A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 210

54. The World of Synesthetic Imagery (2)

Sim Sung-joon, once highly regarded for his unique baseball philosophy, now seemed to have lost his batting zone.

Jisub reported this to Manager Arthur Freeman the following morning.

“Losing his strengths and just swinging blindly… Hmm, that’s quite possible,” Arthur Freeman responded.

“Isn’t it about time for the young players to get impatient? If they don’t make the expanded roster, they’re stuck in the minor leagues all year,” Jisub said.

“Yes, the analysis team shares that opinion. Perhaps they feel they need to make an impression before the regular season ends… Players tend to overdo it at this time.”

“Actually, it’s not just young players. Veterans get impatient too. That’s why every team sees a surge of injuries around this time.”

Arthur Freeman turned to the whiteboard on the wall, where several backup players were listed under the “Injured List” section.

He sighed softly, looking at their names, then asked, “So, what’s the front office’s solution? I doubt they came to the manager’s office without any measures in mind.”

“Yes, of course.” Jisub, after confirming with General Manager Seo Chang-ki, took out his laptop and placed it on the table. “The prevailing opinion is to let him experience pitches from the first-team pitchers directly. That way, Sim Sung-joon can realize his limitations.”

“Hmm, and then what?”

“After that, how about assigning a member of the analysis team to gradually modify his approach at the plate…”

“A staff member? Mr. Go? The guy who’s so beloved by our players?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As Jisub mentioned Go Chang-deok, Arthur Freeman slowly nodded. He seemed well aware of Go Chang-deok’s performance in the analysis team over the past two seasons. However, after nodding for a while, the manager suddenly brought up a slightly different topic.

“If Mr. Go takes charge, we can expect rapid improvement, but…” Arthur Freeman’s gaze turned towards General Manager Seo Chang-ki. “General Manager, shouldn’t we be a little more ambitious here?”

“Ambitious?”

“Yes, aren’t we leading the league right now? The gap between us and second place is quite significant, and our outfield positions have relatively good backup, so there’s no need to rush Sim Sung-joon’s development.”

Arthur Freeman continued, “I’d like to entrust this to Soobin.”

“Soobin? You mean Lee Soobin?” General Manager Seo Chang-ki’s eyes widened. “Manager, I don’t quite understand. Entrusting Sim Sung-joon to Soobin, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, isn’t it a common training method in Korea? A veteran player from the first team mentors a rookie player who came up from the second team.”

“That’s right. It’s not uncommon. We at the Cannons have used that method often. But… it’s Lee Soobin.”

General Manager Seo scratched the back of his head. “That kid is only twenty years old. He’s a second-year player straight out of high school. I’d rather have a veteran like Ahn Young-chan or Chun Jin-woo, but how can we trust someone as inexperienced as Soobin…”

“Do you remember, General Manager? The reason we decided to bring Sim Sung-joon up to the first team in the first place was for the future of our Cannons,” the manager adjusted his posture and said. “For the past few years, Ryu Jang-ho has undoubtedly been the heart of our Cannons’ batting lineup. But he’s destined to leave the team soon, isn’t he?”

“That’s… true.”

“Of course, we have Chun Jin-woo and Ahn Young-chan, so there’s no immediate concern. But they’re also at an age where they could retire at any time… I think it’s time to cultivate a new dugout leader [a player who provides leadership and motivation within the team].”

A new dugout leader. Arthur Freeman seemed to have Lee Soobin in mind as a candidate.

“I admit Soobin is young. I know it’s best to have someone three or four years older. But among the fielders of that age group, there isn’t anyone who has established themselves as a starter yet, is there?”

Consideration for teammates, responsibility to fulfill one’s role, communication skills with the manager and coaching staff – there are many qualities required of a dugout leader, but the most important thing is ultimately skill: the ability to pull the team out of a crisis, the ability to be trusted with responsibility, the ability to turn the tide with a single swing.

People who don’t have that kind of skill aren’t recognized as leaders in the pros.

“If you put it that way, it’s true that there’s no one as promising as Soobin, but that guy is so immature…” General Manager Seo Chang-ki stroked his chin with a frustrated expression.

It was at this moment that Jisub, who was sitting next to him, cautiously spoke up. “General Manager, wouldn’t it be worth trying?”

“Hmm?” General Manager Seo looked up. “Special Advisor Kim seems to be in favor?”

“Yes, after all, he’s a friend who secured a regular spot in just his second year. We can’t ignore that potential.” Jisub continued, “He may seem like he lives without a care in the world, but if you listen to the things he says from time to time, he’s quite thoughtful. If you consider that…”

“He has the potential to be the next dugout leader?” General Manager Seo crossed his arms and made a ‘hmm’ sound. “Well, I’m not very confident, but Special Advisor Kim is the one who watches the players most closely… I understand, Manager,” General Manager Seo said, looking at Arthur Freeman. “Let’s have Soobin take care of Sim Sung-joon’s issue.”

* * *

That afternoon, there was a slight commotion in the home team locker room at KH Cannons Field. It was the first day of the expanded roster, and they needed to clear out lockers for the players coming up from the minor leagues.

In fact, there was no problem in terms of the number of lockers, but would the players leave the empty lockers alone?

They would stuff old uniforms, worn-out spikes, and sometimes even hide leftover snacks. Many lockers had become like junk warehouses, so the first-team manager had to step in and carry out a major cleanup.

“Wow, you guys are really going too far! Honestly, isn’t it a bit much to still have the pre-game analysis data from the opening game?”

“Hey, Manager! People should always remember their roots, right? This is just to not forget the mindset we had during the opening game…”

“Ah, roots? So that’s why there was a soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] bottle in here like a stray, huh?”

“Ha, haha… W-why was that in there? That’s strange… Hahaha!!”

The locker room was gradually being cleaned up with the first-team manager’s nagging.

It was around this time that Jisub called Lee Soobin and conveyed the manager’s instructions.

“Ah, so… you’re saying I’m in charge of taking care of Sungjoon from now on?”

“Yeah. He showed pretty good performance in the minor leagues, but the first team isn’t that easy. So I was hoping you could help him out.”

In fact, Jisub had several ways to persuade Lee Soobin in mind. Asking players to help rookies adjust was quite a troublesome request for them. They were already worried about their own performance, so how could they have time to care about other players? That’s what most players would have said.

However, Arthur Freeman’s idea of raising Lee Soobin as the ‘next dugout leader’ seemed to be correct.

“Okay, Manager,” Lee Soobin nodded coolly without waiting for an answer. Jisub, who had prepared persuasion methods, was rather embarrassed.

“You understand? Really?”

“Yes, how can I refuse Manager’s request? How many meals have I gotten from you so far?” Lee Soobin grinned. “Besides, if it’s Sungjoon… he’s a junior I personally like.”

“A junior you like?”

“Yes, he’s kind of cute, isn’t he? He has fair skin and bright eyes, unlike someone who works out.”

And one thing that cannot be missed.

“I saw Sungjoon often during the last spring camp… That guy’s taste in food is similar to mine. He likes meat, noodles, and late-night snacks.” Hehehe.

Lee Soobin made a meaningful expression. “Manager, for a junior who is having a hard time adjusting to the first team… it’s okay to eat late-night snacks sometimes, right? You can cover that much, right?”

“Ah, late-night snacks?” That’s what it was all about, this guy. Jisub smiled bitterly inside, but soon nodded. “Yeah, sometimes that’s not so bad. As long as you don’t overdo it.”

“Okay! Then leave it to me! I’ll get Sungjoon to be the team MVP this month!”

It was at this moment that Jisub asked Lee Soobin, who was clenching his fists with a confident face, in a subtle voice, “By the way, Soobin, it seems like it’s been a while since you saw Sungjoon?”

“Yes?” Lee Soobin blinked. “Well, it’s true. He was in the minor leagues all season, and I was only in the first team… We exchanged messages on our phones sometimes, though.” Lee Soobin tilted his head. “But… why are you asking?”

“Um? No, it’s nothing.” Just as Jisub was waving his hand with a strange smile, the outside of the locker room began to get noisy.

“Oh, he’s here!!!” “Welcome, welcome! Wow, you’ve been through a lot to come up from Yeosu! [a city in South Korea]”

At the voices coming from outside the locker room, Lee Soobin raised his head with a ‘Pah!’

“Manager, it looks like he’s arrived?” The guy gestured to Jisub. “Let’s go! He’s a junior who barely made it to the first team… Shouldn’t we welcome him warmly?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! How flustered and confused would he be right now? A kind word from a senior at this time can be very effective!”

A cute junior he hasn’t seen in a long time. A junior who is even cuter because he can eat as many late-night snacks as he wants. Lee Soobin got up from his seat with his eyes shining brightly-

“Huh?!” The next moment, Lee Soobin’s face stiffened.

“Oh, Sungjoon! Long time no see! Wow, I really can’t recognize you?”

Sim Sung-joon, bowing repeatedly to the seniors, entered the locker room. His appearance was quite different from what Lee Soobin remembered. His skin, which used to be fair, was tanned and dark. The bright and cute eyes had become fierce like those of a carnivore.

And what caught people’s attention the most were the bulging muscles revealed over his T-shirt.

“T-that’s… Sungjoon?!” Lee Soobin was looking back at Jisub with a dumbfounded expression. “Not Arnold Schwarzenegger?”