call later. How could he steal my senior from me?”

He had a lot of regret in his heart, but Ji-seop couldn’t complain any more at this point.

It meant that the Cheon Jin-woo duo’s skills were quite well known in the major leagues.

David Wilson would be able to treat the two of them as well as Ji-seop could.

However, at this timing, there was one question that came to Ji-seop’s mind.

“Then why did you two come all the way here to see me? If it was just to tell me that you were moving teams, you could have done it over the phone?”

“Ah, that’s the thing. I’m sorry to say this in this situation, but…”

Manager Cheon Jin-woo said.

“The player that I’ve been cherishing. I was wondering if the Tampa Bay Rays could accept that friend.”

“That player?”

“Yes, Manager David Wilson also refused, but… William and I are confident.”

And the next moment, Ji-seop felt like his eyes were widening.

“That friend has an ‘edge’.”

Manager Cheon said.

“In today’s major leagues, which are full of hard-throwing pitchers and sweepers… He’s definitely a player who can show his own individuality.”