Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 134

Pitchers Done, Batters Up – 133

-I heard Rodrigo is getting traded too. Are they trying to get a prospect?

-It feels like we’re only hearing about players leaving. No acquisitions.

-Are we going to be screwed like this? Are they even trying to sign anyone?

As the year drew to a close and spring training approached, Braves fans were filled with worry, looking ahead to the next season.

Players were departing, but there were no new signings.

Of course, they traded some pitchers whose records were inflated thanks to the strong defense and brought in some players, but they were all prospects, not ready to contribute immediately.

[‘Another Rebuild?’ What is the Braves Front Office Aiming For?]: This headline reflects the fans’ concerns about the team potentially entering another rebuilding phase, where the focus is on developing young talent rather than competing for championships immediately.

As a result, the media slowly started talking about it, and the fans’ worries grew even more due to the articles fueling the speculation.

-Damn it, just when things seemed to be going well. Does Pratt have that damn rebuilding disease again?

-Are they doing this because of the luxury tax [a threshold that, when exceeded, results in financial penalties for the team]? If they bring in Harding or Hunt, they’ll definitely go over it, right?

-But the guys who were released weren’t exactly high-salary players, were they?

-Even if they sign Harding or Hunt, our starting lineup is already bad, and if they create another hole there, how will the next season even work?

Even while fearing the worst, the fans couldn’t suppress their expectations.

[Braves, on the Verge of Signing Harding? Insider Says, ‘Decision Coming in February’]

[Is Arthur Hunter’s Final Destination Atlanta? ‘The Braves are a Good Team,’ He Said in an Interview…]

[Chairman Evan D. Malone, Finally Opening His Closed Wallet? ‘You Can Look Forward to It.’]

[Braves, Preparing the Biggest Contract in History! ‘Harding OR Hunter’]

Because articles like these kept popping up, teasing them with possibilities.

Most of them were tabloid or internet news sites that picked up scraps of information, but occasionally, reliable sources would also leak information, so the fans couldn’t completely dismiss their hopes.

-Everything will be decided in February.

-Judging by how they’re working, they’ll sign someone for sure.

-That damn owner, that son of a bitch Liberty Media, finally opened the money tap. They could sign everyone.

The fact that the owner, who had inherited everything after Chairman John Malone stepped back and had only been ‘owning’ the team in name, finally decided to open his wallet gave them such hope.

With so much money at their disposal, one of the top owners in Major League Baseball had made a decision. Surely, it wouldn’t be for nothing this time.

So, the fans just looked forward to February. To February, when they would hear happy news that everything had been decided. As they waited patiently, news came out in late January, earlier than expected.

And it shattered everyone’s expectations… in the best way possible.

[Ian Field Signs 7-Year, 220.5M Contract with Braves!]

First, Ian Field’s opt-out [a clause in a contract allowing a player to terminate the agreement early], the Arizona Diamondbacks’ second starter and de facto ace, was the starting point of the unexpected turn of events. Having met the opt-out conditions during his extension contract, he declared free agency with two years remaining.

As the D-backs’ next, or rather current, franchise star, many major league teams were interested, but most predictions pointed to an extension contract with the D-backs.

Although the D-backs are not a big market team, they were at least a mid-market team with enough funds to hold onto important players, and the fans’ desire to keep him was strong, so they seemed on the verge of a contract.

However, the news went silent one day, and the fans assumed it was because they were close to a contract agreement. But eventually, those expectations were neatly shattered.

[Ian Field, ‘I Always Wanted to Win. I Think the Braves are the Closest Team Right Now.’ ‘Derek Hunt and Jungwoo Lee, Their Defense is the Best in the League, I Look Forward to Playing with Them.’]

Ian Field.

He was technically the second starter behind Bob Fosse, a past hero of the same team, but he was the D-backs’ de facto ace, symbolism aside.

Clearly, he was a coveted player, and the pitcher, who had seemed so certain that his team, the D-backs, would definitely keep him, even hinting at specific contract amounts, suddenly flew to the Braves.

-Ian Field? Why is he coming here?

-??? Wasn’t he supposed to have agreed to an extension contract with the D-backs?

-There were only rumors of an agreement. Not a decision. But… he signed with us?

-Is this a dream? Ian Field came?

-Isn’t Ian Field good enough?

-Not just good, he’s an ace, an ace.

If the news of his contract signing made the D-backs fans explode with anger, the Braves fans were dumbfounded. He was a player they had never expected, and while the Braves had shown some interest, there was no major action. But he came.

That alone was already huge news, but the signings continued one after another.

[ATL-NYY 2-for-1 Trade]

[Rodrigo Albelda (ATL) & Perry Gordon (AA) & Howard Thompson (A+) <-> Alan O’Donnell (NYY)]

Alan O’Donnell, the New York Yankees’ third starter, was acquired by the Braves in a 3-for-1 trade.

Since he had shown decent performance in the American League last season, the fans were happy but also confused.

-Pratt said the decision would be made in February… It’s still January. How many days are left until February?

-No, what kind of front office is scamming the fans like this?

-But looking at the content, shouldn’t we call him Pratt ‘Sir’ instead of just Pratt?

-It’s substantial. He filled the starting lineup, right? With top-notch players too.

-So, the starters are Mason-Ian Field-Christensen-Alan O’Donnell-Stewart in that order? The starting lineup is perfect?

-Stewart… is a bit lacking, but he’s the fifth starter.

It was a series of confusing transfers, but that didn’t mean they weren’t happy. No, they were much more satisfied. They had been briefly distracted by the talk of signing Harding and Hunter, legendary players, but in the end, what the Braves needed was a starting pitcher. It was very different from what they had expected, but if they thought about it carefully, filling the starting lineup was the right thing to do.

-Can they sign Harding or Hunter with this?

-It’s possible if they exceed the luxury tax… but do they really need to bring them in?

-The starting lineup is complete, right? Then they’re already in championship contention. There’s no need to bring them in.

-Lee and Joey aren’t out, so Harding or Hunter is too much.

A solid starting lineup. Still a powerful batting lineup. One player left, but there were still plenty of bullpen options.

The completed roster fueled their sweet fantasies, and the fans, who had been sending love calls to Vincent Harding and Arthur Hunter’s social media until the day before, quickly changed their tune.

While Atlanta was buzzing with a series of releases and acquisitions,

Only tired breaths echoed in a training center in Miami.

####

Lee Jungwoo, who was panting and slumped over, stood up again.

“Hoo… let’s go for just twenty more.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“I’m still fine.”

At his earnest request, Lubin started the pitching machine, and the mechanical sound of shooting balls in succession was once again obscured by the steady sound of hitting.

Thwack-

“Good.”

Thwack-

“Yes, just like that.”

Pow-

“Oh… that was perfect.”

Lee Jungwoo kept hitting the ball as if he had become a machine. Repetitive training made unfamiliar postures familiar, and his body gradually adjusted.

It was just free batting, hitting against a machine, but Lee Jungwoo felt that the training was not in vain.

‘It fits well.’

It literally ‘fit’ well.

Since he had increased the motion leading up to the swing and the batting speed itself, he could see the ball as much as possible, which led to more accurate hitting. That alone was already satisfactory, but he also gained an unexpected effect.

‘I can see the ball properly. It’s just a pitching machine, but my eye for the ball has definitely improved.’

Perhaps because he kept looking at the ball clearly, he could see the ball better and better. It could just be that he was getting used to it, but it wasn’t like this before.

‘Contact and eye for the ball, even this much is definitely effective. And…’

Pow-

The ball flies with force. If it were a real game, it would have easily cleared the fence.

‘As expected, home runs and long hits have hardly decreased. Efficient hitting, so this is what it means.’

Even though he didn’t use much force, the ball flew on its own. It may be because the contact has increased, and he often hits the sweet spot, but in any case, the amount of force used was definitely less than before. Nevertheless, the effect was similar, so Lee Jungwoo gradually liked the new batting.

‘It was a sight to behold at first.’

The modified batting form, the new swing. He was shaken several times by the awkward feeling it gave.

He was worried that he might ruin the season like this, and that he might have been too confident in himself.

Fortunately, if the swing didn’t fit well, he had the insurance that he could just go back to the upper swing because the form itself hadn’t changed much.

The worry itself was valid until recently. But the moment he finished adapting, he no longer worried.

“Huh, the combination of a contact hitter’s batting and a slugger’s power. The harmony finally succeeded.”

When Mark exclaimed, Lee Jungwoo shook his head. He was satisfied, but it was still lacking.

“It’s not perfect yet. I think it will only be completed after experiencing actual games. However, I’m ready.”

“When the exhibition game starts, everyone will probably be surprised in many ways.”

“That’s right. A perfectly fine hitter suddenly changes his style and comes back. And that too, in just one off-season.”

Some will praise him for constantly trying, and others will shake their heads, saying he did something unnecessary.

However, whatever it is, one thing is certain, as Mark said, they will be surprised.

“One thing is for sure. If this works in real games, you will be the main character this season too.”

“The main character, not bad. But this time, I want to be that main character until the end.”

Lee Jungwoo, who moistened his dry throat, thought about the team’s situation. Some familiar players left, but the team itself became stronger.

‘Ian Field, Alan O’Donnell. Both are good pitchers. Especially Ian Field is already a Cy Young-level player [an award given annually to the best pitchers in each league]. So, I have to work even harder. As the team gets stronger, so do I.’

Because it was the World Series that passed by before his eyes, the longing was even stronger, and he didn’t want to let it go in vain this time either.

Since the team’s power has been further strengthened, if Lee Jungwoo himself develops further accordingly, he wanted to believe that he would not collapse in vain like last season, at least.

So, he stood up again.

“Let’s go for one more set.”

####

Spring training.

A period to prepare for the season and build team chemistry. The camp, consisting of the 40-man roster and other invited players, held different meanings for each player.

First of all, the players who are on the 40-man roster and invited from the minor league are very motivated.

If the 40-man roster players show impressive performances, they want to advance further within the team,

The invited players try to stay longer, climb higher in the organization, and impress the coaches and the front office.

On the other hand, regular players didn’t place much meaning beyond light warm-up exercises.

That’s usually the case, but there were occasional exceptions.

“Why is he here so early and doing that?”

“I know, he came early alone, and he’s just wreaking havoc all over the camp.”

In spring training, pitchers are called up earlier than fielders, about 5 days earlier.

Therefore, even on the third day of training, the camp is full of pitchers, but this time there was one outlier.

“Didn’t he do that last year too?”

“Beating up the pitchers? But last year, he came in time for the fielders’ call-up date. And he didn’t mess with the regulars like he does now.”

It was Lee Jungwoo.

Lee Jungwoo, who brushed aside the worried coaches with the words ‘I’ve rested enough, and my body is itching,’ was challenging the pitchers in the camp, just like when he was invited to the camp last year.

Watching that, not only the pitchers who were being hit, but even the coaches looked at him as if they were dumbfounded. But he was very serious.

‘It helped a lot last year. I was able to have something similar to real game experience. I’ve rested enough. Let’s create some experience this time too.’

During last year’s spring training, Lee Jungwoo experienced a dramatic increase in skill by facing the pitchers in the camp. He didn’t expect that much effect. He just wanted to get as much real batting experience as possible. It would be better to refine it a little before being thrown into the exhibition game unprepared.

“But, Lee’s batting is a little… different. No, it’s very different.”

“Did he fix it during the off-season?”

“Why would he do such a reckless thing….”

“The effect is good? The swing timing is also faster. The distribution of batted balls is even.”

“Hmm… long hits have not decreased either.”

However, the way they looked at him was not very good. The coaches who saw the changed batting form and swing looked at him with complicated eyes. Was a perfect slugger tripping over his own feet? That thought was evident in their eyes.

In particular, the fact that he himself still seemed a little unfamiliar made the viewers uneasy, but the fact that he was becoming more and more stable as the practice continued was very interesting, and when an accurate hit that connected with a fast bat speed came out, their eyes widened.

So, the coaches were worried, but they also had some expectations.

“I’m a pitching coach, so I don’t know the batting mechanism properly. But from the pitcher’s point of view… it seems more difficult.”

“It’s definitely more threatening. Maybe….”

Watching Lee Jungwoo challenging the pitchers, the head coach thought.

The day to show that to everyone is coming. The league will be greatly shaken up.

No one knows whether it will be in a good direction or a bad direction. And before such a reaction comes out, the coaches will have to hear a lot from Pratt.