Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 240

240. An Unwelcome Record (3)

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], how have you been?”

“Good. It’s really good to see you like this.”

Jung Min-woo replied with a bright smile.

“Let’s sit down and talk.”

I gestured for Jung Min-woo to sit down.

“You must be busy. What brings you so far?”

“Scott, Watson, and Sungmin hyung are with our agency. I came to talk to them for a bit, and I thought of you after a long time.”

I couldn’t tell him that I came to see him because I thought his mental state was shaky.

“Oh, is that so? Thanks for thinking of me.”

Jung Min-woo smiled at me, raising the corners of his mouth.

He was clearly smiling and talking brightly, but it looked even sadder.

We started the conversation by lightly asking about each other’s recent activities.

After some comfortable conversation, I carefully moved on to the main topic.

“Hyung, it hasn’t been easy lately, has it?”

“I guess so… Baseball seems to get harder the more you do it.”

Jung Min-woo took a deep breath with a worried expression.

“There are times when you’re just unlucky. Sometimes a batter hits the ball right at the defender. You can’t explain those situations.”

“Is that it…? I don’t think it’s just bad luck. Sigh—I guess I don’t have the talent.”

Looking at Jung Min-woo’s expression as he sighed deeply, he looked like someone who had given up on everything.

“Why don’t you take some time to rest and sort things out?”

“Actually, I’ve asked the manager and pitching coach to send me to the minor league several times. So I’ve been there twice.”

So he went down to the minor league on his own accord.

Jung Min-woo’s performance in the minor league was quite good.

He maintained an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 3-point range and hardly gave up any walks.

In addition, unlike the 145km/h [approximately 90 mph] fastball he threw in the major league, he confidently threw a fastball close to 150km/h [approximately 93 mph] in the minor league.

There was no doubt that he was a player who had nothing more to prove in the minor league.

“How was it when you pitched in the minor league? Is it much different from the major league?”

“To be honest, it was much better. There are hardly any TV broadcasts, and there aren’t many spectators, so there’s less pressure.”

Jung Min-woo’s face brightened a little as if he was comfortable just imagining it.

But that didn’t mean he could continue to be a pitcher who only stayed in the minor league throughout his career.

“Isn’t there a difference in skill between major league and minor league players?”

“It’s not just about skill, but the major league is so much more pressure when you stand on the mound. I don’t feel like I belong there.”

Jung Min-woo’s expression, actions, and words all pointed to a mental problem.

If he couldn’t solve this problem, there was little chance he would perform well no matter how hard he trained.

“If it’s okay with hyung, would you mind if our agency helped you a little?”

“Dream Agency?”

Jung Min-woo asked, his eyes wide, as if he hadn’t expected it.

“I like hyung, and I’m a Jaguars fan. I’d be honored if I could help in any way.”

“I’d be grateful if you did that, but… Is it okay to do this for me when I’m not even with an agency?”

“Then you can become a所属 [affiliated] player. Our agency’s doors are always open.”

“Ah… Can I join Dream Agency?”

Jung Min-woo trailed off, his voice lacking any confidence, and looked at me cautiously.

“Of course. Hyung is a baseball player, after all.”

I smiled and looked into Jung Min-woo’s eyes.

* * *

As soon as I finished talking with Jung Min-woo, I left for the agency’s dorm.

As soon as I arrived at the dorm, I called Jung In-gyu and Lee Joo-hyuk.

Soon after arriving, I was able to start a meeting with the two of them.

I looked back and forth between Jung In-gyu and Lee Joo-hyuk and carefully opened my mouth.

“You know Jung Min-woo from the Jaguars, right?”

“Ah, Min-woo sunbae [senior colleague or mentor]… He’s been having a hard time lately.”

Jung In-gyu sighed softly, as if he could fully anticipate what I was going to say.

“The Jaguars have requested it, and I think it would be good if we could help the player who is in a losing streak for his personal stability. I’d like to find a way together.”

“Okay. There’s no reason not to if we can help in any way.”

Lee Joo-hyuk nodded and replied.

Then Jung In-gyu, who had been deep in thought, opened his mouth.

“I’ve been watching Min-woo hyung pitch steadily recently, and I’ve also looked at the data. There hasn’t been much change in his pitching itself. There are no changes in his pitching form or detailed indicators of the ball.”

“But if he’s still struggling, there must be a reason?”

“Min-woo sunbae’s losing streak started last season. I think we should see the early losing streak and the recent games a little differently.”

Jung In-gyu took out a piece of paper and wrote on it as he continued to speak.

“To be honest, Min-woo sunbae has a good ball but doesn’t perform well on the field. He is easily affected by external factors.”

For example, the difference in batting average against him was significantly higher when there were no runners on base compared to when there were runners on base.

In addition, he often collapsed on his own in tight leading situations.

On the other hand, he showed his talent to the fullest when he was losing.

So he often received the evaluation of being ‘mentally weak’ or ‘chicken-hearted’ from many fans.

“I think we should see that the first 5 losing streak or so were largely due to bad luck. There were games where he didn’t get help from the lineup, and there were times when he gave up a lot of runs due to defensive errors.”

“That’s right…”

“But as the losing streak continued, his confidence must have dropped to the bottom. There’s a big difference in Min-woo sunbae’s expression when he stands on the mound. You can just feel that he’s completely lost his confidence.”

Jung In-gyu couldn’t hide his bitterness as he spoke.

“Then how can we solve this problem?”

“I think the most important thing is to break the losing streak and gain confidence by winning. But I don’t know what we can do…”

“I don’t think it’s important to help with the technical aspects right now. Instead, I think we need a way to make him throw his ball comfortably.”

If we could just help him find his confidence, I thought many things would change.

“Then shall we talk to Kyo-jin?”

Lee Joo-hyuk, who had been listening to the conversation, said as if throwing a word.

“To Kyo-jin?”

“Looking at Kyo-jin’s games these days, he’s become much more stable when defending while playing in real games.”

“Oh, that’s true.”

Perhaps because he was gaining real-game experience in the major league, I could feel that his catching defense was gradually improving.

“Just like how Scott and I worked together, wouldn’t it be a good idea for us to create data related to Jung Min-woo and pass it on to Kyo-jin to work together?”

Lee Joo-hyuk looked at me and Jung In-gyu in turn and said.

“That’s a good idea. If the pitcher is not to be shaken on the mound, it is important how the catcher matches him, and Kyo-jin these days will be able to play a sufficient role.”

Jung In-gyu nodded vigorously in response.

It seemed like the best way we could do right now.

“Let’s give it a try. Let’s quickly create the data to provide to the two players.”

As soon as I finished the meeting, I contacted Jung Min-woo and Han Kyo-jin to make an appointment.

Thanks to the Jaguars’ away game in the metropolitan area, we were able to quickly set a date.

In the meantime, everyone gathered their heads at the agency to create analysis data on Jung Min-woo.

We were able to complete the necessary data by staying up all night.

* * *

The next morning, Jung Min-woo and Han Kyo-jin visited the agency’s dorm together.

The two of us sat facing each other in the office.

Unlike Jung Min-woo, who still looked insecure, Han Kyo-jin’s eyes were full of anticipation.

I looked back and forth between the two and opened my mouth.

“The reason I invited the two of you here is because I want to make a suggestion.”

“What suggestion?”

Han Kyo-jin asked, his eyes twinkling.

I turned to Jung Min-woo and asked.

“I think I should ask Min-woo sunbae first. How about working with Kyo-jin as a battery [pitcher-catcher duo] when you pitch?”

“A battery with Kyo-jin?”

Jung Min-woo’s eyes widened and he looked at Han Kyo-jin.

“You can’t get good results just because the pitcher does well on the mound.”

“That’s true.”

Jung Min-woo nodded in response to my words.

“We can’t arrange the other fielders as we want, but we can decide on a dedicated catcher. And above all, it’s certain that how well the pitcher and catcher work together has a big impact on the pitcher’s performance.”

“Hmm…”

Jung Min-woo nodded and tilted his head.

“Michael Scott and Kyo-jin have been working together last winter. As you already know, he’s been doing much better than last year.”

Michael Scott has recorded an ERA of 2.50 so far, showing a much more overwhelming performance than last season.

Catcher Han Kyo-jin’s role was significant in the process.

From the ball combination the pitcher wants to the catcher’s defense, as well as the cool batting.

He created a good environment so that the pitcher on the mound could pitch comfortably.

“But I don’t think it’s because our team’s catcher is bad that I didn’t do well…? I’m just lacking.”

“I don’t mean that the current catcher is bad. I think Kyo-jin can fill the parts that sunbae needs better.”

“Hmm…”

“There will definitely be good results. I’m going to pass on everything about sunbae to Kyo-jin.”

In fact, it didn’t need to be anything great.

All Jung Min-woo needed right now was confidence.

“Then I have no reason to refuse. Is Kyo-jin okay with it? I’m worried that I’m wasting his time.”

Jung Min-woo carefully turned his head towards Han Kyo-jin.

“Sunbae, I’m always welcome. I have to do it unconditionally because I can wear the catcher’s mask one more time.”

Han Kyo-jin’s expression, answering without the slightest hesitation, could not hide his excitement.

“Kyo-jin, thank you.”

Jung Min-woo, whose eyes soon became moist, patted Han Kyo-jin on the back.

I clapped my hands once and continued to speak.

“Okay, now that both players have agreed, let’s get started. The analysis of Min-woo sunbae is all done. Let’s create a pitch design together that can take advantage of the strengths and hide the weaknesses.”

“Is there any strength that I have separately?”

Jung Min-woo looked at me with a dubious expression.

“You’ll probably learn about sunbae that even sunbae didn’t know. Shall we start now?”

I smiled at Jung Min-woo, raising the corners of my mouth.

Soon after, I shared the data that analyzed pitcher Jung Min-woo with Jung In-gyu.

And Jung Min-woo also had time to throw the ball directly and work with Han Kyo-jin.

Since Jung Min-woo’s pitching type was not much different from Michael Scott’s, and his speed was relatively slow, it did not seem difficult for Han Kyo-jin to adapt.

In addition, I called Han Kyo-jin separately and conveyed the points that Han Kyo-jin could do when Jung Min-woo was shaken on the mound.

It was a part that could compensate for Jung Min-woo’s weaknesses with Han Kyo-jin’s strengths.

We also had time to have lunch together after training and talk comfortably.

Thanks to the fact that Jung In-gyu and I constantly encouraged Jung Min-woo throughout the training, his expression was a little brighter than when we first met.

A few days later, Jung Min-woo’s game to start again came around.

The opponent was the Pelicans.

Now, all that remained was for Jung Min-woo to confirm his abilities on the field.