Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 213

213. A Slippery Slope (1)

Today was the day of the professional baseball rookie draft.

About 100 players were expected to don professional uniforms, but Ahn Bum-seok, the most sought-after player, ultimately declared his intention to challenge the major leagues.

Therefore, his name wouldn’t be called at today’s draft.

I gathered with Choi Woo-jin and Jung In-gyu in front of the living room TV to watch the event.

“Woo-jin, I think I’ll actually cry if your name is called first in next year’s draft.”

Among the current high school sophomores, there wasn’t yet a pitcher attracting as much major league attention as Ahn Bum-seok had.

Therefore, if Choi Woo-jin continued to improve every game, being drafted in the first round next year, or even being the first overall pick, wasn’t an absurd idea.

“Well… it’s a good thing, but what if it really happens?”

Choi Woo-jin’s expression was full of worry.

“Isn’t it good to be called first in the draft? It’s a huge honor.”

“I do want to be called in the first round, but I still want to go to the Buffaloes.”

“Ah, you’re worried about going to the Pelicans, aren’t you?”

The Pelicans also held the first overall pick next year.

Being considered the best player meant there was a very high chance of going to the Pelicans.

In the first round, teams would undoubtedly pick the player they considered the best, rather than focusing on the position they immediately needed.

“It would be nice to have Young-joon there… but I still prefer a team that can win. And I like the Buffaloes.”

“Young-joon said he’d make the Pelicans win. You go and win with Young-joon. It’ll be even cooler. The Pelicans fans are already passionate, but the country will go wild the moment they reach the Korean Series [championship series of Korean baseball].”

“Seriously… will the day ever come when the Pelicans go to the Korean Series?”

Choi Woo-jin sighed deeply, looking doubtful.

“Hey, Young-joon would be disappointed if he heard that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Young-joon is really great, and he’s really good at baseball. But… I’d prefer a team with a higher chance of winning if possible. And winning isn’t something you can do alone.”

Choi Woo-jin’s expression was still full of doubt.

Jung In-gyu, who had been listening to the conversation, burst into laughter and patted Choi Woo-jin on the shoulder.

“Woo-jin, even if you go to the Pelicans, there’s no need to be disappointed. It might actually be a good opportunity.”

“A good opportunity?”

Choi Woo-jin tilted his head.

“Of course. When you go to a professional team, you have to compete with professional players, and it’s not easy to compete for a starting position on a top team. But on a lower-ranked team, you might get a chance to start right away, which could be good.”

“Hmm…”

“Think about having to compete with Go Ji-hoon for a starting pitcher spot if you go to the Buffaloes. It won’t be easy to get a chance to start right away, will it?”

“That’s true, but…”

I could feel Choi Woo-jin’s deep disappointment.

I put my hand on Choi Woo-jin’s shoulder and rejoined the conversation.

“Still, isn’t the Pelicans’ chance of winning higher than Korea’s chance of winning the World Cup in soccer?”

“That’s true too…”

“And there’s still a year left until the draft, so there’s no need to be gloomy already.”

“I guess I honestly don’t have a high chance of being picked first overall, do I? I’m not quite there yet.”

“Well… our Woo-jin’s skills are getting better and better. If you get good at game management here, you could be considered an immediate asset. Would any team give up a left-handed starting pitcher with good control?”

“Sigh… I have to work hard for now. Being the first name called is a great honor, too.”

Choi Woo-jin nodded and replied.

“Right, we didn’t even get drafted when we graduated high school.”

I turned my gaze towards Jung In-gyu.

“That’s right. I wish I could have worn a uniform with my name on it just once.”

Jung In-gyu took a deep breath and looked at the TV screen.

After a while, the draft event began.

Slightly over 1,000 students participated in this year’s draft.

Among them, only about 100 players could be drafted by professional teams.

With a competition rate of over 10:1, it was quite fierce.

After a simple opening ceremony, the draft finally began.

Starting with the Pelicans, each team called out the names of the players one by one.

The players rejoiced and were happy each time their names were called.

Some of the parents sitting together shed tears.

And finally, the 10th round.

Perhaps the players who hadn’t been drafted yet must have been more nervous at this moment than ever before.

I was also drafted in the last 10th round.

Even at the very last pick.

When the draft was almost over, I felt hopeless about the future, thinking that I had failed to be drafted twice.

When such negative thoughts filled my head and I was about to give up everything,

-Outfielder Kang Hyun-woo

I heard those words.

At first, I couldn’t believe it.

I thought I had misheard and just sat there blankly.

It was only after my fellow players around me congratulated me that I realized it.

The players sitting here must be feeling the same way I did back then.

Looking at them, it felt like I had gone back to that time.

Before long, the names of the last ten players were all called.

It was the moment when the new players who would be together next season were decided.

While sending congratulatory applause, it wasn’t easy to see the players who bowed their heads deeply afterward.

* * *

Several hours later, Han Gyo-jin, who had finished his Futures League [Korean minor league] game, arrived at the agency’s training center.

He was the only player among our agency’s players who hadn’t set foot on the KBO League [Korean professional baseball league] stage.

Even though the expanded roster had been implemented, he hadn’t received a call-up to the first team.

Since he had refused to change positions, the team likely felt that he needed to improve his defensive skills further.

I watched Han Gyo-jin start training as usual.

He continued to block balls that came out irregularly from the batting machine or frame pitches close to the strike zone without rest.

He was improving little by little, but the defensive skills required of a catcher wouldn’t improve dramatically with a few months of training. If things continued like this, it was clear that he would have difficulty getting called up to the first team even next season.

There was a need to change something in the strategy.

I approached Han Gyo-jin, who was taking a break.

“Gyo-jin, let’s talk for a moment.”

“Yes.”

“I was wondering if we should change the training strategy a bit from now on.”

“What kind of strategy?”

“If we continue like this, it will take several more years to become the starting catcher, and even if you become the second catcher on the first team, it will be difficult to play in many games.”

“To be honest, that’s true…”

Han Gyo-jin sighed deeply.

“Then let’s focus only on Scott from now on.”

“On Scott?”

“The only way for you to get on the first team right now seems to be focusing and concentrating on one thing.”

“Then what should I do?”

Han Gyo-jin asked with sparkling eyes.

“Study Scott’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as pitch designs that suit his condition on the day.”

“It’s a good idea, but shouldn’t I study other pitchers as well? I think a catcher should know about all the pitchers on the same team.”

“That’s also important. But for now, I think it’s better to focus only on Scott. You need to show your strengths clearly even once to gain trust from other pitchers and the coaching staff.”

If he became the dedicated catcher that Scott could rely on most comfortably, he would definitely be able to set foot on the KBO League stage next season.

“What you’re saying makes sense. Then what should I do first?”

“Let’s go to the office and talk.”

I went into the office with Han Gyo-jin and turned on the monitor.

“Watch the games that Scott has pitched in so far several times and figure out what kind of ball combinations he likes. Giving the pitcher the ball combination he wants is the most important thing. Analyze why he shook his head at the catcher’s sign.”

Han Gyo-jin nodded and concentrated on what I was saying.

“Don’t miss even the smallest movements. There will definitely be changes depending on his condition or the game situation.”

“I understand.”

“And it would be good to talk to Scott a lot while we’re together at the agency. It’s important to get to know each other well and become mentally close.”

It was also important for the pitcher to feel psychologically comfortable with the catcher.

“I need to study English a lot from now on.”

“That’s really important too. Even if the team interpreter goes up to the mound with you, it’s much better if you can talk to Scott comfortably.”

Now I replayed the game where Scott started.

“Then let’s dig into everything about Scott from now on. Even the Scott that Scott doesn’t know.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Han Gyo-jin looked at the screen with sparkling eyes.

I tried not to miss a single one of Scott’s movements with Han Gyo-jin.

First, we studied the pitching style that Scott wanted.

In particular, we focused on analyzing what he was thinking and what kind of match he wanted when he shook his head at the catcher’s sign.

And comparing data and videos, we also carefully examined how the pitch type changed depending on his condition, whether his pitching form changed, or whether he developed other habits.

Since that day, we continued to analyze Scott every day without fail.

There were no exceptions even on days when we were exhausted from hard training.

* * *

The professional baseball regular season was now heading towards its end.

The regular season had now played 120 games, leaving only about 20 games until the end of the season.

Michael Scott and Go Ji-hoon overcame their difficulties and quickly added wins, leading the team’s rise.

So far, both had recorded 15 wins and were continuing their good pace.

In addition, Go Ji-hoon had already surpassed his personal single-season best and surpassed 150 innings, heading towards his career high.

Michael Scott, who was in his first season as a full-time starting pitcher, was naturally having the most innings in his career.

However, the ranking competition was difficult to predict even as it moved into the second half, as if shrouded in fog.

Only the Wolves, who were running in first place, were clearly ahead.

Now, all that remained was the competition for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place, and the competition for 5th and 6th place, which depended on the final spot in the postseason.

The difference between 2nd place Dragons and 3rd place Buffaloes was 0.5 games, and the difference between 3rd place Buffaloes and 4th place Jaguars was only 2 games, making it difficult for any of the three teams to have any leeway.

And the match between 2nd place Dragons and 3rd place Buffaloes was ahead.

It was the last match between the two teams in the regular season and the most important big match to determine the 2nd and 3rd place rankings.

The winner of this series was very likely to be the 2nd place team in the regular season.

It was a very important matchup that attracted the attention of both teams’ fans as well as other fans.