A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 195

Chapter 51: Isn’t This Too Much? (1)

With the end of the midweek three-game series against the Geosan Mariners, the KH Cannons’ first-half schedule was complete.

By the end of July, the KH Cannons had a record of 53 wins, 2 draws, and 31 losses, marking a winning percentage of 0.631, placing them alone at the top of the 10-team league.

It was perhaps natural that the KH Cannons were the main focus of baseball analysis programs reviewing the first half of the season.

-The starting rotation is running smoothly. Ace Jimmy Morris and the second starter, Paul Owens… and Ma Gang-sik, who was acquired through a trade at the beginning of the season, is also showing excellent pitching, isn’t he?

-Personally, I was impressed by the strengthened bullpen. With the acquisition of Jang Dae-woo, the bullpen, which Kim Jung-gyu had been holding down alone, gained strength. And we can’t forget Kang Jae-yoon’s fastball, who returned from injury.

-Well, no matter what, KH is all about offense, right? The team name is Cannons, after all, a team of ‘cannons.’ Ryu Jang-ho, Lee Soo-bin, Terry Foster, and Chun Jin-woo! It’s a minefield lineup where home runs can explode from anywhere, top to bottom….

The starting lineup is good, the bullpen is solid, and the hitters’ offensive power is explosive.

As this rather ordinary discussion was taking place, the host’s gaze turned to a commentator sitting in the corner.

“What do you think, Mr. Baek?”

The host smiled wryly.

“I heard that you’ve been receiving a lot of complaints lately because of the Cannons, Mr. Baek?”

“Oh, not just lately! I’ve been called ‘Ya-al-mot’ [baseball illiterate] since the day the Cannons rose to the top, so it’s been almost three months now, hasn’t it? Hahaha….”

Before the season started, Baek Seung-nam was the only commentator among those gathered who predicted the Cannons would fail to reach the top five.

But once the season began, the Cannons surged to the top and showed no signs of coming down.

As a commentator, his reputation was at stake, but Mr. Baek was quite a stubborn person.

“I feel like I’ll be criticized again if I say this… but my opinion hasn’t changed.”

He continued.

“Looking at their pure strength, the Cannons are not a team that can contend for the championship. They have star players, but their depth to support them isn’t strong enough.”

“Ah, there it is again! Mr. Baek’s praise of ‘depth’!”

The host smiled gently.

“But they’re achieving amazing results, aren’t they? Except for the UB Guardians, who are closely chasing them by 2.5 games, there aren’t any other significant competitors… How can you explain this?”

“That’s….”

After a moment of thought, commentator Baek Seung-nam gave a short answer.

“It’s probably because the Cannons players are performing at 100% of their ability.”

“100%? Not 120% or 130%?”

“That’s right. Exactly 100%, no more, no less.”

Mr. Baek’s eyes gleamed.

“When you’re coaching players on the field, you naturally get a sense of their potential.”

Ah, this guy will probably get about 10 wins.

Ah, this guy will probably hit around .270.

The coaching staff on the field can roughly grasp the level of the players’ abilities.

“But when the season starts, it’s surprisingly rare for players to fully realize their potential.”

“I see.”

“It could be because of injuries, team atmosphere, or concerns they can’t share with others… There are many reasons.”

The other commentators nodded silently at Mr. Baek’s words.

To varying degrees, it was something that anyone with field experience would encounter.

“The reason I emphasize the importance of ‘depth’ is the same. You never know when a starting player might be out of commission.”

“So, you mean the Cannons are showing almost perfect performance in this area?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

Mr. Baek snapped his fingers.

“There are hardly any injuries. No players are falling into slumps. New players keep coming up from the minor leagues, and there’s no controversy about it. And that’s not all.”

Mr. Baek looked around cautiously before speaking again.

“When a lower-ranked team suddenly does well, people try to jump on the bandwagon from everywhere. Usually, those people ruin the team atmosphere… but the Cannons don’t have that, do they?”

It was at this moment that the PD [Production Director] behind the camera raised his hand and made a ‘snip, snip’ gesture as if cutting with scissors.

It meant that Mr. Baek’s remarks had potential issues and would be edited out later.

Sending a nod to the PD to acknowledge, the host asked Baek Seung-nam again.

“The environment has been created for the Cannons players to fully realize their abilities… That’s what I’m hearing, Mr. Baek.”

So, what’s the secret?

When the host asked this, it wasn’t just Mr. Baek who answered.

“The front office.”

“The Cannons’ front office.”

“The front office people are doing their jobs smartly… What else could it be?”

Everyone who participated in the filming that day agreed on one thing.

It wasn’t broadcast, but one commentator reportedly said this.

“Don’t you all think so? I’m most envious of Arthur Freeman these days.”

The commentator smacked his lips.

“If I had a front office like the Cannons have this year when I was a manager… I’d be known as a legendary manager by now.”

“Hehe, you’re right.”

* * *

They do their jobs so well.

There are no other people like them.

One day in mid-July, when the Cannons’ front office was receiving rave reviews from both inside and outside the baseball world.

The front office people in question were gathered in front of a large TV in the team office.

It was the day of the biggest event in Korean professional baseball, the All-Star Game.

“Alright! Popcorn’s here, popcorn! Which team ordered the popcorn earlier?”

“We did! Our marketing team ordered it! Thank you, Team Leader!!”

It was actually quite rare.

For the front office people to gather in one place to watch a baseball game.

Everyone was too busy to keep track of game times, and some departments had seen so much baseball that they were sick of it.

But on this day, all the employees were sitting in front of the TV screen with excited expressions.

It was because KH Cannons players were starting in all positions in the All-Star Game.

The first time since the KH Cannons were founded that they had achieved an ‘all-position sweep.’

-Next, we will announce the starting lineup for the Western League All-Stars.

The Cannons people had been working hard for almost a month to dominate all positions in the All-Star Game.

They were looking at the TV screen with more pride than ever before.

-1st batter, shortstop Shin Min-sung.

Wow!

-2nd batter, first baseman Terry Foster.

Wooo!

-3rd batter, center fielder Ryu Jang-ho.

Wooo!!!

Ryu Jang-ho! Ryu Jang-ho! Ryu Jang-ho!

Each time a player was introduced, cheers erupted from everywhere.

As the introduction of the starting lineup was coming to an end with starting pitcher Jimmy Morris.

“Alright, shall we get started?”

Perhaps it should be said that it was a natural progression.

Deputy Kwon Dae-woong of the public relations team jumped up from his seat and began to walk around among his colleagues.

“From now on, we will start a fierce competition with a prize of 1 million won [approximately $750 USD]! Let’s start the ‘Guess the All-Star MVP’ event!”

It was the first event held in the Cannons’ front office.

The event offered a bonus from General Manager Seo Chang-ki to the person who guessed the All-Star MVP.

When you think about it, it was an event that could only be held because the Cannons players were participating in the All-Star Game in large numbers.

“Voting time is exactly 10 minutes! Decide quickly and write your name on the whiteboard here!”

Deputy Kwon Dae-woong, who had somehow obtained a large drum, was drumming it loudly to raise the atmosphere.

In fact, until this point, the team office had a calm atmosphere, but the air around them began to heat up because of this one statement.

“But isn’t this… too easy of a game?”

It was the head of the scouting team who spoke.

“Ryu Jang-ho is obviously going to get the All-Star MVP. How good is Jang-ho’s hitting feeling these days.”

“That’s right. His batting average for the last five games has exceeded .400… It’s hard to see another player getting it, isn’t it?”

The scouting team members agreed with the team leader and cast their votes for Ryu Jang-ho.

But the very next moment, people came out to oppose their opinion.

“Hey, that’s not true!”

The international operations team stepped forward, waving their hands.

“Team leader, have you been watching baseball for one or two days? Is Ryu Jang-ho, that stubborn guy, the type to get excited about these event games?”

“In our opinion, today’s MVP is our Jimmy Morris!”

“That’s right, he recently received a good evaluation from a Major League scout, so he’s so confident these days….”

It must have been from that moment on.

A fierce ‘civil war’ broke out among the Cannons’ front office staff.

“Does baseball depend on confidence? If we’re talking about confidence, Soo-bin is the best on our team, isn’t he?”

“No! Unless there’s a Korean beef set as a prize, Soo-bin won’t be doing it with gritted teeth, will he?”

“Players who have played on big stages do well on days like this! In that sense, Jang Dae-woo! Our public relations team recommends Jang Dae-woo!”

“Then our marketing team will push Kyung Sun-woo! Our Sun-woo is so cute!”

“Oh, do you think that’s a reason, Team Leader Lee?!”

“Everyone, if we’re talking about cuteness… shouldn’t we go with Chun Jin-woo?”

“…What are you talking about again, General Manager?!”

Ryu Jang-ho will get the MVP.

No, it’s Jimmy Morris.

What are you talking about, Kyung Sun-woo will get it.

Bickering like this, arguing back and forth.

Even after the voting ended, the ‘civil war’ that had ignited showed no signs of ending-

-Alright, then we will announce today’s MVP! The person who played the most outstanding role in today’s game is….

The All-Star Game ended with a final score of 11-8.

The player selected as MVP was someone no one had expected at all.

-4 hits in 4 at-bats, and above all, he hit a game-winning three-run home run in the top of the 7th inning… Ahn Young-chan!!!

Ahn Young-chan, the Cannons’ veteran second baseman.

The TV screen was filled with the enthusiastic cheers of the audience, but there was a slight silence in the Cannons’ front office.

“…Wait a minute, Young-chan?”

“Was there anyone who voted for Ahn Young-chan?”

People tilted their heads and turned their attention to the ‘voting status board.’

And they could see that only one front office employee had voted for Ahn Young-chan.

The ‘lucky winner’ who would take home the prize of 1 million won that day was this person.

“…Ji-seop?”

“Special Assistant Kim?!”

The Cannons’ general manager’s special assistant walked out with a calm expression and took the prize.

People approached Ji-seop with expressions as if they had met a skilled fortune teller.

“No, Ji-seop! How did you think of voting for Young-chan?”

“I know, I really didn’t expect Ahn Young-chan?”

“Ah, well….”

Ji-seop’s answer was simple.

“It was a game with money on the line.”

“Money?”

“Yes, Senior Ahn asked me several times how much the prize money would be if he became the All-Star MVP. So, I thought there might be a possibility.”

“Ah!”

The Cannons’ top instructor in salary negotiations.

Recalling Ahn Young-chan’s appearance, trembling over every penny, the Cannons people clicked their tongues in unison.

“Ah, I didn’t think of that.”

“That’s right, the prize money for MVP is ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD]… Young-chan would go into full power mode.”

“Scary, Ahn Young-chan! But to pull off even the All-Star MVP!”

“Ji-seop is amazing too. You believed that and voted for Ahn Young-chan?”

As the winner of the ‘civil war’ that took place on a midsummer night was being settled as Ji-seop and Ahn Young-chan.

Buzzz-

A message came to Ji-seop’s phone.

“….”

After checking the contents, Ji-seop immediately walked over to General Manager Seo Chang-ki.

“General Manager.”

“Yeah, I saw it too.”

General Manager Seo nodded and put his phone in his pocket.

“The UB Guardians must have been quite anxious. To make the announcement as soon as the All-Star Game ended.”

The news that the UB Guardians had announced the acquisition of a new foreign pitcher.

General Manager Seo, who was chuckling in disbelief, turned his gaze to Ji-seop.

“The preparations… are all done, right?”

“Of course, General Manager.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“I will convene the scouting team.”