A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 285

71. The Third Member (1)

The next morning.

Jisub was visiting the [Baseball R&D Team] with John LaMar.

It was to receive a handover of duties before the full-scale project began.

“Ah, KH Cannons! I’ve heard of them. They were the team that won the Korean League last season, right? And Ryu from Boston used to play for them.”

The head of the [Baseball R&D Team] was a deputy director-level executive.

Her name was Rebecca Carney. She started her career with the Toronto Blue Jays and had been with the Tampa Bay Rays for about seven years.

With 16 years of industry experience, and having risen to the position of deputy director from an intern, she carried herself with composure.

“I don’t know how this will sound, but… anyway, I’m grateful to the Future Strategy Planning Division.”

After exchanging greetings, Deputy Director Rebecca Carney carefully offered a word.

“The Yellow Book Project… I agree that it’s a great idea. But from the perspective of actually carrying it out, it was a very awkward task.”

Jisub knew the story well.

The ‘Yellow Book Project’ could be seen as the front office overstepping its authority with the field staff.

The fact that the front office was discussing specific game details could provoke backlash from the field staff.

Rebecca Carney had likely been walking on thin ice while carrying out the project.

Now that she could hand over the troublesome task to the Future Strategy Planning Division, the ‘gratitude’ she spoke of didn’t seem like just empty words.

“I’ve instructed them to pay special attention to the handover. The employees who directly worked on this project will probably give you a very detailed explanation of the know-how we have.”

She continued.

“If you need anything else, please feel free to tell me at any time. Since we’re unintentionally handing over a difficult task, we’ll support you as much as possible…”

Rebecca Carney’s words were probably not even finished when Jisub, who had been silently quiet until then, raised his hand as if he had been waiting for it.

“Ah, Kim! What’s the matter? Do you already need my help?”

“Yes, I was going to ask slowly… but I thought it would be better to say it while we’re on the topic.”

Jisub quickly continued.

“In carrying out this project, I think what our Future Strategy Planning Division needs most is personnel.”

“Personnel?”

“Yes, because there are only two employees in our division right now, Taylor and me. To proceed with the project smoothly, it’s essential to reinforce our personnel…”

Jisub gave a subtle look.

“I was wondering if you could spare one or two people from the Baseball R&D Team.”

“Ah, from our team?”

Just 30 seconds ago, she had guaranteed that she would help with anything, but she didn’t easily agree to the request for personnel support.

The [Baseball R&D Team] was one of the busiest departments in Tampa Bay, so giving up an employee from such a place wouldn’t be a normal thing.

“Do you really need to take people from our team?”

As expected. The deputy director was trying to subtly back out.

“I heard that the Tropicana Field basement was noisy yesterday… or was it not? It seemed like all those people wanted to join the Future Strategy Planning Division?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Her words were true.

As rumors spread that Brian Sponn, the general manager, was going to assign some work to the Future Strategy Planning Division, ambitious young employees gathered in front of the office.

Some people came with resumes, some came to ask for application forms, and some rattled off their careers without being asked.

It was a good thing that the Future Strategy Planning Division’s attention had increased thanks to General Manager Brian, but Jisub couldn’t be satisfied with those people.

“There have certainly been a lot of applicants. I’m thinking of recruiting one or two of them. But what our division needs right now is someone who can play the role of a definite ‘ace’.”

Jisub continued.

“If you could help us a little, Deputy Director, it would be a great help to our Future Strategy Planning Division… wouldn’t that be possible?”

* * *

Some time later.

Jisub had entered the conference room provided by the [Baseball R&D Team].

“Ugh…”

As the employee in charge of the guide left the conference room, Jisub slumped in his chair and groaned.

It wasn’t even four hours since he had come to work, but he felt like all the energy he would use that day had been exhausted.

Rebecca Carney. The negotiation with the 16-year veteran front office was really not easy.

“Kim, are you okay?”

John LaMar poured a glass of cold water from the water purifier in one corner of the conference room and brought it to Jisub.

When Jisub nodded and accepted the cold water, he clicked his tongue and continued.

“I think I understand what my father used to say now.”

“Yes? The team owner?”

When Jisub, who barely regained his senses with a glass of cold water, asked, John LaMar quickly nodded.

“It’s my father’s habit. There are no people, there are not enough people, it’s the hardest thing to take people away…”

John LaMar blinked.

“There are so many people in the world, but I wondered why he always said that… but after watching Kim and the deputy director talking today, I vaguely understand.”

Even if there are many people in the world, there are not many people who are really useful.

To get one really useful person, you need a fiercely competitive competition.

John LaMar was making a serious expression as if Jisub’s negotiation was quite impressive.

“The Rebecca Carney I knew was a very cool person. Even if an employee made a mistake, she would laugh it off. But she didn’t nod her head until the end when asked to send one person?”

The head of the [Baseball R&D Team] did not budge even when Jisub used logic, appealed to emotions, or invoked the authority of General Manager Brian Sponn.

The negotiation with Deputy Director Rebecca Carney was quite tiring for Jisub, but looking at John LaMar’s expression, he thought it wasn’t without reward.

It’s hard to take people away. It’s also hard to keep good people by your side.

Wasn’t it rewarding to show this one trivial fact to that hopeless team owner’s son?

Just as Jisub was thinking that, John LaMar poured another glass of mineral water and asked.

“Kim, what are you going to do now?”

Jisub just raised his head without answering.

“The deputy director didn’t give the okay sign, did she? She just said she’d think about it. In my opinion, it seemed like she was clearly refusing… what should we do now? Are you going to look for another department?”

“No.”

Jisub shook his head.

“As I said yesterday, I’m planning to bring at least one person from the [Baseball R&D Team]. They are the people who objectively understand the Tampa Bay Rays’ power the most, and they are also the people who started the ‘Yellow Book Project’.”

“But the deputy director said no, didn’t she? But what can you do…”

It was at this moment that a sly smile appeared on Jisub’s face, which had been lying on the desk.

“Hehe, what’s the big deal? We just have to stick to it until they give us permission.”

“Until you get permission?”

“Yes, anyway, we’ll be coming to the [Baseball R&D Team] every day for the next few days because of the handover, right? Then we should visit the deputy director every time and keep trying to persuade her. Where is there anything that works at once in the first place.”

Having said this, Jisub raised his body with a ‘Eurachacha’ [Korean onomatopoeia for a grunt of effort] shout.

“Of course, I don’t mean to just keep visiting her. We need to narrow down the target a little.”

“Target?”

“Yes, if we tell you which employee we specifically want, it will be easier for the deputy director to make a decision.”

Jisub continued.

“So LaMar, you also need to carefully observe the [Baseball R&D Team] employees while receiving this handover.”

What are their strengths, what is their personality to work with, and what is their position on the ‘Yellow Book Project’.

Jisub counted his fingers and recited the points to check to John LaMar.

“Let’s set those standards and observe the employees who come in for the handover. So if there’s someone we both think is okay…”

“Ah, let’s bring that person into our Future Strategy Planning Division… is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hehe, as expected!”

John LaMar seemed pleased, but that feeling didn’t last long.

Jisub, who was staring at John LaMar, suddenly asked:

“So… what were the criteria again?”

“Yes?”

“I just told you. About the criteria for examining [Baseball R&D Team] employees.”

“Ah, that, that’s…”

John LaMar, who couldn’t make eye contact with Jisub, was just rolling his eyes.

Jisub smiled and picked up his cell phone on the table.

“If you think it’s hard to remember, take a note first. Then you don’t have to worry about forgetting.”

“Ah, that’s right! Memo, memo! I’ll remember it!”

John LaMar turned on the cell phone app with an awkward smile.

While Jisub was looking at such a guy and telling him again the criteria to be checked from the employees, someone was knocking on the door, tok, tok, tok [onomatopoeia for knocking].

* * *

“Hello!”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

When Jisub opened the door, it was the employees of the [Baseball R&D Team] who came into the conference room.

To be exact, the employees who had been carrying out the ‘Yellow Book Project’ under the direction of General Manager Brian for the past month.

They were the people who came to hand over the work to Jisub and John LaMar, who would be taking on the role of successor.

“Today is the first day, so we all came together, but from tomorrow, we will be talking about each field separately.”

Should I call him the project leader?

The oldest-looking employee among them spoke to Jisub.

“First of all, it would be right to introduce ourselves, right? I’m Mike, the director of the [Baseball R&D Team]. And this friend here is…”

The director, who called himself ‘Mike’, began to introduce the employees who had worked on the project with him.

Mike briefly recited the employee’s name and career, and Jisub took the lead in shaking hands and greeting them.

Of course, this role should have been played by John LaMar, but at this time, he was busy fiddling with the cell phone memo app behind Jisub’s back.

“Ali… son Schubert… role of checking the condition of the players…”

Whether he was trying to remember all the employees, John LaMar muttered to himself and diligently typed on his cell phone.

As Mike introduced, Jisub shook hands, and John LaMar took notes on his cell phone, this person came out.

“My name is David Wilson. In this project, I was in charge of configuring and directly coding the simulation program.”

“Wow, you even did the program coding yourself?”

Because it was a field that he really didn’t know anything about, Jisub looked at the man named ‘David’ with a slightly envious look.

“Nice to meet you, David.”

“Hello, Kim.”

It’s not really surprising that there is someone who can code in a Major League team.

However, Jisub, who was smiling brightly and shaking hands with him, couldn’t help but hesitate slightly.

“David, about your hand…”

Jisub tilted his head while talking.

“You have quite a bit of callus on your hand. Do you play baseball or golf as a hobby?”

“Haha, it wasn’t a hobby, it was a job!”

It was the director of the [Baseball R&D Team] who answered.

“This friend was in our Tampa Bay minor league team until three years ago!”

“Minor league team?”

Jisub was looking at David Wilson with a fresh look.

“Then are you a former player?”