Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 198

Pitchers Done, Batters Up – Episode 197

July arrived after the winning series against the Mariners.

To the fans’ slight disappointment, Lee Jung-woo’s consecutive Player of the Month awards was almost certainly out of the question. Throughout June, he recorded 33 hits, 22 walks, 7 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases in 116 plate appearances and 94 at-bats, with a batting average of .351, an on-base percentage of .474, and a slugging percentage of .670. Compared to the previous month, his performance was relatively normal.

However, even with the slight dip, his stats were still at least two levels above other players. In particular, his OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a key measure of a batter’s overall offensive value], which still exceeded 1.000 this month, indicated that even if he wasn’t the best player of June, he was still close to it.

And perhaps because Lee Jung-woo had achieved records and titles far more valuable than the Player of the Month award, fans didn’t seem too disappointed. Having established an achievement that would go down in history with the home run cycle, Lee Jung-woo had already proven his class.

Moreover, there was an even bigger stage already set for him, making it hard to lament the Player of the Month award.

[Lee Jung-woo, #1 in All-Star shortstop position final voting! Highest vote rate ever!]

[Lee Jung-woo is going to the All-Star Game! A remarkable feat in his second year in the Big League!]

Lee Jung-woo had already secured his spot as an All-Star starter by recording an overwhelming vote difference in the final voting for each position. Not only Lee Jung-woo but also Derrick, Joey, and Mason secured their spots in the All-Star Game, surpassing players in the same positions. Additionally, pitchers selected through player votes and the league office’s recommendations, including starter Mason, Ian Field, and closer Stevenson, joined, bringing the Braves’ total All-Stars to six. The Braves continued their celebratory mood from the start of July.

Although it wasn’t a complete sweep, the Braves taking six spots in the NL All-Star roster led to some dissatisfaction from other teams’ fans. However, many felt that it was fortunate it wasn’t worse.

-It’s a relief they didn’t take them all. This isn’t bad considering.

-The Braves fans have a conscience. It’s a bit much, but they only included the guys who deserve to be there, right?

-Honestly, looking at the Braves’ performance right now, they could just send the entire Braves team to the All-Star Game.

Since the Braves had shaken the National League with their overwhelming performance in the first half of the season, many were grateful that a clean sweep didn’t happen.

When the NL All-Star roster was confirmed, National League fans eagerly awaited the All-Star Game on the 16th. It was partly a festival for the fans, but more than that, it was because a picture they wanted to see was being created.

-Let’s line up Harding-Lee-Hunter from 1st to 3rd. Make the American League guys cry from the start.

-Isn’t this the best lineup ever? Hunter, Harding, and Lee. Plus, Joey and Bernstein as DH [Designated Hitter]… we could have back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back from 1st to 5th?

-Based on last year, that’s one 50-homer guy, three 40-homer guys, and one 20-homer guy. What kind of insane lineup is this? Are AL pitchers going to refuse to pitch?

-I hated how the Junior League (AL) guys were bragging about their superior hitting compared to the National League. We can crush them properly now.

-If it were two years ago, with Castillo included, it would have been really something to see…

-He was basically forced into the All-Star Game by the Philly fans with sheer willpower. Honestly, based on performance alone, he wouldn’t even be close to All-Star level.

Truly a legendary lineup.

The All-Star Game was already special because it selected the best players in the league, but this year’s All-Star lineup, excluding the pitfall of Pedro Castillo, who had declined due to injuries, was not only solid but monstrous.

This All-Star lineup, filled with such formidable home run hitters, was enough to make people happy just imagining it, and many hoped for a refreshing home run fest.

-More than anything else, I want to see the chemistry between Lee and Hunter. Hunter is a bit weak on defense, but if Lee covers for him, it’ll be the best combo ever, right?

-They seem friendly with each other. I’m curious about how their teamwork will be in an actual game.

-If you’re that curious, Lee can come to the Giants when he’s a free agent later. Then it’ll be perfect, right?

-Shut up and get lost. Lee will be signed to a permanent contract no matter what.

Additionally, many people wanted to see shortstop Lee Jung-woo and third baseman Arthur Hunter working together on defense.

Since the two players had been portrayed as friendly rivals since the Bat Flip Race, their fanbases were close, which led to more of such discussions.

-The game isn’t the issue; the highlight of this All-Star Game will definitely be the Home Run Derby. Look at the lineup.

-Lee will definitely participate this time, right?

-Derrick participated, so he’ll probably be the captain again this time. Honestly, he’ll pick Lee. Since it’s in an American League stadium, he doesn’t have to worry about the home fans.

-If he didn’t pick him this year, that would be more of a problem.

The Home Run Derby, a kind of pre-game event, was enough to raise people’s expectations, and Braves fans hoped that the captain wouldn’t be swayed and would nominate Lee Jung-woo so that he could show his true home run hitting prowess to all baseball fans.

Even before it started, the All-Star Game was being prepared with more attention and anticipation than ever before.

####

63 wins and 21 losses.

This was the Braves’ record from April to June, an overwhelming performance that made their somewhat sluggish June seem insignificant.

They had achieved the number of wins that others would typically reach around August, more than a month ahead of schedule.

Even with the slight dip, the Braves’ win rate of .750 alone showed how dominant the team was.

As a result, many felt overwhelmed by their performance, and this sentiment peaked with General Manager Pratt, who had endured all sorts of criticism while managing the Braves.

“Hehe, heeheehee.”

While baseball fans were reveling in All-Star fantasies,

General Manager Pratt was overjoyed, humming to himself.

Pratt could confidently say that this was the happiest moment of his life. The team’s performance was so great that their pursuers were nowhere in sight, and the event he had painstakingly prepared had not only broken even but had also exceeded expectations, thanks to Lee Jung-woo’s unprecedented record.

His wife even suspected him of having an affair because he was smiling every day. Even in those moments, what made him even happier was the bright future ahead.

“The postseason is a given, so now it’s really just the World Series.”

It might be early to get ahead of himself, but it wasn’t just Pratt; the fans were doing the same. No one among the Braves’ staff or fans was concerned about making the postseason anymore. It was practically a done deal.

All that remained was the World Series, a throne that the Braves had yet to claim in the 21st century. As the team started to do well, Pratt often dreamed of the team winning the World Series.

He dreamed of the players flying to the White House and then returning for a parade. The destination of that dream was always the same.

‘If we win, if we establish something even remotely resembling a dynasty, then becoming the team president might not be just a dream.’

Team president.

Thanks to Lee Jung-woo, the team was generating solid revenue, and the promotional effect had been consistently high since Lee Jung-woo’s call-up. The team’s future could be reorganized around Lee Jung-woo, who would still be young even when the veterans retired.

Yes, it was Lee Jung-woo.

That one master key that had suddenly appeared had given Pratt, who had been struggling day by day amidst fan complaints and had given up hope for the future, the next step. However, it also presented him with a new worry.

‘But if we can’t keep Lee, it’ll all be for nothing. There’s still plenty of time, but it would be good for our image and the fans’ reaction to extend his contract before free agency. The higher-ups seem to want that too. But why is this trial being given to me…’

Contract extension.

It was perhaps homework.

It was something that was still far off in the future.

It was homework that was increasingly being pressed upon him by the team’s fans, the team president, or perhaps even someone higher up. And the reality of it was directly in front of him.

Pratt sighed deeply as he looked down at the contract with the blank amount field. The team president had been urging him to submit an estimated amount to secure the budget in advance, as the scale was expected to be large. But there was really no answer.

‘I’ve already made an estimate. That’s my job in the first place. But how can I keep up with the constant changes?’

Since Lee Jung-woo was called up and captivated fans with his overwhelming performance, the initial draft had already been completed. Only the estimated amount had changed over time.

Pratt, who had been smiling contentedly as he thought about the performance of the team he managed and the player he had discovered, suddenly hardened his face.

‘How much will it take?’

Whenever he thought of Lee Jung-woo, he was always happy, but his breathing would also become labored. It was a given that he had to keep him and use him as a one-club man [a player who spends their entire career with one team]. The problem was the amount.

After seeing Lee Jung-woo’s performance from his debut last year until the end of the season, the power analysis team and the front office estimated his contract extension or free agency value at around $400 million for a 10-year contract at the highest standard.

That was the highest amount measured based on Lee Jung-woo’s maximum potential at the time.

In fact, since prospects could fail at any time, and even players who were doing well could suddenly collapse, most people estimated around $300 million.

Even that was based on the assumption that he would continue to show some potential, even if not as much as he had shown at the time.

‘I felt more comfortable back then…’

That was because, in the previous year, while he seemed perfect, his problems were clear.

Due to a lack of experience, he had poor plate discipline, which led to somewhat ambiguous contact ability and a seemingly risky extreme batting stance.

Once pitchers eliminated the unexpectedness from Lee Jung-woo, there were shortcomings that could consistently lead to a decline in his performance.

But that was no longer the case.

This crazy, no, this lovable guy had slightly reduced his power, or rather, it didn’t seem like he had reduced it at all, but he had made up for all his other shortcomings.

‘There’s really no answer now.’

As a result, a cheat character was born with excellent contact ability, balls that didn’t lean in one direction, a simple, intuitive, and clean batting stance with little risk of injury, and yet still possessing home run power.

Ah, that was just looking at his hitting. In Lee Jung-woo’s case, he boasted overwhelming defensive skills as a ‘shortstop,’ enough to earn WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] through his defense, which made the situation even more serious when that was included.

‘His expected performance this season is 38 home runs + α, an on-base percentage in the .400s, and a slugging percentage of at least the mid-.600s. He has a pretty good chance of winning the MVP [Most Valuable Player award], and the Gold Glove [award for best defensive player at each position] is already confirmed.’

This was one of the expected performances for Lee Jung-woo this season, predicted by the power analysis team before the 27th, and it was the one that received the most support. However, after the 27th, things changed a bit. No, they changed a lot. The unprecedented crazy impact of the home run cycle made people assume that Lee Jung-woo might have even more power tools left.

The home run cycle really changed everything. External popularity and value, people’s recognition, and even internal evaluations within the team. Things that were thought to have reached their limit broke through and started to go wild again.

’40-40 is possible. And it’s widely believed that he’ll hit at least .300/.400/.500 with 30 home runs every year after that. His chances of winning the MVP aren’t just pretty good; he’s a leading contender.’

40-40, if a shortstop achieves that, it’s a great record that would earn him 5% of the Hall of Fame vote just for that. Just imagining it made his heart race, but what frightened Pratt and the team’s internal staff the most was.

‘The problem is that even this might not be his career high.’

He was still young. No, he was young. Only twenty-two years old. Considering that the physical prime of a professional athlete usually comes in their late 20s, he might not have fully developed yet.

Especially since it had only been three years since he switched from being a pitcher to a hitter, he might have more room to grow than other players of the same age. Of course, that might not be the case. This uncertainty made all predictions impossible.

‘If 40-40 isn’t his career high, and if we can’t sign him to a contract extension and he has a real career high in his free agency season…’

Hunter recorded 446M, breaking the all-time contract record, and Harding set a new record again in just three days with 482M with the same 11-year contract. But it could be more than that. Even with the disadvantage of being Asian, it certainly wouldn’t be less than that. Or does the Asian disadvantage even exist? After a moment of consideration, Pratt shook his head.

‘Lee’s value is at its highest right now. Because of the home run cycle, even Hunter and Harding can’t be compared to him right now. Of course, even if there’s some bubble right now, even if that disappears, he’ll never be less than those two.’

Rumor has it that his agent, Mark, is shedding tears of joy at the continuous offers. The advertising industry, which is closer to the public’s psychology than anyone else, is eager to get involved.

So, the Asian disadvantage related to fans and public popularity was essentially nonsense that had nothing to do with Lee Jung-woo.

‘The home run cycle, it was nice to see…’

Pratt recalled the power analysis team leader and the scouting team leader, whom he had called the day before to submit documents at the president’s urging. The two men did similar but different types of work, but their appearances were the same. The moment he asked about Lee Jung-woo’s value and expected potential, they both tore at their hair.

They couldn’t even make a prediction. Just when they thought they had measured it to some extent, this home run cycle erased the power tool with an eraser again. The two men, who were in so much pain, said the same thing when asked about the expected amount at the time of the contract.

And Pratt, after much deliberation, wrote the same words in the amount field of the contract that he would send up.

‘The amount is immeasurable. Assuming he continues to perform similarly, it should start at least at Hunter’s level. If there’s no budget, we have to sell the stadium to keep him.’

With a proud smile, Pratt carefully placed the contract in the file. Along with the evaluation reports from the power analysis team and the scouting team.

“Send this up to the president. If he calls me after seeing it, tell him I’m out on business.”

Pratt’s choice was, ‘President, let’s suffer together.’ If he sent it like this, he too would tear at his hair like Pratt and the other employees. Pratt, with a knowing look, asked his chief of staff, who was looking at him.

“Hoo, the opponent for this series is the Phillies, right?”

“Yes, it’s a three-game series.”

“It seems like we meet them often at the beginning of the month.”

“It’s not a bad thing, is it? It’s a good way to start the month.”

“I guess so.”

Where there is pain, there is always happiness. Pratt’s happiness was watching or attending the games of the team that was doing so well. And fittingly, the opponent was just right.

The Braves’ first opponent in July was the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Lee will definitely hit a home run, so it’s better to tell the PR team to prepare in advance, right?”

“Yes, probably.”

They were pitiful guys.