Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 180

180. A Difficult Growing Pain (1)

As May approached, the regular season was about twenty games in.

The Wolves and Dragons, with their consistent strength, were at the top as expected, and the Buffaloes, having acquired Go Ji-hoon, were also performing well.

The Pelicans, unfortunately, were struggling at the bottom again this year.

However, So Young-joon was definitely pulling his weight.

His hitting, already a strength, remained excellent, and his defense was noticeably more stable than before.

On the other hand, the Doubles, having lost Go Ji-hoon, were finding it difficult to secure wins.

This was partly offset by Choi Jung-hwan, who emerged as their closer, taking charge of the ninth inning.

The Doubles’ bullpen wasn’t entirely reliable, but it was a significant improvement from last season when they seemed to falter in every game due to the lack of a dependable closer.

The performances of the Jaguars players were also noteworthy.

Michael Scott was playing even better than last season, showing significant improvement, and Seo Sung-min, a new recruit, was making a valuable contribution at both second and first base defensively, as well as delivering some powerful hits.

Thanks to our agency’s players performing well, Jung In-gyu, Lee Joo-hyuk, and I were constantly smiling.

However, Donald Watson, who was new to the Korean league, presented a problem.

He still seemed to be struggling to adjust to the pitches thrown by Korean pitchers.

During the exhibition games, I’d hoped that time would resolve the issue,

but even after two weeks into the season, the difficulty persisted.

Moreover, perhaps due to increasing timidity, his swings lacked confidence.

I often saw his bat swing and miss at the plate.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

– Swinging strikeout! Watson strikes out again.

– Swinging at that pitch seems absurd.

– Is he really a former major league player?

– Just looking at his swing, it’s hard to believe.

– They must have recruited a foreign hitter to address the weakness in center field. If this continues, developing domestic players would have been more effective.

– That’s right. The days of relying solely on a player’s reputation are over. The Korean league is no longer that easy.

– The Jaguars may need to make a decision soon.

The following at-bat yielded the same result.

Thwack!

“Strike out!”

Even when the ball was right in the strike zone, Watson simply watched it go by without moving.

– Watson struck out again. This time, he just watched the ball pass through the strike zone.

– He doesn’t seem to be adjusting to the pitchers’ deliveries at all.

– Is it too much to expect him to replicate the skills he displayed in the major leagues a few years ago?

The slump he was experiencing at the plate extended to his defense.

Clack!

The ball hit by the batter flew towards Watson in center field.

Watson tracked the ball and sprinted forward.

He dove without hesitation, as usual.

However,

Thud!

– Huh? Watson is sliding here.

– The ball didn’t go into Watson’s glove and went behind him. The runner keeps running!

– It looks like he can easily get to second base? At this rate, he might even get to third base easily.

While the ball Watson dropped rolled away, the runner passed first base, reached second, and then headed for third.

The right fielder, who had moved to cover behind the center fielder, raced to retrieve the ball and threw it to third base, but

– In the end, he gets to third base easily.

– Sliding was unnecessary in this situation. A more controlled play would have resulted in just a single. The reckless defense is creating a crisis.

– Watson’s aggressiveness has its merits, but if these situations occur frequently, it will be difficult for the team to view him favorably.

Watson, disheartened by the error, returned to his position.

I hoped he would hit a home run in the next game to compensate for his mistake, but Watson’s powerful hit didn’t materialize that day either.

His April batting average was a dismal .158, with no home runs and only three RBIs.

It would be surprising if there weren’t discussions about releasing him.

Still, there was one bright spot.

Clack!

The batted ball from Seo Sung-min, batting left-handed, sailed between the left fielder and the center fielder.

– That’s a great hit. He’ll easily make it to second base.

– Safe at second! A fantastic hit!

– Seo Sung-min adds another extra-base hit.

– He had a hit batting right-handed and now a hit batting left-handed in today’s game. All that’s left is a home run from both sides?

– Hopefully, we’ll see that rare feat soon.

Seo Sung-min, playing as the seventh hitter and second baseman in the twenty games since the season opener, had raised his batting average to .273, recording eleven RBIs and two home runs, continuing his strong performance.

He successfully compensated for his weaknesses by switching his batting stance based on the opposing pitcher.

Fortunately, the Jaguars were maintaining a .500 win rate despite Watson’s slump as the starting center fielder and were not falling behind in the early season standings.

After the game, as the team members acknowledged the audience,

I could sense the tension in Watson’s stiff expression.

Watching that scene on the screen didn’t make me feel any better.

└I had high expectations because he was a major leaguer, but he’s truly hopeless.

└His defense is excessive, but his hitting is seriously lacking.

└It’s a waste of one million dollars; they should replace him quickly.

└If they release him now, they only have to pay him the one million dollars, right? Is that possible?

└If he’s released in Korea, isn’t his career essentially over?

└From Watson’s perspective, getting released might be a sweet deal. Collect the one million dollars and try the major leagues again, lol [laugh out loud].

└What major league with that performance? He’d struggle even in the minor leagues.

└The Jaguars need to do something while Michael Scott is playing well, but with a hitter like that, there’s not much they can do.

└If he messes up here, he could become a legendary failure.

└They just brought in a problematic player and made a fuss, and the Jaguars haven’t gained any real benefit.

└Kang Hyun-woo seems to have made a mistake this time. Instead of just relying on reputation, he should have brought in a player who would fit the Korean league.

* * *

I visited the general manager’s office to meet with Jo Gwang-hoon, the Jaguars’ general manager.

Jo Gwang-hoon had contacted me, and I was planning to see him anyway because of the current situation.

Jo Gwang-hoon’s expression, sitting across from me, was beyond dark; it was black.

“Oh… Representative Kang, welcome.”

There was no energy in Jo Gwang-hoon’s voice.

This was because he was facing criticism along with Watson.

The Jaguars fans, disappointed with Watson’s performance, and those who were against Watson playing in the Korean league, were expressing harsh criticism.

It was as if they were losing the fan support they had worked hard to build with Michael Scott in an instant.

– Feeling very anxious about Donald Watson’s slump.

– I really want to reach the postseason this season.

I could clearly see his psychological state from his expression.

“General Manager, are you alright?”

Looking at Jo Gwang-hoon’s face, I naturally asked how he was doing.

“Hoo… Representative Kang, what should I do about Watson?”

Jo Gwang-hoon immediately got to the point, revealing his anxiety.

“Well, he’s in a new country, so it takes time to adjust to the environment. Don’t be too impatient; let’s wait a little longer.”

“That’s true, but the public opinion is so negative. There are calls for his immediate replacement from everywhere.”

“General Manager, it’s only been a month. There are still over one hundred games left.”

In fact, Jo Gwang-hoon had been under pressure from passionate Jaguars fans for the past three years of his contract, so I understood his impatience.

“What’s more worrying is the lack of pressure from above. Even the parent company should be meeting and discussing this, but there’s no indication of that.”

I could sense the anxiety in Jo Gwang-hoon’s expression.

“I don’t think you’d be happy if they asked you to resign, would you?”

“Ha… That’s true. But I don’t feel comfortable without that pressure.”

“The parent company still believes in you, right? It’s only been a little over twenty percent of the one hundred forty-four games.”

“Hoo… Do they really believe in me? It’s the last year of my contract now.”

Even after hearing my words, the darkness on Jo Gwang-hoon’s face didn’t disappear.

“I will help you renew your contract, General Manager.”

“Can Watson improve if he plays a few more games? Or should I really start looking for a replacement?”

“General Manager, please wait a little longer. It’s not easy to come to a new league and adapt to completely new types of pitchers.”

“Still, our Scott performed well from his very first game in the second half of the season. I hoped Watson would do the same…”

His lips momentarily turned upward at the thought of Scott, but soon became sullen again.

“It takes hitters longer to adapt than pitchers. Besides, Watson hasn’t participated in many international competitions, so he’s a player who hasn’t really faced Asian players properly.”

The rules of baseball are the same in every country, but the playing styles of the players are very different.

This could be attributed to the differences in physical builds between American and Latin American players and Asian players.

Moreover, to hit effectively, the hitter needs to adapt to the pitcher.

That’s why the hitter is often at a disadvantage compared to the pitcher in their initial encounters.

“That’s true. He has to face new pitchers constantly.”

“We will also take steps to help Watson adapt as quickly as possible.”

“So, he can improve in the future?”

“Of course.”

“Ha… Representative Kang, please take good care of him. Watson’s performance is crucial for our team, and also for me.”

I could sense not only desperation but also sincerity in Jo Gwang-hoon’s eyes.

“Of course. I’ll ensure good results, so don’t worry too much.”

I smiled, holding Jo Gwang-hoon’s hands in mine.