Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Lee Jung-woo let out a sigh of relief.

He had switched to being a batter.

He thought he would be sent down to the rookie league.

Fortunately, he was still in Single-A.

'I thought I would be sent straight to Dunville. Maybe the front office took care of me? In any case, it's a relief.'

He had only played two games with the Dunville Braves.

He knew that the support in the rookie league was quite poor.

They didn't even pay a salary, and the facilities were not good.

Moreover, most of the training equipment was old or nonexistent.

So, staying in the minors was a huge relief for Lee Jung-woo.

It also meant that the team was still giving him a chance.

As Lee Jung-woo sighed in relief, the hitting coach Scott smiled faintly.

It was not just that he was happy to see a good prospect continue playing baseball.

The fact that he had more work to do also played a part.

In Single-A, the coach's role is not as significant as one might think.

The players have strong pride and tend to stick to their own methods.

They don't want interference from coaches.

Thus, if a coach meddles without specific instructions from the team or requests from the players, they might just ruin the routine and get criticized.

Therefore, the main job of a hitting coach, besides helping a few players, is to manage the mental state of the batters, assess their skills, analyze the opposing pitchers, and find ways to counter them.

But now, he had to guide Lee Jung-woo.

The player himself was also very determined.

'He said he did tee batting alone late at night.'

A team staff member had told him this.

The night before making the heavy decision to switch to a batter, Lee had stayed at the training ground late and practiced tee batting.

For quite a long time.

While it's not a good practice to do unfamiliar training without a coach or trainer, it showed how determined he was.

This made Scott expectant.

'He has a good mindset, but I'll probably have to teach him from A to Z.'

It was almost like starting from scratch.

Thus, the role of the hitting coach was very important.

Despite the pressure, Lee Jung-woo's words eased it.

"I won't blame you, Coach. Please teach me accurately without feeling burdened."

Lee Jung-woo bowed his head and spoke respectfully, which made Scott feel a sense of responsibility instead of pressure.

'He used to aim for power hits.'

Scott recalled Lee's batting style from the past.

He hadn't seen him play since before his injury, so the memory wasn't clear.

He wanted to confirm it again.

"Let's start with your stance. Swing ten times naturally without thinking about it."

"Sure."

At Scott's words, Lee Jung-woo nodded and took his stance.

He held the bat with a wide grip, slightly spread his legs, and straightened his upper body.

Scott rolled his eyes.

Yes, that's the stance.

Even when he did free batting to relieve stress in the past, Lee had the same stance.

He focused on power rather than accuracy.

An extreme batting style where any pitch could be turned into a home run as long as it was hit.

'First, we need to see how well this stance suits Lee.'

That's the key.

If it doesn't fit, he'll have to completely change it, which would be much more difficult.

"Hmm."

As Scott watched him, Lee Jung-woo took a deep breath and gripped the bat tightly.

He imagined a pitcher throwing the ball to him.

Although he didn't have enough experience or imagination for perfect image training, thinking about the pitcher helped him focus more.

He swung with all his strength.

His muscles bulged.

His extended leg planted firmly on the ground.

He rotated his waist and swung.

Instead of the sound of a hit, the sound of the bat cutting through the air filled his ears.

'Indeed, his power is exceptional. Despite not being exceptionally tall... '

Scott whistled at the sight.

Although he maintained a poker face, that aggressive swing was quite intimidating.

6.2 feet (188 cm) and 192 pounds (87 kg) is not an outstanding build among players.

He is tall but not heavy enough. He should weigh at least 20 pounds more.

So, based on his build alone, he shouldn't have such good power, but he does.

'It's just a natural talent.'

Scott examined Lee Jung-woo from head to toe.

His forearms, visible under the short sleeves, were not bulky but solid like rock.

The inside, hidden by the uniform, was probably full of muscles.

This must be the source of his unusually good power.

Usually, such a muscular build would make the body stiff and disadvantageous, but Lee was flexible.

'However, he only has good power. There's a lot to fix. But since the swing itself suits him, maintaining the basic stance and making a few adjustments will make him a good slugger.'

Lee Jung-woo lacked both technique and experience.

His power was good, but his follow-through was awkward. If it had been a real hit, not all the power would have been transferred to the ball.

His stride was inconsistent, reducing accuracy and power.

His weight transfer and rotation were awkward, slowing his batting speed.

His other stances were also inconsistent.

'He's full of flaws, but he has potential.'

He had a rough idea of how to teach him.

"Is it okay?"

"Hmm... To be honest, it's not good."

Lee Jung-woo nodded calmly at the honest evaluation.

He hadn't held a bat in a year and a half physically, and mentally, it had been even longer.

It would be strange if it were good.

"But there's potential. A lot of it."

Scott was serious.

He had only seen the swing, but he knew from Lee's background.

Lee has the potential to be a power hitter.

'My job is to make sure that potential doesn't just end there.'

xxxx

After the first training session, Lee Jung-woo was about to go back to his dorm when his phone rang loudly.

'Who is it? Mark?'

The name "Mark" appeared on the screen.

Lee Jung-woo's eyes widened.

He had forgotten.

He had an agent at this time.

"Hello."

- Ah, you finally picked up. Sorry for calling so late, but I was in a hurry.

A familiar voice.

He sounded very urgent.

- I heard from General Manager Pratt. Switching to a batter? What's this all about? How could you not consult me?

"Mark."

- Yeah, I know you're going through a tough time. But no matter what, switching to a batter is not an option. You're a pitcher! A born pitcher!

The man kept talking without waiting for a response.

Lee Jung-woo broke his usual poker face and smiled.

'It's been a while, Mark.'

Mark Taylor

After graduating from high school,

He was the agent he signed with to prepare for the major leagues.

When he was released by the Braves and moved between the minors and independent leagues, and eventually left for Korea, he had terminated the contract.

'I was the one who asked to terminate it. Out of fear.'

Lee Jung-woo had relied on him.

When he was in a tough place with no connections, Mark always called and took care of him.

When he was injured and rehabilitating, Mark found and helped him with a rehab trainer and center.

When his performance plummeted after rehab, Mark always boosted his morale.

Whenever he was released from a new team, Mark always went out of his way to promote Lee Jung-woo.

This made him scared.

Despite being so grateful, the fear that Mark might turn his back on him crept in.

Feeling frustrated and inferior due to his lack of talent, he asked to terminate the contract first.

Mark tried to persuade him to the end, but the firm request ended their relationship.

Even after that, Mark occasionally contacted him, but Lee ignored it and tried to forget, eventually forgetting completely.

Even the simple common sense of consulting him before switching to a batter.

'He must be shocked. Hearing about the switch to a batter out of the blue, and from the GM himself.'

It was natural for him to call in the middle of the night and talk non-stop.

Lee felt a bit sorry for him, but he had no intention of changing his decision.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. But please respect my choice."

- Ha. Respect? Is it because your performance is bad right now? I told you to relax and take the long view, Lee. I'll explain it to the GM. Let's just pretend this switch never happened.

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible. I already know. I'm done as a pitcher."

The self-deprecating tone seemed to shock Mark, as his voice trailed off.

A heavy silence filled the team dorm.

Lee Jung-woo expected his reaction.

It probably wouldn't be very positive.

He might yell again, or maybe even get so angry that he would terminate the contract.

But he trusted Mark.

'He always thought of me first.'

As expected, after a brief silence, Mark asked calmly.

- Did you think it through and make this decision?

"I'm sorry for not consulting you, but it was a well-thought-out decision."

The firm tone seemed to convey his determination.

As expected, Mark supported him.

- Phew. I don't agree that you're done as a pitcher, but if you're this determined, there's nothing I can do. For now, you're learning from the hitting coach. I'll find you a trainer for the off-season.

"...Thanks, Mark."

Then and now.

Although he didn't say it out loud,

His gratitude remained unchanged.

After the call ended,

Lee Jung-woo resolved himself.

Before the regression, he wanted to give Mark a large sum of money to repay his efforts.

xxxx

Fortunately, thanks to the team's consideration, staying in Single-A was good,

But Lee Jung-woo had to endure a bit.

'Is his mouth not dry? He's talking non-stop.'

The manager supported his switch to a batter.

The pitching coach respected it.

The defensive coach was perplexed.

The head coach and other coaches didn't care much.

But the players were in an uproar.

"You thought you were so great, but you ended up failing."

"I knew this would happen. If you weren't a bonus baby, you would have been released right away."

"You're the GM's favorite, or rather, he's afraid of you. They gave you 2.5 million dollars."

The pitchers mocked him.

A player in a different league from them.

A prospect the team was paying attention to.

A genius in a different class, incomparable.

Thus, many pitchers envied Lee Jung-woo.

More accurately, they envied the talent he had that they didn't.

When such a genius fell due to injury and eventually switched to a batter,

It made them feel superior, and they mocked him freely.

'What's the point of being good in the past? A pitcher with a broken shoulder is worse than me, who can throw the ball properly.'

'He forced himself to throw with a weak shoulder, so he ended up like this. Honestly, it's a bit pitiful.'

While the pitchers simply mocked him,

The batters were annoyed.

There was no worry about losing their position to a newcomer just starting training.

There was no inferiority complex due to different positions.

What annoyed them was Lee's switch to a batter itself.

'A pitcher who has never batted before suddenly picking up a bat must look ridiculous.'

A few batters, taking a break during training, looked at Lee entering the batting cage.

His awkward swing, as if he was advertising that he had never batted before.

They frowned.

"Is he really going to bat like that?"

"He used to strike out batters easily before his injury. Maybe he thinks it's easy. He doesn't remember being hit hard after that."

"Look at his swing. What kind of batter is he?"

"His defense is probably even worse. It will be quite a show."

They thought Lee was looking down on batting.

Although he couldn't do it after his injury, in the past, he mercilessly dominated batters.

So, they thought he was looking down on batting.

Unlike the pitchers who simply mocked him, the batters had a grudge against him.

But Lee Jung-woo didn't really care.

He had already expected such reactions when he switched to a batter.

Whatever he said, it wouldn't reach their ears.

So, it was better to use the time to practice a bit more.

'Anyway, I can't make proper contact. I'll just aim for high fly balls. If I hit it poorly, it will probably be a ground ball.'

That was Scott's thought.

While good eyesight is important, experience is also necessary.

Without enough experience to select pitches, one can't make proper judgments.

Thus, the ability to make contact, which is the basic skill, requires such judgment.

But Lee Jung-woo, who lacked serious experience, didn't have exceptional eyesight.

Thus, his judgment was poor, and his batting skills weren't good enough to compensate.

'So, I'll just give up on batting average and on-base percentage and aim for power hits.'

Therefore, Scott instructed Lee to do tee batting.

To learn how to give proper impact to the swing.

To learn how to follow through with a good swing.

'Slowly, but focus on the weight transfer as much as possible...'

"Are you a turtle? You've probably taken ten strikes already."

"Maybe he has superpowers. Like stopping the ball."

As the batters watched him swing slowly, they started talking again.

But they soon closed their mouths, as they always did.

The slow swing hit the ball accurately.

The ball, with proper power, flew quickly.

The batters, who had been watching, were momentarily stunned by the powerful swing.

"He's just strong... "

"What's the point of being strong? If he didn't stop the ball, he wouldn't have hit it properly."

The batters, with slightly trembling voices, left a few comments.

Lee Jung-woo turned his head and glanced at them.

A cold, expressionless face.

They were startled and moved away from the batting cage.

If they kept talking, they might think he would swing the bat at them.

'They're just kids. They're scared easily.'

Watching the retreating figures, Lee Jung-woo smiled.

He didn't care about their insults or mockery.

His mind wasn't young enough to get emotionally worked up over such things.

He had just noticed them talking while he was training and lost focus.

Seeing them get scared and run away was a bit amusing.

Satisfied with the quiet surroundings, he focused on his training again.

'This time, my stride was off. I need to pay more attention to my stance...'

Immediate reactions don't matter.

His goal is only a successful switch to a batter.

Nothing else.

'Ultimately, practice is the answer.'

Effort doesn't guarantee success, but at least now, there's no better answer than effort.

Lee Jung-woo thought as he swung slowly.