Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 252

252

New Player Draft (1)

The incredible showdown between Michael Scott and Go Ji-hoon in the first-ever perfect game in professional baseball lingered in the minds of baseball fans for days.

In particular, the video of the Jaguars players swarming together after recording the final out of the perfect game garnered even more views than the moment that decided the Korean Series championship last season.

The highly anticipated three-game series between the Jaguars and the Buffaloes concluded with the Jaguars winning two games to one, securing a winning series.

Thanks to this, the gap between the first-place Buffaloes and the second-place Jaguars narrowed to just 0.5 games.

With 60 games still remaining and head-to-head matchups between the two teams yet to come, it became even more difficult to predict which team would ultimately claim the championship.

Afterward, the regular season of professional baseball continued fiercely.

The Jaguars, energized by Scott’s remarkable achievement, were unstoppable.

The harmony between the pitching staff and the batters was better than ever.

On days when the pitchers faltered, the batters delivered powerful hits, and on days when the batters struggled, the pitchers put on stellar performances.

As a result, teams facing the Jaguars had no choice but to endure painful three-game series.

The Buffaloes also played well in a good atmosphere, but it was too much to overcome the momentum of the Jaguars.

Eventually, the Jaguars pushed the Buffaloes out of first place.

However, the game difference was not widening beyond two games, so there was still a long way to go before winning the championship.

While the regular season was progressing frantically, a project that our Dream Agency had been preparing for some time was just around the corner.

It was an event for players who were working hard to join professional teams.

It was a tryout.

Besides the tryouts organized by the Baseball Association, we wanted to create at least one more opportunity for players to showcase their abilities, which is why we started it.

“Ju-hyeok, was the stadium reservation successful?”

“Yes, we have secured the entire stadium for that day.”

“Have you received responses from the professional teams?”

“I think all 10 teams will participate. They all seemed to like it.”

Lee Ju-hyeok replied with a smile.

Since everything was aimed at joining a professional team, we planned to directly connect players if a professional team wanted to recruit them immediately.

“I hope the players are very interested and apply.”

“They not only get to play in front of professional team officials, but they also get training support if they pass the test, so there’s no reason not to. I even want to do it myself. Besides, our Dream Agency is the most famous company in Korea now.”

“I couldn’t ask for more if that’s how the players feel.”

We planned to provide training support at our agency’s expense to players who were deemed capable of turning professional or who had a desperate desire to do so.

Of course, it would be completely free.

Instead, we planned to film the entire process and create a program.

We also wanted to record the stories of various players and get professional teams and fans to pay a little more attention.

The reason we were able to carry out this project on such a large scale was that companies flooded us with advertising requests as soon as our plans became known.

We were able to receive not only advertising revenue but also sponsorships for baseball equipment, meals, and drinks.

Thanks to this, we were able to proceed without worrying too much about the financial aspects, even though it was a project that required a lot of money.

“Coach Jeong seems excited these days too. He said he’s meeting new players soon. And he’s been contacting his former students to take the test.”

“Really? Coach Jeong is a real workaholic.”

A smile broke out as I pictured Jeong In-gyu’s expression in my head.

“By the way, where did Coach Jeong go?”

“Woo-jin is at the training center right now. He’s probably helping him train.”

As soon as we finished talking, I went down to the training center with Lee Ju-hyeok.

* * *

Before we knew it, the rookie draft to select players to join professional teams next year was just a few days away.

It felt surprisingly new that the day Choi Woo-jin would participate in the draft was already approaching.

In the meantime, Choi Woo-jin had been showing increasingly improved pitching.

In particular, he had been refining the changeup he had learned from Go Ji-hoon last winter, increasing its perfection.

He was going through the process of using it in actual games and making adjustments through trial and error.

What was certain was that it had become an incredibly powerful pitch against his peers in high school, requiring no further explanation.

In addition, his fastball’s average speed was 143 km/h [kilometers per hour], and his maximum speed reached 147 km/h.

It was a sign that Choi Woo-jin was growing every year.

A fastball that was becoming more and more powerful, a changeup with a good speed difference and a sharp drop, a sharply breaking slider, and even a curveball with a big drop.

He had grown into a really good pitcher in the two years since I met him in the first year of high school.

As the draft date approached, baseball communities were buzzing with opinions about which player would be drafted first and which player would be most helpful to their favorite team.

└The Pelicans will probably pick up another 150 km/h fastball pitcher this year.

└It’s good to be drafted first every year. They just take the best players of the year without any hesitation.

└So what? The team is in last place every year. If you look at the potential of the players they’ve drafted, they should have won several championships.

└The Top 3 still seem solid. The problem is the 4th pick, the Jaguars. Who will they choose?

└If it’s Jo Gwang-hoon, he’ll pick Choi Woo-jin 99% of the time. Jo Gwang-hoon is practically a special relations person at Dream Agency.

└Even so, isn’t it an overreach to leave a player who can throw 150 km/h and pick another player?

└It’s true that control is more important than speed for a pitcher, but it’s different when you can throw over 150 km/h right away. Wouldn’t it be better to pick him and train the areas where he’s lacking?

└That’s right. If they don’t draft him because he’s lacking right now and he explodes with potential on another team, the scouting team will be cursed for life.

└There are more than a few players who can’t fix their shortcomings and retire. It’s better to pick a sure thing. Look at Choi Woo-jin, he’s ready to play right away starting next year.

When I went down to the training center, I could see Choi Woo-jin training with Jeong In-gyu.

Choi Woo-jin was scheduled to start in tomorrow’s game.

It was very likely that this appearance would be his last game before the draft.

After stretching, Choi Woo-jin began bullpen pitching.

Thump!

“Good ball!”

Jeong In-gyu, who was watching, shouted loudly to encourage Choi Woo-jin.

Thump!

As expected, Choi Woo-jin’s fastball sharply pierced every corner of the strike zone.

And now the slider.

Thump!

“Nice ball!”

Thump!

The slider curved so sharply that it seemed impossible for a left-handed batter to touch it.

Following the curveball with a big drop, now the changeup.

Thump!

“It’s really perfect!”

Thump!

Jeong In-gyu clapped and cheered.

If you saw the changeup from the batter’s box, you could immediately feel that it was not an exaggeration.

He throws it with the exact same posture as the fastball, and as it spins, the speed decreases and the ball falls away from the right-handed batter.

As I saw during the last spring training, it was a ball that even professional players who were considered the best in the league had difficulty adjusting to.

“Okay, that’s it for today!”

After finishing the prescribed number of pitches, Jeong In-gyu clapped and approached Choi Woo-jin.

“Coach, was my pitching okay?”

“It was really perfect. At this rate, even Seok-hoon wouldn’t be able to hit it.”

“Wow, really?”

Choi Woo-jin’s lips couldn’t help but curve upward at Jeong In-gyu’s praise.

I clapped and approached the two of them.

“Really great. It’s refreshing just to watch.”

“CEO Kang, I’m nervous because the draft is really soon.”

Choi Woo-jin said as he gave me a quick hug.

“Woo-jin, don’t worry. You can consider the probability of you not being drafted this time to be zero.”

“That’s true, but I’m also curious about which team I’ll go to. I don’t think it’ll be number 1…….”

In Choi Woo-jin’s expression, I could feel both regret and relief that there was no possibility of going to the Pelicans.

“Do you still want to go to the Buffaloes?”

“It would be nice if I could. Ji-hoon is there, and there are many seniors from our agency.”

“What do your parents say?”

“My dad definitely tells me to go to the Jaguars. But is that up to me? The team has to pick me.”

Choi Woo-jin’s father was a Jaguars fan, so it was no surprise that he wanted his son to be drafted there.

“We should have a party with the seniors after Woo-jin’s draft. Coach Jeong, is that okay?”

I turned my head to Jeong In-gyu and asked.

“We’ll definitely get good results, so of course we should.”

Jeong In-gyu replied, looking at Choi Woo-jin with a pleased smile.

“Hoo- I wonder which senior I’ll be playing with? Surely I won’t go to a team that doesn’t have any seniors from our agency?”

Choi Woo-jin suddenly opened his eyes wide and said.

“Hey…… Surely not. There’s only a 50% chance of that happening.”

Now that I think about it, that’s a higher probability than I thought.

“There’s nothing I can do, so I’ll just think about my last appearance for now.”

“Yes, there will be good results.”

I massaged Choi Woo-jin’s shoulder.

* * *

Finally, Choi Woo-jin’s last start before the draft.

I hurried to the stadium early in the morning.

There was still a lot of time before the game started, but I left the dorm earlier than usual today.

With the draft not far away, there were bound to be many things that professional team scouting teams, who had not yet decided whether to draft Choi Woo-jin, would be curious about.

If I were to meet such officials, I was planning to provide all the information I knew.

I arrived at the stadium and headed straight to the first floor of the stands.

It was still a long time before the game started, so I couldn’t find anyone walking around.

I took a seat not far from the seats where the professional team scouts would be sitting.

I took out the materials related to Choi Woo-jin that I had prepared to read while waiting for other officials to arrive.

While I was checking the materials,

Spectators who appeared to be parents who had arrived early at the stadium were filling the seats one by one.

I could also see the professional team scouts who had arrived setting up their equipment.

And I heard a familiar voice that I knew who it was even without looking.

“CEO Kang!”

When I turned my head, it was indeed the person I had expected.

I greeted him with a happy smile.