The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 86

86. Draft (2)

The second half of the weekend league had ended.

In fact, because the winner of the first half of the weekend league advances to the championship between the first and second halves, and the second half of the weekend league offers no special benefits, it’s simply a way for players to accumulate records for college advancement.

Therefore, not winning the second half of the weekend league wasn’t a big deal. What was truly regrettable was the defeat in the semi-finals of the second half championship. I didn’t even get a chance to swing the bat, and I gave up 2 runs with my pitching, which was frustrating.

Well, pitching can’t always be perfect, but it was a disappointing result in many ways.

But that disappointment was short-lived.

The KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] draft was fast approaching.

“Did you submit your application?”

“Of course, I did. What about you? Lately, I’ve been seeing news about 5 or 6 billion won contracts in the US. Are you still 고민 중 [gomin jung – considering/worrying]?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hey, if you’re worried about the school’s support money, just go. Get a 5 billion 계약금 [gyeyakgeum – contract money/signing bonus] and donate some 적당히 [jeokdanghi – appropriately/moderately]. Since when has our school received generous support from professional teams? Just go to the majors and blow them all away.”

“What if I fail instead of blowing up in the majors?”

“Well, I can’t really picture you failing, no matter how I think about it. But if that happens, you can just return to Korea. Then, would you be my 후배 [hubae – junior/underclassman]?”

I listened to Jo Yu’s nonsense with one ear and let it out the other.

Even if I submitted a draft application, it didn’t necessarily mean I had to stay in the KBO, but public opinion matters. Aside from the market size or money issues, I honestly didn’t want to be disliked by Korean fans.

I know because I’ve already experienced it. Fandom is scarier than you think. I’m also human, so I sometimes click on my articles, and I’m quite affected by whether the top comments are 악플 [akpeul – malicious comments] or 선플 [seonpeul – positive comments]. After some sluggish games during my time in the big leagues, I mainly looked at Korean sites instead of American media to comfort myself.

My mind was already more than 90% set on playing in the KBO for now, but things could change if the detailed negotiations going on behind the scenes fall apart.

“Stop talking nonsense and worry about yourself instead of worrying about me. Come to think of it, aren’t you trying to send me to the US to raise your draft pick by even one spot?”

“······. What do you think of me?!”

***

“Two-time MVP, that’s what you mean.”

“Yes, if it’s the same condition as the Marines winning, I think it should be at least that much······.”

Marines championship and 2 MVP awards.

Honestly, considering the difficulty of back-to-back MVPs, it was clear which was more difficult. There are five back-to-back MVPs in the KBO, but the Marines have only won twice.

“I’ll discuss it further, but their stance is quite firm.”

“Well, if a player who received a 2 billion won signing bonus in the first round of the draft and won the MVP goes to the US through posting [system where KBO players can be transferred to MLB] after just one year, it would be difficult for the general manager. What about the two-way player part?”

“Ah, that part is completely agreed upon. I’ve received a promise to manage him similarly to Shohei Ohtani in the early days of the Angels.”

“That’s good.”

If I’m lucky, 1 year. If not, 2 years.

No, maybe if I’m really unlucky or get injured, it could be several years. Honestly, I still don’t know. I don’t know if it’s wiser to play in the minors and go over, or if it’s wiser to refine my pitching in the KBO and go back to the US.

But one thing is certain: players from South America, such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico, were quite envious of Korean and Japanese players.

The economic power of Korea and Japan. And the fact that they have leagues that match that economic scale means that instead of struggling in the minors, they can be stars in their own country and come straight to the 빅리그 [big league – Major League Baseball], which was a benefit they could hardly imagine. Well, the thing that the players who played in the majors envied more was that they had a place to fall back on even if they failed.

“Okay. That condition isn’t bad. However, please emphasize the club’s full cooperation when advancing to the majors. In other words, make sure they handle the public opinion and media well.”

***

“It’s done!! Choi Soo-won has submitted his draft application.”

“Hoo······, don’t let your guard down until the end. If this goes wrong, we’ll lose the entire first overall pick. And be careful not to leak the details to the outside.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

It would be a lie if there weren’t moments of 회의감 [hoeui gam – skepticism/doubt] in the middle.

Honestly, he’s just a high school student. Is 2 billion won really worth it? Is it meaningful to add these rule changes and conditions that cannot be disclosed to the outside?

But every time, the overwhelming power he showed captivated General Manager Jeon Sang-ik’s heart.

13 consecutive walks.

Forced walk-off.

6 hits in 6 at-bats, 3 home runs.

He was literally Barry Bonds himself who 강림 [gangnim – descended/incarnated] to high school baseball. Even if a top-class professional player played in high school baseball, could he really show that much performance? And that’s not all. Even if Choi Soo-won’s performance as a pitcher this season wasn’t as overwhelming as his hitting, it was comparable to Baek Ha-min’s performance last year. Moreover, since Choi Soo-won as a hitter didn’t have a chance to show anything, it was impossible to guess whether he was growing or not, but Choi Soo-won as a pitcher could only be given a higher score because he showed a gradually improving 모습 [moseup – appearance/form].

“Okay, then let’s make Choi Soo-won the first round pick and strategize from the second round.”

“But since Choi Soo-won has already talked to us like this, isn’t the first overall pick a bit of a waste? There’s no way another team can offer conditions as good as ours, and would another team dare to pick him with the first pick, risking the threat of him going to the US?”

A fat man with permed hair. Section Chief Kim clicked his tongue at Choi Seong-cheol’s nonsense, who could no longer be called a rookie.

“Tsk. You’re talking nonsense, Seong-cheol. How many times have I told you? Think before you speak. Right now, there’s talk of 5 or 6 billion won for Choi Soo-won in the majors, and even the posting system has been reformed. Let’s say a team like the Braves gives 2 billion won and sends him to the US after one year. Would the Braves lose out? It’s unconditionally profitable. Honestly, considering the posting fee, it’s unconditionally 남는 장사 [namneun jangsa – a profitable deal]. Phoenix probably doesn’t even have a plan to not pick Choi Soo-won. But if we don’t pick Choi Soo-won? They’ll pick Choi Soo-won no matter what their plan is.”

“But what if he just goes to the US?”

“Yeah, that’s true. But we’re saying we’re going to pick Choi Soo-won with the first pick, even though he might just go to the US.”

“Ah······.”

***

The Grand Ballroom of a special hotel located in Namsan unfolded on the computer monitor.

And the same number of people as in previous years entered this place, where the KBO draft event has been held steadily every year.

“Hoo······.”

Round tables, each occupied by the general managers and scouting teams of ten teams. A slight tension was felt on everyone’s faces. But there were those who were even more nervous than them: the players who applied for the draft, who could be said to be the main characters of today’s event.

From high school seniors to junior college students, and college sophomores who applied for early drafts, and even fourth-year graduates who couldn’t let go of a glimmer of hope.

Some wore suits, while others wore team uniforms, sitting close together in chairs lined up in a corner of the Grand Ballroom, their eyes truly 불안했다 [buanhaetda – uneasy/anxious].

Of course, if you’re a player who received an invitation to this event, you should be considered a player who will almost unconditionally be selected in the draft. But the amount of 계약금 [gyeyakgeum – contract money/signing bonus] changes depending on whether it’s the first round, second round, or third round. In order to have a viable baseball career, you need more money than ordinary office workers. But even if you join a professional team, the annual salary you can receive is only 30 million won. 계약금 [gyeyakgeum – contract money/signing bonus] is bound to be important.

But the most 불안한 [buanhan – uneasy/anxious] people in this place were not them.

It was the parents who have been supporting them for this moment for as short as 7 or 8 years, and as long as 15 years or more. They knew best because they had watched them from the closest. They just hoped that their children’s dreams would not be frustrated here.

“A Seoul team would be nice, right?”

“Jo Yu, are you in a position to pick a team right now? You should just hope to be called even one number faster.”

“Even so, I think I’ll be picked within the third round, right? I was the batting king in the first half of the championship.”

“You’re the batting king, but there’s almost no 타출갭 [tachulgaep – on-base percentage gap], and the 장타율 [jangtayul – slugging percentage] is even more miserable. Who looks at batting average these days?”

“No, even so······.”

The first row of chairs laid out in the corner of the Grand Ballroom.

The scene of two players in uniforms whispering to each other was caught on the TV screen.

“Ah, we see Choi Soo-won and Jo Yu-jin from 중앙고 [Junang High School]. 중앙고 [Junang High School] was arguably the strongest team in high school baseball this year, right?”

“Yes, Choi Soo-won is, well… He’s a player who makes your mouth hurt if you give any more explanations. A 초거대 유망주 [chogeodae yumangju – super-giant prospect] that even the Major League wants to take with them, filling up the international prospect limit. He’s a sure-fire first overall pick today. And Jo Yu-jin, who’s sitting next to him, is also a very good player. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if that player was picked in the first round.”

“Wow, you rate Jo Yu-jin quite highly.”

“Yes, he has some shortcomings in batting, but he was a consistently stable catcher in defense. He hardly ever misses a ball that goes behind him. Especially the handling of one-bounce balls is very impressive. Besides, his 도루 저지 [doru jeoji – stolen base prevention] is excellent. But he had a very big problem with his batting, but he changed his batting form this season and won the batting title in the first half of the championship. After all, when professional teams pick players, they can’t help but look at the potential for development. In that sense, Jo Yu-jin… I expect him to receive a fairly high pick, even if it’s not in the first round.”

The camera moved back to the round table.

Laptops and tablets placed on the round table. And even the front office staff with bloodshot eyes.

Among them, the most 퀭하게 보이는 [kwaenghage boineun – haggard-looking] was Jeon Sang-ik, the general manager of the Marines, who once again won the first overall pick this year.

Even though it was the first overall pick, it was rare to be so nervous in the first round. There were concerns about whether the selected player would really succeed or fail, but in any case, the determined strategy could not be 틀어질 [teureojil – go wrong/be ruined]. But this year was a little different. Beyond worrying about whether the player I called would succeed, I was filled with worries about what would happen if something went wrong and the contract itself fell through and I lost the entire first overall pick.

But the time to worry about that passed too quickly.

The camera approached before I knew it. He grabbed the microphone with a trembling hand and gave the same 인사 [insa – greetings] and excuses for being in last place as in previous years. And at the end of that long 인사 [insa – greetings] and excuse, finally, the main point of today came out.

“Then I will nominate. Choi. Soo. Won from Seoul 중앙고 [Junang High School].”

An expected choice.

An Byeong-yeong turned off the computer. It was time to go back to training.