A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 317

76. Do You Eat Well? (1)

The next day, afternoon.

Professor Kevin Pryor of Port Myers University entered his office, carrying snacks in both hands.

“Oh, you’re working so hard!”

Professor Pryor greeted loudly, taking out coffee, cookies, orange juice, and the like.

His colleagues from the Department of Business Administration at the same university lightly nodded in response with a ‘Thank you’.

They had all gathered to grade the ‘level test’ of the new MBA students at Port Myers University.

“How is it… Did everyone get a look?”

Professor Pryor found his share of coffee and sat on the sofa in the center.

The professors around him slowly nodded.

“Yes, we just finished discussing it.”

“We have some tough students this semester as well. It seems the students’ level is getting higher and higher? Haha.”

The fellow professors continued, flipping through the materials in their hands.

“There’s a guy who’s been working as a reporter for *Baseball America* [a leading baseball magazine] for a long time, and there are also people who have made a name for themselves at *FanGraphs Baseball* [a website focused on baseball statistics and analysis].”

*Baseball America* is considered the best amateur baseball magazine in the United States.

And *FanGraphs Baseball* was a sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball] website that Major League Baseball officials often visited.

The story was that people who had a significant presence in the baseball world had entered this MBA program.

“There are quite a few people from Boras Corporation [a powerful sports agency], not to mention Major League teams… Anyway, you’re amazing, Professor.”

The fellow professors’ gazes turned to Professor Kevin Pryor.

“The fact that these great students have gathered is thanks to Professor Pryor’s reputation, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Frankly, our school isn’t the most accessible, is it? For students to flock here, competing with each other…”

Meeting talented students, students full of spirit, is the greatest luck for professors.

The fellow professors kept expressing their gratitude, but Professor Kevin Pryor simply waved his hand, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, you’re doing it again! It’s not just because I’m good at it! It’s because all the professors here have been guiding the students with all their heart.”

Professor Pryor then handed out the cookies he had brought to his fellow professors.

A subtle expression appeared on his face the very next moment.

“Ah, that’s right…”

Ahem.

The professor cleared his throat.

“If the discussion on the students’ team assignments is over, the results must be out, right?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know. The results, I mean, the results! Which team took first place!”

Kevin Pryor stroked his white beard and continued.

“Since it was a task to predict the career WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] of amateur players, I guess the reporter from *Baseball America* did well?”

No, no.

He shook his head.

“I think the guy from *FanGraphs Baseball* stood out. After all, he would have been the most familiar with the data…”

As he stroked his beard and seemed to be deep in thought, the professors of the Department of Business Administration at Port Myers University all wore bitter smiles.

“Professor Pryor?”

“Yes?”

“That acting that’s so obvious… You can stop now. We all know which team you’re paying attention to this semester.”

One of the fellow professors said.

“Ji-seop… Kim? Isn’t that the team that this guy from Korea belongs to?”

* * *

At his colleagues’ sharp remarks, Professor Kevin Pryor wore an awkward expression.

“Was I caught?”

Professor Pryor smiled.

“Was it that obvious?”

“…It was very obvious.”

The fellow professors shook their heads.

“It would be stranger if we didn’t notice. Starting with the fact that you chose Korean amateur players as data, even though there is more data from Japan.”

“Looking it up, it was data from when that Kim guy was in his senior year of college? Haha, where did you find that…”

“Professor, you can’t keep doing this. Even if it’s a test that doesn’t affect grades, students might start talking, right?”

Professor Pryor, the great man, had no choice but to shrink back from the relentless criticism from his fellow professors.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Professor Pryor bowed his head.

“He’s a guy who came all the way to America with the single-minded determination to learn more, despite the wide-open road ahead of him. I just wanted to give him a little support because I was so impressed with his heart…”

“Still, you shouldn’t do that! As a teacher, you should treat students equally, shouldn’t you?”

“Of course, if this was a one- or two-day thing, I wouldn’t say this! Professor, you ‘pick’ one person like this almost every year…”

You can’t do this.

Please consider our position.

While fellow professors were surrounding Kevin Pryor and pouring out nagging-

“Oh, well, that’s true…”

One of the professors sitting across from him sighed briefly and said.

“You’ve picked out a really amazingly good student again this year, Professor.”

“Hmm?”

At the unexpected lifeline, Kevin Pryor’s face brightened.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s excellent. The report submitted by the team that Kim student belongs to.”

The fellow professor put the assignment he was holding on the table.

“Even considering that he got a hint from the professor, the process of reaching the conclusion is logically well-organized.”

“Well, that… I agree with that too.”

One of the professors sitting next to him chimed in.

“It felt like a report that came out after a very fierce debate. I was also impressed.”

“Right? When you give team assignments, one person often leads and the others follow… But there was none of that in this report.”

“That’s right. It felt like they were fighting to the death and reached a new conclusion? And above all…”

And the following remark.

“The most surprising thing was that this report came from people in the American League East [a division in Major League Baseball known for its intense rivalries].”

As soon as one of the professors mentioned this, everyone in the lab nodded silently.

The content was good, the analysis was good, but the point that seemed most amazing to the professors was this.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a report like this from a team made up of AL East people… Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. They have so many accumulated feelings. They’re always busy fighting when they meet. And if they’re not fighting, they don’t talk at all.”

“I was worried that putting those troublemakers on the same team would cause problems… Haha, I never thought such an unexpected report would come out.”

This was the first time that people from the American League East had joined forces to create something.

Watching his fellow professors exclaim in admiration, Kevin Pryor was quietly smiling inside.

He knew why this amazing result had come out.

‘Hehe, I knew I had a good eye for people!’

He thought about calling Sahalin Park in Korea for the first time in a while.

If other professors in the United States also recognized Ji-seop, wouldn’t that guy be very happy?

‘Or not? Would he get angry at his personality? Why are you telling me such useless stories, wasting phone bills?’

What an honest guy.

Thinking that to himself, he picked up a sweet cookie on the table, but just then.

“But… Professor?”

One of the fellow professors opened his mouth.

“There doesn’t seem to be a problem with giving the AL East people first place in this assignment… But are you okay with that?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“The mentor, I mean, the mentor.”

The mentor who is assigned to each team according to the level test results.

It was the very position that was known to have been held by Billy Bean, who was once famous for ‘Moneyball’ [a strategy of using data analysis to build a competitive baseball team].

“We all recognize his career, but I’m not sure if the team staff will like it…”

Isn’t that right.

The professor continued.

“We all recognize his career, but I’m not sure if the team staff will like it…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Kevin Pryor lightly responded, chewing on a cookie.

“I think he’s by far the best of the mentors selected this semester.”

For the first time that day, Professor Pryor wore a sharp expression.

“Whether they recognize his value or not… That’s entirely up to the students’ capabilities.”

* * *

At almost the same time.

Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Future Strategy Planning Division was busy moving in ‘Storage D’, located on the 2nd basement floor of this stadium.

“David! Replacement player list! Has the replacement player list arrived yet?”

“No, not yet! It seems the coaching staff meeting hasn’t ended yet!”

It was the time of day when they would normally finish lunch, have a cup of coffee, and take a breather.

Since Ji-seop had gone to the graduate school orientation the day before, it was the time of day when they could have talked about him.

But on this day, the people in the Future Strategy Planning Division didn’t seem to have time to even think about a cup of coffee.

The reason was only one.

“Kim! I sent it! The replacement player list for Paul Torres!”

“Okay, thank you!”

That’s right. Paul Torres.

The designated hitter who formed the Tampa Bay Rays’ central batting line with Alex Montero.

He suffered an ankle injury in the game the day before, and just a few hours ago, a report came in that it would take more than 12 weeks to recover.

The sudden absence of the main gun. The Future Strategy Planning Division was in a situation where they had no choice but to revise the ‘Yellow Book’ [a detailed scouting report] they had submitted in advance.

“Damn it, I don’t know why this kind of thing is happening now. The team atmosphere was good, and we were about to take the lead in the division if we just did a little more.”

David Wilson approached Ji-seop when he reflected the player list received from the coaching staff in the simulation program.

“The coaches seem to have formed the roster with the players on the 26-man roster for now… But it’s going to be difficult, right? To perfectly replace Paul Torres.”

“It’s not an easy task. It’s not like that kind of hitter is common… But what can we do? The water has already been spilled [an idiom meaning ‘what’s done is done’].”

It was what he had experienced firsthand while working at KH Cannons.

There is no season that goes as expected. The important thing is improvisation, how to deal with unexpected situations.

“The acquisition of a replacement player will be done by the higher-ups… Let’s quickly revise the game prediction report first.”

“Yes, then as soon as the simulation is done, the report… Hmm?”

It was at this moment that David Wilson, who was about to return to his seat, tapped Ji-seop on the shoulder.

“Kim! It seems like you have a message. Why don’t you check it?”

“A message?”

Could it be manager Mike Clemmblas?

Or President Brian Spon?

Ji-seop hurriedly unlocked his phone and checked the message app, but at that moment, his energy drained away.

Unlike the hectic atmosphere here, a very leisurely message was unfolding on the screen.

-Kim, wouldn’t you like to discuss it again? About our team leader.

It was a group chat.

A group chat created with colleagues he met at Port Myers University.

It was the Yankees’ special assistant to the general manager who created this room that kept making Ji-seop’s phone ring.

-Of course, Kim had the authority to appoint the team leader. I admit that too.

-But shouldn’t the team leader be entrusted to someone with both skills and personality?

-Even if they don’t have both, shouldn’t the selection process be more transparent and rational?

Why is the Yankees’ special assistant to the general manager sending such a long message?

-Still, isn’t it a bit too much to decide the team leader with rock-paper-scissors at the last minute!

Ji-seop chuckled.

He wondered what the team leader was making such a fuss about, and he also wondered if the Yankees didn’t have as much work as he thought.

Still, in the midst of being so busy that he felt like his soul was leaving his body, he thought it wasn’t bad to laugh while looking at such trivial messages, but at that very moment.

-That’s enough. Let’s not make a fuss about matters that have already been decided. You’re grumbling so much, you must be from New York [a playful jab at New Yorkers’ reputation for complaining].

The ‘team leader’ posted a message.

-Hello, team members. I’m Christine Brown, the team leader of ‘Team Christine’.

It was the very person who belonged to the R&D team of the Boston Red Sox.

-I just received a call from the professor. Our ‘Team Christine’ has a mentor.

-Is there a need to emphasize ‘Team Christine’? I think this is also a waste of data.

-Shut up.

In a word, she, who had defeated the Yankees’ special assistant to the general manager, continued the message at a rapid pace.

-This semester, our ‘Team Christine’s mentor is Anne Reynolds.

Ji-seop tilted his head.

Anne Reynolds, Anne Reynolds.

Was there such a person?

He didn’t know, but he thought other people might know, but surprisingly, everyone showed a similar reaction to Ji-seop.