Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 377

#376. All Problems Solved

“Alright, everyone, please take your seats… Hmm, it feels like just yesterday we were all gathered here preparing for the season, and now it’s already the wrap-up meeting. It suddenly makes me think. What is a beginning, and what is an end? Perhaps we are merely pitiful worms wriggling to find our way in the endless cycle of beginnings and ends? That’s right, someone once told me something like that. It was when I first became eligible for free agency and started worrying about my future. The physical trainer, who was about to retire at the time, asked me this: ‘Hey, Park…….'”

“…Director Park.”

“What do you think baseball is?’ I mean… um, sorry, CEO. I didn’t mean to get carried away just because I had the microphone after a long time.”

“It’s alright. It’s not like it’s the first time. Rather than that, we have a lot to discuss today, so let’s get to the point quickly.”

“Understood, CEO. Then, let’s begin the Seoul Warriors’ general meeting to prepare for the 2040 season.”

After a roughly month-long break following the fierce 2039 season, the front office staff of the prestigious KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] club, the Seoul Warriors, at the team leader level or higher, along with the first and second-team managers and coaches, gathered in one place.

The reason so many people took the time to gather in one place was to wrap up the past season and prepare for the upcoming 2040 season.

In the 2039 season, the Seoul Warriors finished in 4th place in the regular season and advanced to the playoffs, but were caught off guard by the Busan Titans in the semi-playoffs and were eliminated, having to watch their Seoul rivals, the Magicians, win the Korean Series [KBO championship series].

Since Han Su-hyeok joined the team in 2027, they had achieved five consecutive *Tonghap Useung*s [undisputed championships], and then three more *Tonghap Useung*s in the following eight years, reigning as the strongest dynasty representing the 2020s and 2030s.

But nothing lasts forever.

As the players who had built the dynasty with Han Su-hyeok began to leave the field one by one, the Warriors began a full-scale team rebuilding.

The process was more difficult than expected.

Starting with a 6th place finish in the 2037 season, failing to advance to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, followed by 5th place in 2038 and 4th place in 2039, they had lost their former glory.

The problem is that the rebuilding is not over yet.

Due to the closed trade market and the overheated FA [free agent] market, it was almost impossible to buy a championship with money in the KBO structure, so it took more time than expected for a team that had fallen from the top to return to its place.

Therefore, no experts picked the Warriors as a championship contender for the 2040 season.

The aging of existing star players, the immaturity of rookie players who have not yet found their place, and the failed foreign player draft of last season, etc.

Among them, the biggest issue was the absence of an ace to anchor the team, and finding a main hitter to replace the aging Jang Deok-su.

“First of all… before this meeting, let me introduce the newly appointed manager and coaching staff. You may already know them, but it’s right to greet you on this occasion. Shall we start with a word from Manager Jo Seong-oh?”

“Yes, well… um, the word ‘manager’ doesn’t come out easily. But I have to get used to it, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Jo Seong-oh, the new first-team manager starting this season. While I’m up, I’d also like to introduce the new members of the coaching staff. Next to me is coach Lee Man-sik, who will be in charge of the first-team pitching coach.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m the new coach, Lee Man-sik.”

“And next to him is coach Lee Chang-mo, who will be in charge of first-team defense.”

“I’ll do my best. I’m Lee Chang-mo.”

“After a lot of persuasion, we finally brought in Walter Smith, the first-team hitting coach.”

“Hehe, that’s an exaggeration. Ah, is this the right expression? Anyway, I look forward to working with you all.”

“And…….”

The newly appointed manager, Jo Seong-oh, introduced each of the first and second-team coaching staff under his command.

Watching the coaching staff, CEO Park Seong-hoon was lost in reminiscence without realizing it.

Jo Seong-oh, Lee Man-sik, Lee Chang-mo, Walter Smith, Kim Su-hak, Choi Jin-cheol, Kang Dong-ha…….

They were the ones who had worn the Warriors uniform for a long time and built the strongest dynasty, and they were the same people who were standing in front of him with the title of new manager and coaches.

He was pleased that the team’s history continued, but on the other hand, he was also bitter about how much time had passed.

Thick wrinkles had formed on the faces that had been full of youth and passion, and white hairs were sparsely sticking out from the side of the hat they were wearing.

Looking back, the past seemed like a dream.

The memories of Han Su-hyeok, who was about to advance to the major leagues, suddenly changed his mind and declared that he would stay in Korea, entrusted him with the management of the Warriors along with a sudden secret of birth, and building the Warriors dynasty with such a guy flashed through his mind one by one.

“Well, let’s end the greetings here and start the meeting in earnest. First, let’s start with a review of the past 2039 season. Everyone, please look at the screen.”

At the voice of Director Park Jae-cheol, CEO Park Seong-hoon suddenly came to his senses.

This is a very important meeting.

The Warriors’ performance, which had fallen to the mid-level due to various problems such as the aging of existing starting players, had to be raised again, and this was a crucial meeting to decide what to do and where to prioritize.

Under the leadership of Director Park Jae-cheol, a review of the past season was conducted, and it took about three hours to summarize it.

After a long review and a short break,

The participants who gathered in the conference room again began brainstorming for the 2040 season roster. The second meeting began to determine the team’s farming for the next season, including foreign player contracts, FA recruitment, trade list confirmation, and spring camp participants selection.

Detailed indicators of players by position filled the screen, and the process of sorting out the good from the bad began in earnest.

“…This is a list of starting-level players by position that our front desk has selected as a primary step. Please check and raise your hand if you have any comments on this. Please look at the screen.”

[2040 Season Seoul Warriors Position-Based Starting Player Candidates and Last Season Results]

Catcher: Park Dong-seok (31 years old), batting average 0.293, on-base percentage 0.380, slugging percentage 0.511, 20 home runs, 78 RBIs

1st baseman: Jang Deok-su (39 years old), batting average 0.254, on-base percentage 0.348, slugging percentage 0.558, 35 home runs, 98 RBIs

2nd baseman: Park Kyung-bae (21 years old), batting average 0.252, on-base percentage 0.338, slugging percentage 0.358, 6 home runs, 29 RBIs

3rd baseman: Ahn Chi-wook (32 years old), batting average 0.348, on-base percentage 0.420, slugging percentage 0.574, 23 home runs, 113 RBIs

Shortstop: Yoo In-cheol (32 years old), batting average 0.270, on-base percentage 0.372, slugging percentage 0.420, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs,

Left fielder: Seo Jun-seok (21 years old), batting average 0.243, on-base percentage 0.307, slugging percentage 0.333, 3 home runs, 25 RBIs

Center fielder: Undecided

Right fielder: Foreign player

Designated hitter: Choi Jae-min (31 years old), batting average 0.283, on-base percentage 0.363, slugging percentage 0.435, 20 home runs, 75 RBIs

Starting pitcher: Choi Ma-ru (31 years old), left-handed, 210 innings, ERA 2.54, WHIP 1.21, 17 wins, 9 losses

Starting pitcher: Foreign player

Starting pitcher: Foreign player

Starting pitcher: Cheon Sang-jin (38 years old), left-handed, 180 innings, ERA 3.55, WHIP 1.30, 11 wins, 9 losses

Starting pitcher: Yoo Byung-cheol (28 years old), right-handed, 175 innings, ERA 4.01, WHIP 1.55, 8 wins, 10 losses

Starting pitcher: Im Jun-yeong (44 years old), right-handed, 180 innings, ERA 4.22, WHIP 1.49, 7 wins, 8 losses

Setup man: Yang Ki-cheol (35 years old), right-handed, 65 innings, ERA 3.29, WHIP 1.29, 2 wins, 3 losses, 12 saves, 11 holds

Closer: Undecided

“Hmm…….”

“Hmph…….”

As the starting player lineup for each position, which had been primarily classified by the power analysis team, was announced, the conference room quickly became quiet.

It was an inevitable situation that the perspectives of the front office, which had to consider the overall budget and future direction as a top priority, and the coaching staff, which had to worry about the performance of the next season, would differ, but

“Umm…….”

Nevertheless, there was a common thought in the minds of both sides.

‘There are too many question marks. The central axis is not clear in both pitching and hitting…….’

Considering that in the days when Han Su-hyeok was there, the team boasted the league’s top level in all areas, including team batting average, home runs, runs scored, RBIs, and the pitching innings and ERA of the pitchers, this lineup was lacking in many ways.

Four of the hitters included in the lineup hit more than 20 home runs, but Jang Deok-su, who can be said to be the main hitter, is already 39 years old. It means that it is not at all strange for his skills to decline sharply next season.

From that point of view, the only sure cards in the infield are Ahn Chi-wook, the best left-handed hitter in Korea, Park Dong-seok, the catcher who made his first 20-home run season last season, and Choi Jae-min, who overcame his hearing impairment and established himself as the team’s designated hitter.

In addition, the second baseman and left fielder, who have to fill their positions with second-year rookies, and the center fielder and right fielder, which are virtually vacant, made my head ache from the start. In fact, the entire outfield was virtually empty.

“Haa… where should I start talking about this…….”

“The pitching side is good if you can get two foreign players well…….”

“That’s easier said than done. Foreign players are close to a lottery. Considering that the closer position is vacant, you may have to bring in a foreign player as a closer.”

“Hmm, it’s one mountain after another.”

The problem was that the condition of the infield was better than that of the pitching staff.

At this point, the Warriors’ pitching staff was on the verge of collapse.

Cheon Sang-jin, who had been leading the team’s starting lineup, entered his 38th season, and Im Jun-yeong, who was once the team’s ace, was about to enter his 44th retirement season.

Because the foreign player draft ended in a major failure last season, the two foreign player slots were vacant, and Yang Ki-cheol’s skills declined, so a new closer also had to be found.

“…It seems like there are a lot of opinions, so let’s hear from each of you one by one.”

“Yes, in my opinion, the foreign hitter should be a left-handed hitter who can play both first base and right field. As you all know, we don’t know when Jang Deok-su’s knee will have problems.”

“Since the limit on simultaneous foreign player appearances has increased to 3, why don’t we try to find two second basemen and outfielders instead?”

“That won’t work. We have to allocate one foreign pitcher slot to the closer position, but you’re not suggesting that we play the season without a foreign starting pitcher, are you?”

“Shouldn’t we consider leaving the closer to Ki-cheol until next season? No matter how I look at it, a foreign hitter to stand in the center batting line seems more urgent.”

“Look at Yang Ki-cheol’s detailed indicators in the second half. He can’t be a closer anymore.”

“How about bringing Yong-cheol as a FA? His price won’t be that high.”

“The Changwon club owner ordered to keep Yong-cheol no matter what.”

“Then let’s trade…….”

The meeting participants, who had been hesitant at first, quickly poured out their opinions with excited faces.

Some said that it was urgent to reinforce the pitching staff, while others argued that a player to anchor the center of the batting line was a priority.

The problem was that all of these opinions were correct.

Main hitter Jang Deok-su is in a situation where he can be left out of the lineup at any time, and there is no player other than Ahn Chi-wook who can stably defend the center batting line.

All of the starting pitchers except Choi Ma-ru were clearly aging, and it was difficult to decide whether to use both foreign player slots as starting pitchers or to find a closer.

In a word, a total mess.

I try to comfort myself by saying that it is a sequelae of dominating the league for the past ten years, but from the perspective of having to prepare for next season right away, it was nothing but bleak.

As the meeting was flowing into an increasingly excited atmosphere, at that time,

Buzz

CEO Park Seong-hoon’s smartphone, which was placed on the table, vibrated greatly.

Park Seong-hoon, who was staring straight ahead with a serious expression, raised his hand and slightly checked the screen of his smartphone. He was thinking of turning off the power as it was not a big deal.

But,

[Sender: My brother Su-hyeok]

Park Seong-hoon, who confirmed that the caller was Han Su-hyeok, jumped up from his seat and headed to the corner of the conference room.

“Hey, Su-hyeok. What’s wrong? I heard you were going on vacation with Min Ye-rin until this week? Oh, right. I heard a snow bomb fell in Seattle? How’s your neighborhood? Huh? What? That’s not important? Then what’s important? What? What the hell are you talking about? Coming back? Do you mean you’re going to spend your vacation in Korea? That’s not it? Then what the hell is it? Huh? Huh? Huhuuh? Whaaaat?”

As CEO Park Seong-hoon’s voice grew louder, everyone in the conference room stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on him. It was because they sensed that something important was being said.

After a while, Park Seong-hoon, who had finished the call, looked around at the people with a dumbfounded expression.

And his mouth slowly opened.

“Um… everyone, I’m a little sorry to say this, but let’s reopen today’s meeting in a few days.”

“CEO, is something wrong? Is there anything bad happening?”

“It’s not that, um… I don’t know how to explain this…….”

“Yes?”

“Su-hyeok is coming back.”

“Yes? What does that…….”

“Su-hyeok is quitting his major league life and coming back to Korea. He says to leave his seat empty on the team?”

“Yeeeees?”