Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 9

Mound Villain – Episode 9

Mound Villain Episode 9

“Whew, it’s been a while, America.”

Ha-sung said, his voice thick with emotion as he arrived in LA.

‘I used to come here to study. But this time…’

It was right after his retirement.

He had come to America for leadership training.

Having lived there for a year previously, he didn’t anticipate any major language barriers.

‘I wonder if I’ll adapt well? I didn’t have any big issues back then, but who knows now.’

He recognized a clear difference between 2008 and the present.

Not only in cultural aspects but also in the still-developing state of technology.

‘Maybe it’s because the Apple phone is just starting to become popular, but the smartphone ecosystem isn’t quite there yet either.’

Only a handful of people at the airport were using smartphones.

It was a completely different world from the future he knew.

Ha-sung had watched and experienced how the world changed as those devices became widespread.

That’s why he felt a pang of regret.

‘If I bought some company stock now, it would be a gold mine.’

Throb!

His head started to ache as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

‘Damn God…’

He looked up at the sky, sending his resentment to the heavens as he moved forward.

‘For now, I’ll just walk the path in front of me, but…’

Ha-sung’s personality had undergone a complete transformation since his regression.

In the past, he lived a life weighed down by hardships, but now he was all about pursuing his desires.

That mindset had only grown stronger as he experienced positive outcomes.

‘Let’s see if I succeed. I’ll be aiming for even bigger success then.’

Ha-sung’s ambition was awakening.

* * *

Having arrived in LA, Ha-sung secured accommodation and checked the internet.

‘Just like I saw in Korea, teams that are out of the postseason race are starting to actively recruit through tryouts.’

Time had flown by, and it was already September.

In Korea, the secondary draft had concluded, and professional teams were preparing for the postseason.

What about the teams that failed to make the postseason?

They were focusing all their efforts on discovering new players for the next season.

‘Tryouts are also an event they hold in case there are players they haven’t found. Well, since the players pay the participation fee anyway, I guess it’s not really much of an event.’

To participate in a tryout, you have to pay a fee.

It’s not a huge burden, but it might seem a bit stingy for a Major League team.

However, the entities hosting the tryouts are mostly Minor League teams.

‘Unlike Korea, Minor League teams only have contracts with Major League teams to develop players. They do get some support, but it’s tight when it comes to running the team.’

Ha-sung was quite knowledgeable about the American baseball landscape, having done his leadership training at both Major League and Minor League teams.

Thanks to that, he knew exactly how to proceed.

“First, let’s pick a group of candidate teams from those holding tryouts.”

It was 2008.

There were a total of 30 teams in Major League Baseball.

These teams had contracts with Minor League teams to handle the development of their players.

“In the future, some organizations will directly acquire Minor League teams and create their own processes, but currently, none exist.”

So, it was quite common for a team affiliation to change when its contract with a Minor League team ended.

“Participating in a Major League team’s tryout would be the best, but…”

He checked the Major League schedule.

“It’s ending soon. I’ll participate in the Minor League team’s tryout as planned, and if I fail, I can switch to Major League.”

Ha-sung chuckled.

“Well, that won’t happen.”

He could have signed with a Major League team if he wanted to in Korea.

But he didn’t.

The reason was simple.

If he signed a contract in Korea, he would owe a debt to the Major League team.

“They would be taking on the risk of antagonizing the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] to sign a contract with me.”

He might be overthinking it.

But Ha-sung had experienced this kind of situation before.

Even if he hadn’t done anything wrong, if things went south, they would find a way to blame him.

“It’s best to prevent it in advance.”

That’s why he chose to participate in the Minor League tryout.

“In Korea, Minor League is often seen as the Major League’s reserve team, but in reality, it’s an independent league.”

Korea is largely divided into the first team and the second team.

The second team is called the Futures League, and it operates independently from the first team.

This is similar to the way Major League and Minor League operate, so domestic fans often misunderstand the two leagues as the first and second teams.

But the reality is completely different.

“Major League teams have the priority right to purchase certain players by contracting with Minor League teams, but that’s just the content of the contract.”

The biggest difference is that the contract between Minor League and Major League teams is renewed every four years.

In other words, it’s more accurate to say that it’s a contractual relationship, not a subordinate one.

Because it’s an independent league, everything from the salary system to the team’s operating methods is completely different.

In short, it should be seen as a completely different league.

“Once you’re called up to the Major League, you can’t just send them down to the Minor League. There’s something called a Minor League option.”

The Minor League option is a rule created to prevent players on the Major League 40-man roster from being sent down to the Minor League indiscriminately.

If a player on the 40-man roster is demoted to the Minor League and registered on the roster, they will consume one year of service time after 20 days.

If this service time exceeds three years, they cannot be sent down to the Minor League without their consent.

To release such a player, they must be designated for assignment, such as a release.

In this case, they become a free agent who can sign with another team.

“There are hardly any cases of designating a starting-level player for assignment. In short, it’s a rule created to protect the rights and interests of players.”

Due to these differences, the concepts of the second team and the Minor League should be thought of differently.

“In other words, even if I sign a contract with the Minor League, the entity is the Minor League team.”

There is no separate agreement between the KBO and the Minor League.

Therefore, there was no way for them to stop him from signing a contract with the Minor League.

“There shouldn’t be any loopholes.”

It’s best not to create any excuses to be caught.

That was Ha-sung’s way, having lived a life once before.

“The place where I can be called up to the Major League the fastest is…”

Ha-sung selected a few teams.

Most of the teams were in the middle to lower ranks.

He didn’t plan to go to a rich team from the start.

The reason was simple.

The more money a team has, the deeper its player pool is.

As a result, it takes a lot of time for prospects to get opportunities.

“Starting is impossible with my current stamina. Going in as a middle reliever or closer is the best.”

He threw a 160 km/h (99.4 mph) pitch in his last high school baseball game.

This is definitely a monumental event.

But there was no guarantee that it would work in the Major League.

“In fact, there are tons of prospects in the Minor League who throw 160. Only a handful of them debut in the Big League.”

The world is wide, and there are many talented players.

You have to fight and win against them to stand on the stage called the Major League.

“There’s no need to fight head-on.”

Ha-sung was thinking of taking an easier path.

“This should be enough.”

Ha-sung smiled as he checked the team list.

It contained the tryout schedules of teams currently in the lower ranks of the Major League and their affiliated Minor League teams.

“There’s an easy way, so there’s no reason to fight.”

His smile deepened.

* * *

Unlike the Major League, the Minor League does not play games until October.

Depending on the level, the Rookie League, which ends the season the earliest, finishes at the end of August.

Other leagues are also operated independently, so the season end dates are all different.

‘The first place I need to go is…’

Ha-sung’s gaze turned to the map.

‘The Bakersfield Blaze, which belongs to the California League.’

The California League belongs to Single-A in the Minor League.

Single-A is largely divided into Low-A and High-A, and this was a league belonging to High-A.

If High-A is compared to the domestic league, it includes prospects at the level of players drafted in the first round.

‘The Bakersfield Blaze is currently contracted with the Oakland A’s.’

The Oakland Athletics.

One of the perennial underdog teams in Major League Baseball.

It is famous as the place where Billy Beane, who introduced the Moneyball theory by incorporating sabermetrics [statistical analysis of baseball], was the general manager.

However, despite its fame, the team was still a small market, and player trades were common.

‘The roster is also weak, and if I go there, it’s easier to be traded to a strong team.’

That was the reason why he chose this place as his first priority.

‘Above all, the tryout is the earliest.’

Ha-sung boarded a bus and headed to Bakersfield.

* * *

Sam Lynn Ballpark, the home stadium of the Bakersfield Blaze.

Players began to gather here after the season ended.

There were whites, blacks, Latinos, and even Asians.

“Hoo… I’m nervous.”

One of the Asians, Jia Zhendong, sighed and calmed his racing heart.

“I have to get in this time.”

He was 24 years old this year, and he had come to the United States to pursue his dream after playing for a Taiwanese professional team.

He had already attended tryouts in three places, but no one had contacted him.

He was getting more and more anxious.

He had given up his job for his dream and come over.

He looked around with trembling eyes.

‘Everyone is tall and looks good. Can I block the dashes of those people?’

Jia Zhendong’s position is catcher.

The catcher’s main job is to catch the ball thrown by the pitcher, but that’s not all they do.

They also play the role of conveying communication between the bench and the players, and sometimes they have to calm the pitcher instead of the manager.

And one more thing.

It was also the role of the last gatekeeper to defend home plate.

‘Ugh… I feel like I’ll die if I just graze it.’

In the future, there will be a home plate collision rule.

The rule is that the catcher should not block home plate when the runner comes home.

But at this time, the rule had not yet been created.

Therefore, when a runner came home, the catcher had to block it with his body.

Jia Zhendong has a large body for an Asian, but that doesn’t mean he can be compared to a Westerner.

‘Huh?’

An unusual person caught the eye of Jia Zhendong, who was overwhelmed by the large Westerners.

‘Asian? Is he Japanese?’

Jia Zhendong thought of a Japanese person when he saw him, who was quite tall but smaller than Westerners.

It couldn’t be helped.

At this time, Korea was not yet well known to the world.

It was not strange for Jia Zhendong to think of Japan.

“Everyone gather!!”

At that time, an official from the Bakersfield Blaze came out and gathered the players.

Jia Zhendong also shook off his thoughts and gathered.

Among the gathered players was another Asian, Ha-sung.

‘They have pretty good physiques.’

Ha-sung also watched his competitors like Jia Zhendong and prepared for the test.

‘But I’m the one who’s going to pass.’

The first tryout began.

* * *

The tryout test is largely divided into two stages.

The first was the stage of testing physical abilities.

Ha-sung passed the test here, ranking third among the pitchers.

‘He runs so fast.’

The guy who passed in first place made me wonder if he chose the wrong sport.

‘If he got 11 seconds, shouldn’t he have gone for a sprint?’

After conducting a few more tests, he passed the first stage.

The second stage was a test to test pitching ability.

The mound was cleared, and the manager stood next to the mound.

“From now on, throw 10 each in order. First, Tony.”

‘In fact, you have to pass here.’

The full-scale test began.