Chapter 10

Home Plate's Villain - Chapter 11 (11/363)

# 11

Tear-soaked… Bread? (3)

1

The Philadelphia Phillies had maintained a precise .500 winning percentage over the first four weeks of the season, with 13 wins and 13 losses.

The starting rotation was doing a decent job, and the batting lineup was also performing well.

The biggest problem was the bullpen, which had already blown five saves after the seventh inning. If not for this, their ranking would be much higher.

Given this situation, while the Phillies' general manager, Brandon Archer, was already considering trade options early in the season, he received a call from the Colorado Rockies' general manager.

This was the third call Archer had received from other general managers in just 2 hours and 10 minutes since he started work that day.

"Brandon Archer, Phillies' GM. Hey, Paul. How are you doing?"

-Damn, do you think I'm doing well? A "Fire Me" banner was hung up just three weeks after the season started.

"Why, are you calling to yell at me?"

-No, it's about a trade. Don't you need a left-handed reliever?

"Does anyone not know that I'm looking for a catcher and a left-handed reliever? Why, are you going to give me Jiglitt?"

-Yes, I will.

Jiglitt, a top-tier left-handed setup man, maintained a sub-2.00 ERA even at Coors Field, known as the graveyard of pitchers. He was one of the best resources the Phillies needed right now.

With such a valuable player on the table?

Of course, the price would be high. Archer adjusted his posture and asked seriously.

"Who do you want? Damn."

-We need to rebuild our infield. Give us Kevin Hoyeur and Nathan Levi.

Kevin Hoyeur is a Triple-A right fielder, and Nathan Levi is a Double-A third baseman. Nathan is a highly regarded prospect, but as a trade chip for Jiglitt, it wasn't a bad deal.

Archer asked with a smile.

"Is that enough?"

-Is it too cheap? Then add a catcher.

"Damn, Paul. A catcher?"

-Not an immediate impact player. We're short on catchers in our minor league roster. A Single-A catcher would be fine to fill the numbers. If we make too generous a trade, our fans might really try to cut my throat instead of just hanging a "Fire Me" banner.

"A Single-A catcher?"

-Yes. Let's see, his name is... Hong-Bin? Is he Chinese?

Archer sighed and looked at his laptop screen. The scouting report of the catcher Paul mentioned was already displayed.

NAME: Bin Hong (C)

Born: September 17, 2010.

B/P: R/R. Signed as an international amateur free agent in 2028 (signing bonus $3M).

Hit: 60, Power: 55, Run: 50, Arm: 60, Field: 50.

The numbers in the scouting report were not bad.

If he develops as expected, he could become a solid starting catcher in the majors. However, minor league players are like lotteries, especially in Single-A.

But all three calls he received today wanted Hong-Bin.

Moreover, Hong-Bin was already a much better player than described in the scouting report and had the potential to be a first-round draft pick, which had already been confirmed.

Furthermore, considering that the Rockies had approached Hong-Bin, Paul was undoubtedly downplaying his value by pretending not to know he was Chinese, trying to dilute the deal by focusing on minor league depth.

"Paul."

-Why? With Jiglitt, we could get a bit more.

"Do you know that?"

After a brief pause, Archer spoke rapidly, almost like a rap.

"He's not a Single-A catcher anymore. I just promoted him to Double-A. And this is the third call today asking for him. If you want this guy, you'll have to give up some of your team's pillars. Of course, if it's another Single-A catcher from our team, I'd accept the deal."

-Damn, we offered a higher signing bonus.

"What?"

-Forgot it, I'll hang up. Contact me if you ever want to sell.

But Archer had no intention of selling Hong-Bin.

The Single-A team manager described Hong-Bin as "a demon sent from Mars to destroy Single-A."

What kind of people are major league general managers?

They are all con artists wearing the mask of elites.

In fact, Archer had received many reports on Hong-Bin's performance and had intended to keep him in Single-A for longer.

However, three general managers had subtly tried to include Hong-Bin in their deals.

It might be one thing if it happened once, but it was three times.

At this point, it was reasonable to expect what kind of performance the "demon of Single-A" would show in Double-A.

'After all, if he hits .500 with an .800 slugging percentage in Single-A for a month, there's no reason for him to stay there.'

At just 18 years old, there are players who can defy common sense. There are monsters in the majors, and if Hong-Bin shows a similar performance in Double-A...

Watching Hong-Bin for a bit longer would be enjoyable.

Archer picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hey! I heard your backup catcher is causing trouble."

He was trying to arrange a swap deal for the troublesome backup catchers.

During the deal, a new scouting report on Hong-Bin arrived from the scouting team.

2

From: Garry Jarnyborn

To: Brandon Archer

As requested, I am sending you the updated scouting report.

This report was compiled with the help of three scouts, one performance analyst, the Single-A team manager, and two coaches.

NAME: Bin Hong (C)

Born: September 17, 2010.

B/P: R/R. Signed as an international amateur free agent in 2028 (signing bonus $3M).

Hit: 75, Power: 70, Run: 50, Arm: 65, Field: 80.

His skills have rapidly improved since signing.

Skipping the rookie league was the right choice, and it seems there is no one in Single-A who can match him.

He has excellent balance in his hitting and is not hesitant to change his batting stance during games. He has tremendous power potential but does not rely solely on brute force.

He shows a diligent work ethic, being the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to leave.

He possesses the characteristic diligence of an Asian player but lacks the typical shyness. He quickly became the center of the locker room, blending well with players of all races and nationalities.

Defensively, there seems to be nothing to improve. The consensus is that he could be an above-average major league player immediately, except for the need to adapt.

His pop time is excellent at 1.8 to 1.9 seconds, and his arm is already plus-plus, with the ability to throw accurately. His framing is also very smooth.

His communication with pitchers is better than expected. He speaks English and Spanish fluently and has earned the trust of pitchers with his blocking skills.

He is ready to be a major league backup catcher but could benefit from more experience in the minors for adaptation purposes...

...

3

Almost a month into the season, I'm gradually understanding why the minor leagues are tough.

The bread is dry, and I've eaten so much peanut butter that my teeth are turning yellow. The bus is bumpy, and the away-game accommodations often feel haunted.

I need to adjust my goals.

Work harder to get a major league call-up a bit faster...

"Bin! Get off the bus!"

I was lost in thought, reading the scouting report of today's opponent when the manager called out with a strange expression.

"What? Bin, are you hurt? Injured?"

"What? No! Bin has to catch my ball tomorrow!"

"Idiots. It's a call-up."

The pitchers started murmuring.

"Alright, everyone will know eventually. Bin, you're getting a call-up. Get off the bus."

Oh my God. Is it really happening?

"Damn, why so soon?"

"Promise to catch my ball tomorrow before you go!"

"Bin! You have to come with me! Don't go alone!"

What, these guys?

Trying to pull a water ghost tactic?

"Go ahead and wait for us. We'll catch up soon."

After saying that, the congratulations from my teammates followed.

"Congratulations. I knew you weren't meant to be here."

"I'll follow soon. Do well there. Don't come back down."

"I didn't think you were like this, Bin."

"I'm jealous! Congratulations!"

I had grown quite attached to the team over the past month.

It's a bit sad to leave...

ㅇㅅㅇ: If you're sad, stay.

I was about to retort to the fairy making a fool of himself when the manager offered me his hand.

"Congratulations. I know you'll do well there."

"Thank you. It's all thanks to you, sir."

"You don't need to say that."

No, Yankees.

You guys always give lip service when you get the chance, but you say it's unnecessary when I do it.

You're a bunch of unpredictable people.

The manager handed me some documents and patted my shoulder.

"My role ends here, but I'll be happy to see how far you go."

What? Why are you getting emotional all of a sudden?

With the Single-A prospects watching from the bus windows, I got into the car prepared by the club.

Where am I going? Directly to the majors?

I forgot to ask the most important thing.

ㅇㅅㅇ: Where are your eyes?

ㅇㅅㅇ: It says "Reading Fightin' Phils" right there.

Hmm. How embarrassing.

But getting to Double-A in just a month isn't bad. The food and accommodations will still be trash there.

Let's see. Who's on the Double-A team?