Chapter 14
14. He Needs an Agent
6:30 in the morning.
Dawn had barely begun to fade.
The narrow alley in front of an old multi-family building on the outskirts of Seoul was filled with an unusual atmosphere.
“Aah, it’s already been five days. Still, I can’t neglect my training.”
Seo Ji-tae planned to go on a light morning jog.
But something about the neighborhood felt strange today.
Normally, this was a quiet, unimpressive street where only an early delivery truck might pass.
This morning was different.
Three polished black luxury sedans stood in a line with their engines off, filling the narrow alley.
Foreign men in suits and interpreters stood around the cars, anxiously waiting for someone.
“Seo Ji-tae has already withdrawn from school.”
“Then he must be staying at home. This really is the best time to approach him.”
On their chests were logo pins that even people who knew little about baseball might recognize.
The “NY” logo of New York Bronx.
The “LA” logo of the LA Stars.
They were Far East Asian scouts from two of the biggest empires in Major League Baseball.
They were waiting in this narrow alley just to secure one first-year high school player before anyone else.
Five days had passed since his explosive live television declaration.
They were waiting for the unbelievable prospect to appear.
In the quiet dawn, all of them stayed alert.
Then their patience was rewarded.
“There he is!”
The heavy metal door opened.
Seo Ji-tae appeared in a light gray tracksuit.
The heavy silence in the alley instantly disappeared.
The scouts moved toward him together like predators finding prey.
The Stars interpreter reached him first.
“Seo Ji-tae! We’re from the LA Stars. We watched your incredible pitching at the Golden Lion Tournament and your interview. The Stars are already prepared to offer you the maximum amount available from our international prospect bonus pool, the total limit available for signing bonuses. This would be the best treatment ever given to an Asian amateur player.”
He spoke almost as fast as a rapper.
Yet every word was perfectly clear.
His speaking skill was impressive.
The Bronx representative immediately pushed forward too.
“We represent New York Bronx. Whatever the Stars offer, we guarantee something higher. Become the owner of a pinstripe uniform. We have funds ready and can sign a preliminary agreement today.”
Seo Ji-tae calmly looked down at the stiff business cards being pushed toward him.
“Stars and Bronx? Those are famous teams.”
Seo Ji-tae smiled at the glamorous team logos and the word “Scout” written in English.
Huge signing bonus offers were being thrown at him through the interpreters.
The reaction of an ordinary seventeen-year-old high school student would have been obvious.
His legs might have gone weak.
His heart might have pounded out of his chest from excitement.
But Seo Ji-tae’s pulse was no different from when he went jogging in the early morning.
It remained completely calm.
They even brought interpreters. They’re really putting in effort.
Before regression, Seo Ji-tae had traveled through several countries.
English had been necessary for communication.
He had even learned some Spanish, enough to roughly understand Latin American players.
“How much did you say you’re willing to offer?”
The maximum international prospect bonus pool.
Converted directly into Korean currency, it meant billions of won.
More than enough money to make national headlines and earn the envy of everyone around him.
The total Major League international bonus pool in 2012 was around 2.9 million dollars, wasn’t it? But the conditions matter more than the number.
Seo Ji-tae was not obsessed with the flashy amount.
He understood better than anyone the cold reality hidden behind Major League organizations.
“You could’ve just called me.”
“We wanted to meet Seo Ji-tae personally as quickly as possible.”
An obvious question.
An obvious answer.
Scouts were salesmen in their own way.
Waiting outside someone’s house before dawn was merely a way of showing “effort.”
“But wouldn’t getting called up be difficult with both of your teams? Even if an Asian prospect performs well, people naturally want to keep using the player they already spent tens of millions of dollars on.”
“Most elite prospects spend one or two years developing in the minor leagues. With your ability, you will survive.”
“But neither of your organizations is especially known for carefully managing players in the lower minor leagues, right?”
The scouts’ expressions changed.
They were about to brush it off by saying every prospect faced the same conditions.
Seo Ji-tae immediately attacked that weak point.
To American clubs, a young Asian high school prospect is just a slightly expensive lottery ticket. If you scratch it and hit the jackpot, great. If not, you throw it away.
They offered huge signing bonuses as sweet bait.
Then they threw the player into rookie ball or Single-A, the bottom of the minor league system.
The scouts quickly smiled again.
“Of course the minor leagues are difficult. We can’t deny that. But someone like Seo Ji-tae can overcome it. Our scouts will visit regularly. Depending on the contract, you can also receive help from our coaching staff.”
“I also care about how well I can develop in the minors. I can’t make a rushed decision.”
What waited for him there was not the glamorous and romantic Major League lifestyle.
Players could be thrown into old clubhouses with ten other people.
Or forced to live in cheap motels.
The food?
For a Korean player, it could be unbelievably poor.
Sometimes a peanut butter sandwich was the entire meal.
And the schedule could be brutal.
Players were packed into old buses without proper air conditioning for trips lasting more than ten hours.
And in 2012, the treatment is still terrible. Minor league conditions won’t really start improving until after 2020.
Seo Ji-tae remembered many stories.
Countless Asian prospects had quietly collapsed under that ruthless system.
He had seen enough of them even in independent leagues.
Seo Ji-tae had no intention of making the same stupid mistake.
The KBO at least takes care of top rookies when they arrive. That means I need a Major League team that will pay attention to me even in the minor leagues.
What he needed was not simply a giant signing bonus entering his bank account.
He needed a team willing to invest in his environment throughout the minor leagues so he could reach the Majors.
And I need someone who can choose that team and negotiate for me.
For that, he needed a ruthless negotiator who could force teams to accept his demanding conditions.
Seo Ji-tae accepted the business cards the scouts offered.
“I heard your offers.”
Seo Ji-tae’s calm reaction surprised them.
The scouts from two organizations every baseball player dreamed of joining immediately realized he was different from most prospects.
“But detailed conditions and money aren’t something we should discuss in a narrow alley before sunrise.”
The interpreters looked surprised.
The Bronx and Stars scouts exchanged uneasy glances.
“Soon, I’ll arrange an official negotiation through my agent. We can discuss your final offers then.”
He had just declared that detailed clauses would be negotiated through an agent.
There was no young prospect here overwhelmed by famous team names or huge bonus numbers.
He was not begging an agent to send him to one specific team either.
That was right.
Effort and sincerity were nice.
But the contract details came first.
The scouts realized their bait had not worked at all.
The Stars scout hurriedly urged his interpreter to ask another question.
“A-An agent? Have you already signed with an agency?”
“Not yet. I need to find one now. I’ll contact you after that.”
Seo Ji-tae casually stuffed the business cards into his tracksuit pocket.
Then he lightly stretched his ankles.
His eyes were already past the scouts.
They were fixed on the jogging route stretching into the distance.
“I need to start my morning routine now. Could you move out of the way?”
His voice was firm enough that no one could argue.
Even in front of scouts from Bronx and the Stars, Seo Ji-tae remained completely calm.
He walked leisurely through the frozen adults.
Then he began running into the misty morning alley.
Behind him, the scouts hurriedly called their American headquarters, their voices filled with confusion and excitement.
