Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Finishing Camp

To be honest, the moment Je Seokcheon saw the draft results,

he had not been happy.

I told them to bring me Han Yuseong. They still went and drafted Kim Nahan.

Left handed fireballers were rare in high school baseball.

A pitcher who could already reach 150 kilometers per hour before becoming a professional was even rarer.

There was a reason people said you should drag a left handed fireballer out of hell itself if necessary.

Han Yuseong had simply been overshadowed somewhat because Kang Jihoon existed.

In reality, he was the kind of precious prospect who might appear only once every ten years.

It was true that the team's infield situation was not good.

But one year later, the Lions would have an infielder available.

Strengthen the infield from outside the organization,

then draft the extremely attractive Han Yuseong.

That had been the new Hawks manager's plan.

Everything got ruined from the beginning.

When they drafted a hitter who had only briefly flashed during the Bonghwangdaegi,

Je Seokcheon had felt as though something inside him was exploding.

It was like throwing away a lottery ticket that was only one number away from first prize, and already guaranteed at least second prize,

then buying a completely new ticket.

Fortunately, Je Seokcheon was not the kind of man who allowed his emotions to reduce his work performance.

It would have been nice to get Han Yuseong.

But what could he do?

The decision had already been made.

The urgent priority was figuring out how to build the team using the players they now had.

Once they left for finishing camp,

Seokcheon's mood gradually improved.

Even though people had said this year's position player pool was weak,

the Hawks had still drafted mostly hitters.

And the players they had selected were far better than he expected.

Park Gyumin. We could already use him as an outfield backup. Then we can either send the current backup to the military or use him as a trade piece.

Besides Park Gyumin,

sixth round pick Kim Minseok also possessed far more ability than expected.

No. He's not merely pretty good. He's excellent.

His personality was slightly unusual,

but he was absolutely worth developing over the long term.

The rookies were generally better than expected.

But among them, the true jackpot was none other than Kim Nahan.

"One out, runner on second!"

Crack!

The ball hit by the defensive coach began traveling toward Nahan.

It took a large bounce and moved slowly.

It would be difficult to hold the runner at second.

Nahan charged quickly and grabbed the ball.

Then he immediately threw to first.

Thump!

The coach nodded.

"Nice play!"

His defense contained no unnecessary movement.

Based purely on ability,

it would not look out of place beside professional players.

No. Even among professionals, players who defend that well aren't common.

Crack!

"Stay focused!"

Crack!

"Pitcher, you're late covering first!"

Crack!

"If the ball is hit hard, hold the runner before throwing!!!"

After watching the unfortunate plays from the other inexperienced players,

Nahan looked even more impressive to Seokcheon.

He even started wondering whether Nahan was already better than Cheolmin, Kim Taeyoung's current backup.

If his hitting could be anywhere near as good,

giving him the backup role seemed like a very strong option.

Cheolmin, whose development had stalled, could complete his military service first and eventually convert to first base.

Or the team could simply trade him.

If things work out like that, Nahan can naturally become Kim Taeyoung's replacement.

Then batting practice began,

and that thought changed again.

CRAAAAACK!

"Wow. How far is that going?"

"There's a little pond outside. It's probably swimming there by now."

"His power really is ridiculous."

"Move aside for a second. I'll send one there too."

"Sunbae, you're thirty eight. You'll get hurt doing that."

"Look at this Park Gyumin kid. Hey, when I was younger..."

"I'm only saying it because I'm worried."

"Good grief. The kid's already trying to bully his senior. Gukyoung, look at the life I live."

The hitting coach seemed to interfere with Nahan here and there.

But whether the coach talked or not,

Nahan filtered out what he needed and stubbornly maintained his own method.

At first glance, it could seem like rookie arrogance.

But to Seokcheon, it looked different.

He already understands the path he needs to follow, and he's confident in it. If you start carelessly changing a swing like that, you're much more likely to ruin it.

Why did Nahan give off the aura of a mature veteran who had already been through everything?

At this point,

Seokcheon even started wondering whether he could use Nahan as a starter.

If I put Kim Nahan at third and move Taeyoung to designated hitter...

It would reduce Taeyoung's defensive burden and potentially improve his offensive performance.

That would also make the lineup stronger.

Nahan was respectful toward veterans like Kim Taeyoung and Choi Gukyoung.

He also got along well with the other rookies.

So he did not seem likely to damage team chemistry.

I'll need to give him some opportunities during Spring Training.

That was the moment Kim Nahan's treatment was decided.

Kim Taeyoung stood outside the field and watched the players training.

Everyone was working hard.

Is it because the manager changed? Everyone's motivated.

The previous manager, who preferred veterans over younger players, was gone.

The players probably saw a new opportunity and were training even harder.

Taeyoung found the sight satisfying.

Before, the lineup rarely changed no matter how poorly someone trained.

Naturally, training attitudes had become loose.

But signs of change were already appearing.

"Agh, my whole body hurts. Getting older makes even this difficult."

"If it's that hard, you can give third base to me."

"You brat. You're ten years too early. Ten years."

This finishing camp was meant to improve the fundamentals and individual skills of players with little professional experience.

It was not really a place suited for an already completed veteran like Taeyoung.

There was only one reason he had joined the finishing camp.

"Taeyoung, do me a favor and come to camp."

It was because of the desperate request from Je Seokcheon, his senior from school.

"Come on, sunbae. I'm too old to be going there. Cheolmin should be enough."

"You know we haven't chosen a new bench coach yet. Come and help me keep the group together."

"Ugh..."

Taeyoung sighed when he heard that.

To be honest,

he was tired.

Years of repeated poor seasons had exhausted him mentally.

He wanted to spend quiet time with his wife and children.

He had no desire to travel all the way to Japan.

But with his senior, now the manager, asking him so desperately,

refusing felt difficult.

That was simply how this world worked.

I was planning to take a relaxing trip. This is a disaster.

Still, because Taeyoung had some interest in becoming a coach after retirement,

he decided to treat finishing camp as a chance to study actual field work.

Seokcheon seemed to understand that intention.

He gave Taeyoung responsibilities similar to those of a bench coach.

As a result, Taeyoung spent busy days acting as a bridge between the players and coaching staff.

"What's Kim Nahan's reputation among the players?"

"He's surprisingly mature for his age. He's also very skilled."

"Any trouble?"

"Cheolmin seems to dislike him a little, but there hasn't been a problem yet."

"How would you feel about playing designated hitter? You're starting to get tired, aren't you?"

Taeyoung calmly nodded at Seokcheon's question.

It was true that his body was no longer the same.

His defensive range was shrinking every year.

Combined with weak shortstop defense, that created an especially bad problem.

Using Jeong Cheolmin instead did not solve anything.

Cheolmin was not better offensively or defensively.

It was a difficult situation.

But if a replacement appeared who could properly fill his position,

Taeyoung was completely willing to move to designated hitter.

That would help both the team's performance and his individual performance.

"You're thinking of using Nahan?"

"For now. I should at least give him a chance. He's a first rounder."

"That's true. And that kid will probably do well."

"That's what you think?"

"Of course. Look at him."

Taeyoung and Seokcheon's gazes turned toward Nahan during defensive training.

"Good!"

Nahan quickly caught a hard grounder traveling down the left field line.

Playing third base was not easy.

It could not be compared to shortstop,

but it was still a difficult position.

There were more right handed hitters than left handed hitters.

That meant third basemen frequently faced pulled balls from right handed hitters.

That was not the only difficulty.

The hitter's body hides the ball at first, making it harder to react.

Because the third baseman had less time to see the ball,

quick reaction speed was necessary.

The league also used bunts fairly often,

so third basemen needed to charge aggressively when defending them.

And because they sometimes had to throw nearly forty meters to first base,

a strong arm was also essential.

Nahan possessed every one of those qualities.

His defense was even steadier than Taeyoung's had been when he was younger and considered the best defensive third baseman in the league.

Based on defense alone,

he was already good enough to earn the backup third base job.

Crack!

And then there was his batting practice.

His swing was consistent.

That meant he understood exactly how he wanted to hit and how he wanted to approach each pitch.

Self confidence.

It was a rare advantage to see in a rookie who had only just entered professional baseball.

"Wow, Kim Nahan's seriously a crazy home run machine. Share your secret."

"Kim Minseok. Learn from me instead. I'll show you what real manly batting looks like."

"What part of an infield popup makes you think of manliness?"

"What? You finished talking?"

"Shut up, you idiots. Minseok, I'll look at your swing separately later. I'm not saying everything I think will be correct, though."

"In that case, I, Park Gyumin, cannot be left out."

"Then you get hellish physical training first."

"Hmm. I suddenly remembered I forgot to turn off the gas at home. I'll go ahead."

He even seemed to have become the center of his draft class.

Not only did he possess excellent ability,

he also had a positive influence on the players around him.

Perhaps it was still too early to make a judgment.

But maybe Kim Nahan truly was...

the player capable of becoming the successor to Kim Taeyoung that the Hawks had wanted for so long.

If that's true, someday the team will probably be rebuilt around that kid.

Taeyoung might not still be around when that happened.

Even so,

simply imagining a hopeful future made him happy.

"All right, that's enough for today! Use the remaining time for individual training or get some proper rest!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"

After training ended, Taeyoung approached the three rookies while unable to hide his smile.

"You brats. What are you making so much noise about?"

"Hello, sunbae."

Seeing the juniors bow respectfully made Taeyoung feel better.

It had been a finishing camp filled with plenty of noise and trouble.

But simply seeing these three made him feel good.

Right. A baseball player speaks through baseball.

A mature young player who did not shrink under a manager who viewed him skeptically,

but instead quietly proved himself through ability.

Before finishing camp, Taeyoung had planned to give Nahan all kinds of advice.

Now that he had seen him,

it seemed unnecessary.

Taeyoung decided he would buy dinner for this promising junior.

"Let's go eat dinner after training. I'll pay."

"Sunbae, you're going to act like a real man and buy beef, right?"

"Ah. Thank you very much. We'll enjoy the meal, sunbae."

"W, wait. I never said I was buying beef..."

The three rookies ignored the senior desperately waving his hands and proudly led him into a beef restaurant.

That night,

Taeyoung could only shed tears while looking at the empty balance in his bank account.

After finishing camp ended, time passed quickly.

Minseok, Gyumin, and I moved between the dormitory and training facilities, focusing on training.

One day.

Two days.

Eventually, the year changed.

We became twenty years old.

<Hawks Sign Giants Right Hander Kang Hyunwoo to Four Year, 2 Billion Won Contract, "Strengthening the Bullpen">

<Moving Quickly, Daejeon Hawks Sign Center Fielder Oh Seunggi for Five Years, 9 Billion Won>

Every team moved busily to strengthen its roster.

Then, on January 23,

the Spring Training roster was announced.

, Pitchers: Choi Gukyoung, James Wattner, Oliver Evans, Choi Cheolmin, Choi Ilhyun, Kang Hyunwoo...

, Hitters: Kim Taeyoung, Park Hyunsu, Alex King, Park Hyeongchan, Oh Seunggi... Kim Nahan, Park Gyumin, Kim Minseok.

And there,

my name appeared proudly among them.