The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 53

53. Words to Texas, People to New York (2)

Agencies are very important.

Before my regression, I didn’t truly understand how crucial agencies were. It was unavoidable. The KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], by its nature, couldn’t establish agencies in the same way as in the United States. Consequently, when I advanced to the US through posting [a system where KBO players can be bid on by MLB teams], I made the mistake of simply choosing an agency that spoke well and appealed to me.

It was one of the worst mistakes.

Of course, it’s not like my agent, Jack, was a con artist. Moreover, he was quite capable and well-respected; many players followed him.

There were even people who had signed with him during their promising rookie days and consistently maintained their contracts through free agency and even into coaching.

But unfortunately, he wasn’t the right fit for me.

He knew how to take care of players from the lower-middle to the upper-middle tier. He was also skilled in negotiations with teams in that range. And that was the problem.

Of course, an agency that understands the circumstances of mid-tier players well and has the negotiation skills to deal with appropriate teams isn’t necessarily a bad agency. However, selling ready-made and custom-made products are entirely different. If mid-tier players are ready-made products, I was essentially a custom-made product. I wasn’t a player for whom you had to consider the circumstances of various teams and negotiate accordingly; rather, I was a league-leading player that teams had to accommodate.

But he couldn’t pull off those negotiations, and I simply attributed it to a poor market. The same went for player care.

I had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

The problem was that I couldn’t rely entirely on the agency, but that was surprisingly easily resolved.

When Ted Park from James Corporation first handed me his business card and left, my father informed me.

“Don’t worry about this kind of thing and just focus on your training.”

It wasn’t a conversation but a notification. A really blunt one at that.

If I were sixteen, I would have retorted, ‘I’m all grown up now.’ It was a statement that could have easily provoked a strong reaction. But now I know. That was my father’s way of showing affection, and instead of saying I’ll take care of it myself, clearly stating what I want and receiving support is better for our relationship.

“I’d like an agency that has ace-level pitchers. Not an agency that just has good contract terms and sales skills to snatch up players when they become free agents. It would be even better if the agency operates its own gym. Of course, not just any neighborhood gym, but a proper one. If not, it would be good to find an agency that has a good relationship with the NBM Center.”

“NBM Center?”

“Yes, it’s where I originally wanted to go to learn pitching when I went to the United States.”

“Is it a famous place?”

In fact, NBM Center was more of a place that was going to become famous rather than a famous place. Currently, there were many centers and studios that applied biomechanical pitching theory. Moreover, the expensive equipment they used, while there might be differences in brand or slight performance variations, didn’t vary greatly. But even so, there were clear differences in the level of the centers.

Ultimately, it was about the people.

Biomechanical pitching theory and all that expensive equipment were just tools. What mattered was the person using those tools.

The Washington brothers, who founded NBM Center, graduated from Columbia University’s College of Engineering and rose to Level 7 at Amazon. Talented individuals who graduated from good universities are common, but talented individuals who have proven their abilities are rare. Google, Walmart, and various other global companies sent them love calls [job offers]. But they unexpectedly founded a center related to biomechanical pitching.

When they opened NBM Center and spread their theories around, many people laughed at them. Of course, the stories were plausible, but the world sometimes valued the status of the person telling the story more than the content of the story.

They came into the spotlight a few years later when Columbia University’s pitching staff achieved overwhelming victories in NCAA Division 1 [National Collegiate Athletic Association, the highest level of college sports in the US]. I don’t know exactly how many years later, but at least when I went to the United States, NBM Center had already risen to the mainstream of the league.

“It’s not that famous yet.”

“Every fame has its reasons. If money is the problem, I can help you enough, so don’t worry and get the best.”

“Apple was also just three geeks gathered in a garage at first.”

“But not all geeks gathered in a garage become Steve Jobs.”

I looked straight at my father.

“But the fathers of all the geeks gathered in a garage believed that their sons would become Steve Jobs and lent them the garage.”

“······.”

I couldn’t say, ‘I’ve seen the future and know the answer,’ so it was impossible to persuade my father with logic. But is logic the only way to persuade people?

“Okay. Let’s think about it for a bit.”

**

Lee Jin-woo left the dorm. Two others also left the dorm. But Ahn Byeong-yeong didn’t leave the dorm. The third-year students hardly participated in training anymore. But he woke up early in the morning to participate in training and refined his form with shadow pitching until late at night. Thanks to that, the form Choi Soo-won taught him gradually became ingrained in his body.

‘If it’s now······.’

Maybe if he faced Cheonnam High again now, he could produce much better results?

Some friends advised him.

He needed to get at least a 4th grade to aim for a Seoul university, and a 6th grade to go to a decent university. If he buckled down and memorized now, it would be possible.

“No, I’m going to go pro.”

The friends didn’t laugh at Ahn Byeong-yeong. Or, to be more precise, they didn’t laugh openly in front of him. They just thought that he was still dreaming the dream they had given up on one or two years ago. That mediocre talent was so terrifying. That’s all they thought.

“Yeah, maybe you can do it.”

Lee Jin-woo encouraged him with a strange expression.

Maybe that guy understood Ahn Byeong-yeong’s determination. That old man had an unnecessary talent for reading people’s minds.

Choi Soo-won and Jo Gyu-hyeok’s trip to the United States was confirmed.

U-18 Baseball World Cup representatives.

Just a few months ago, Jo Gyu-hyeok and he were in similar situations, but now it felt like the gap had widened too much.

But that’s why Ahn Byeong-yeong could put in more effort. Jo Gyu-hyeok could change so much in just a few months. There was no reason why Ahn Byeong-yeong couldn’t do the same.

Time passed.

Stories circulated about Choi Soo-won hiring an agency in the United States. Various rumors about the draft spread among the players. Among those rumors, there was even a rumor that some teams were considering Jo Gyu-hyeok as a first-rounder [a player selected in the first round of the draft].

Each time, Ahn Byeong-yeong swung his towel.

-Thwack!!

The sound of the towel hitting the air was truly satisfying. The draft day was fast approaching.

It would be a lie to say he had no expectations.

But at the same time, it would also be a lie to say he had great expectations.

Crisp new underwear and a perfectly laundered uniform.

Ahn Byeong-yeong had always dreamed of it. Wearing just that on draft day and going to the special hotel in Sogok-dong. But now, Jo Gyu-hyeok was the only one from Jungang High who had earned that qualification.

“There’s a rumor in the group chat that you’re a first-rounder. I hope the results are good.”

“First-rounder, my foot… At best, you’ll be a 4th rounder. Byeong-yeong, I hope you get good results too.”

“I hope so.”

Jo Gyu-hyeok left in the coach’s car.

Ahn Byeong-yeong also hadn’t completely let go of the thread of hope.

The number of players drafted is up to 110. Among them, only 40 players were invited to the Sogok-dong hotel today. There were still 70 spots left.

So, among the high school students playing baseball in Korea, at least hundreds of them watched the live broadcast on their computer monitors with a glimmer of hope. Ahn Byeong-yeong was the same.

Ahn Byeong-yeong was alone in the dorm room.

The other kids who shared the room with him had all left. Lee Jin-woo offered to stay with him, but he refused. Just as Lee Jin-woo had left the dorm alone, Ahn Byeong-yeong also wanted to endure this moment alone.

“Ah, there’s Baek Ha-min. He’s a very strong candidate for the overall first pick in this draft, right?”

“Yes, it’s virtually a three-way battle between Cheonnam High’s Baek Ha-min, Gyeong High’s Jo Gyu-chan, and Jeong Byeong-cheol.”

“Of course, baseball is always full of surprises, and in a situation like this, an unexpected player might make a surprise appearance. Han Min-joon, a third-year from Baekwon High who recorded a no-hitter in the Wangjungwangjeon [a prestigious high school baseball tournament] in the second half of last year, is also a very good player in some ways.”

“Ah, Baek Ha-min is smiling at the camera. He’s got a great mentality. In fact, even professional players are often nervous in situations like this, let alone games. It’s a stark contrast to the stiff expressions of the other players there.”

“Will this kind of thing affect the draft order?”

“Haha, well, there’s the old saying of 6-tool player, and Baek Ha-min is a player who has all six tools, so adding that personality makes him a star.”

The kids on the monitor were kids he had played games with until recently. But they felt so far away. Even Jo Gyu-hyeok, who he had talked to an hour ago.

Overall first pick.

The manager of the Mariners, who were last place last year, took the microphone. A long self-introduction. An excuse for being in last place. A ceremonial greeting that he would give up first place next year.

The chat room on the left side of the monitor exploded with messages.

─SajikSoowon: Jeon bastard is crazy. Next year, we have to be in last place to bring Choi Soo-won.

─again1982: Does Choi Soo-won wear glasses?

“We will nominate. Pitcher Baek. Ha. Min from Cheonnam High in Seoul.”

There was no surprised expression.

Baek Ha-min, flicking his slightly longer curly hair, got up from his seat and bowed. The draft continued. Players who everyone expected disappeared as top picks. And among them, Jo Gyu-hyeok was drafted by Changwon Blaze in the 4th round, 4th overall, as he himself had predicted. His stiff expression as he got up and greeted was clumsy.

And gradually, the names of players who weren’t at the Sogok-dong hotel began to be called. The data screens of the nominated players became increasingly poor, and the screen in the monitor switched faster and faster.

5th round, 6th round, 7th round, 8th round.

Sweat began to drip from Ahn Byeong-yeong’s pale face. Until recently, scouts had visited Jungang High. During this busy time of the draft. Of course, they came to see Choi Soo-won. But if even one of them had witnessed him. Then······.

9th round.

10th round.

And the final 11th round.

Ahn Byeong-yeong finally lowered his head.