Chapter 15
15. An Agent Needs to Be Good at Talking
A private training facility introduced by Ian Kim.
Seo Ji-tae repeatedly went through his pitching motion.
“Hoo!”
Dozens of biomechanical sensors were attached across Seo Ji-tae’s upper body and pelvis like a spiderweb.
When he finished his pitching motion with a heavy breath, tracking cameras installed in front of him scanned his movement down to the skeletal level and displayed it on a monitor.
[If you want to reach Major League Baseball, you need to strengthen your body even more. According to the measurements, you still have room to grow taller, so we won’t push you too hard. First, we’ll correct your mechanics for higher velocity and strengthen the areas supporting those mechanics.]
It was the latest markerless motion-capture equipment and kinetic-chain analysis system Ian Kim had brought in from America right after they signed the contract.
“This is exactly the kind of equipment I needed.”
Seo Ji-tae carefully studied the ground reaction force and pelvic rotation axis displayed on the screen.
He had already finished the basic stage of training, correcting arm action by throwing balls of different weights.
This is the advanced stage.
Now, the force beginning at his toes needed to travel through his pelvis and torso before reaching his fingertips.
Not even one percent of that energy could be wasted.
He was setting up his body with the precision of a machine.
Ian Kim had repeatedly warned him.
[If you want to become successful as a unique switch pitcher, you need to work even harder than everyone else.]
Seo Ji-tae required much more complicated and precise corrections than ordinary pitchers.
He was not simply throwing with both arms.
His left arm used a three-quarter delivery.
His right arm used a submarine delivery.
The two mechanics were completely different.
Normal training that tried to synchronize left and right sides equally could actually harm him.
The training Seo Ji-tae was doing now was designed to separate his two completely different pitching mechanics so that their muscle memory would not interfere with each other.
At the same time, both sides of his core were being independently optimized to withstand the asymmetrical rotational axes.
My goal for my fastball is 170 km/h.
The coming Major League trend would become an era of velocity revolution.
Even starting pitchers would throw more than 160 km/h.
If he wanted to overpower Major League hitters, he needed to sweat.
“Haa… This really is brutal. Still…”
A faint smile appeared on Seo Ji-tae’s face.
Ian Kim had set up exactly the environment he wanted within a single day.
The real preparation for destroying the American stage was proceeding smoothly.
Three days later.
The living room of Seo Ji-tae’s house.
His parents looked noticeably exhausted as they sat on the sofa.
For several days, countless acquaintances had contacted them.
Their son’s controversial statement had dominated websites and news.
“What are we supposed to do about this?”
They had already expressed their opposition.
But they did not feel comfortable.
They wondered whether their unnecessary worries might be blocking a talent that had shocked Korean baseball.
That deep anxiety and guilt weighed heavily on their shoulders.
Then a strict-looking man appeared in front of them.
His hair was neatly slicked back.
Silver-framed glasses rested on his face.
“Hello. My name is Ian Kim. I’m a sports agent.”
Ian Kim sat politely across from them with the living room table between them.
Then he gave a gentle smile.
“You must be very worried.”
When dealing with baseball teams or Seo Ji-tae, Ian Kim had been cold as ice.
But now, his expression and tone were completely different.
He had transformed into the warmest and most trustworthy person in the world.
“Mr. and Mrs. Seo, it is completely natural for parents to feel anxious about sending Seo Ji-tae alone to such a distant country.”
Ian Kim’s gentle opening words slightly relaxed their stiff expressions.
“The American minor leagues are still an extremely difficult and harsh environment for a young player to survive alone. Your decision to oppose his plan was completely reasonable.”
First, empathy.
He did not criticize them.
Instead, he told them their feelings were understandable.
The parents’ defensive attitude began melting away.
Seo Ji-tae quietly sipped cocoa beside them.
Ian Kim continued controlling the atmosphere with light personal conversation before entering the main topic.
“Ahem.”
Once the atmosphere had softened enough, Ian Kim pulled a laptop and a thick, neatly bound portfolio from his bag.
He placed them on the table.
Now his true speaking ability began to work.
“Returning to the main issue, there is no way for Seo Ji-tae to enter Major League Baseball without passing through the minor leagues. So the real question is what conditions we need to secure in the minor leagues so he can be called up as quickly as possible.”
Ian Kim opened the documents and adjusted his silver-framed glasses.
The gentle tone in his voice slowly became sharper and more confident.
“Big-market teams such as New York Bronx and the LA Stars are currently offering enormous amounts. One and a half million dollars. Two million dollars. Converted to Korean currency, those are offers worth more than two or three billion won. Impressive, aren’t they? On the surface, they look extremely attractive.”
Seo Ji-tae’s parents cautiously nodded.
Ian Kim’s expression became firm.
“But Mr. and Mrs. Seo, you should throw contracts like these away immediately. The money is a trap.”
Silence followed his sharp declaration.
“These big-market teams already have unbelievably deep Major League rosters. There often isn’t even an available position for a prospect to move into. The reason they spend huge money collecting Asian prospects is simple. They throw dozens of them into the minor leagues and treat them like lottery tickets. They only need one of those tickets to win.”
Ian Kim quickly flipped through the visual materials he had prepared.
Behind the glamorous signing bonuses were very different records.
Cases of highly rated big-market prospects who failed miserably.
Surgery records.
Stories of players collapsing because of poor diets and inadequate management.
Everything was displayed clearly.
“They train while eating only bread…”
“There isn’t even a dedicated coach? They only do group practice, then get told to train alone? That’s basically neglect.”
Seo Ji-tae’s parents could not close their mouths after seeing the disturbing information.
“Anyone will become exhausted if they receive poor management, survive on dry bread and peanut butter, then spend endless hours traveling on buses. Careful and systematic management is the only way Seo Ji-tae can fully survive in the unfamiliar Major League system and become the best.”
Disturbing information.
Perfectly organized logic.
Ian Kim completely controlled the atmosphere.
“That is why you need me.”
Ian Kim turned to the final page of the portfolio.
“Once he signs an international amateur contract, he’ll probably begin in rookie ball. In my judgment, Seo Ji-tae should have no problem reaching Triple-A within one year.”
“Really?”
“If he receives proper management.”
Ian Kim was skillfully raising and lowering the parents’ emotions.
On the laptop appeared footage of minor league facilities and training complexes under construction.
“As the information shows, not every organization simply abandons its young players. Some teams genuinely pay attention to player development. In particular, many small-market teams carefully manage their prospects because they depend on them.”
The parents swallowed nervously.
They could not take their eyes away from Ian Kim’s explanation.
“Careful management of his pitching schedule in the minor leagues, access to modern biomechanics training, a dedicated interpreter, and dietary management. If a team does not guarantee every one of these conditions in writing, we will never sign that contract. I, Ian Kim, will eliminate the exact problems you are worried about before they can happen.”
“My goodness… Can you really do that?”
“Trust your son’s talent. I’ll find organizations that truly care about their prospect farm system, then share everything with you before we make any decision.”
At some point, the conversation had become Ian Kim’s personal talk show.
Seo Ji-tae’s parents were completely captivated by the magician named Ian Kim.
That afternoon.
Tears of relief appeared in Seo Ji-tae’s parents’ eyes.
At last, they willingly stamped the parental consent document Ian Kim presented.
Seo Ji-tae clapped.
“You’re saying almost the same things I did, but somehow you make small-market teams and starting in the minors sound amazing.”
“The same words can feel completely different depending on how they’re packaged.”
Now that his parents had given permission, neither of them slowed down.
One week later.
Seo Ji-tae and Ian Kim sat together in an office with a laptop between them.
Reports from twelve of Major League Baseball’s thirty teams were neatly arranged across the table.
All twelve had submitted official offers for Seo Ji-tae.
“As expected, the Stars and Bronx offered the most money. The Stars offered 2.4 million dollars, with additional incentives if you reach the Major Leagues directly. Bronx matched them at 2.4 million. Boston Crimson offered 1.8 million.”
Seo Ji-tae pushed those reports aside.
“Let’s remove them. They aren’t the best organizations for developing me in the minor leagues. The Stars already have a crowded starting rotation, and Bronx and Crimson prefer proven veterans over developing prospects. Their call-ups are slow.”
“That’s the correct way to think about it. If a team’s Major League roster is blocked, avoiding them is best no matter how much money they offer.”
Ian Kim nodded and pulled another stack of documents forward.
“Then what about the Seattle Orcas or Tampa Bay Signal? The Orcas offered 1.8 million dollars with interpreter and housing support. Signal offered only 1.2 million, so they’re being cheap, but their pitcher development system is excellent.”
“Seattle isn’t bad. Tampa Bay probably has the best pitcher development system, but…”
Seo Ji-tae let his sentence trail off.
If they looked only at development, Tampa Bay Signal was excellent at training pitchers.
The problem was that Seo Ji-tae would be entering through a minor league contract.
“My first priority is a team that will pay attention to me even in the minors, and a team with good facilities that will invest in my training.”
“You understand this remarkably well. Tampa Bay Signal may be the best organization for developing pitchers. Their weakness is that their facilities are slightly behind some others.”
Ian Kim adjusted his glasses and looked at Seo Ji-tae with surprised eyes.
A seventeen-year-old who understood more than simple team strength and even understood how front offices operated was extraordinary.
“Then the only remaining options are rebuilding teams near the bottom of the standings. That list includes…”
“What about the Houston Apollos?”
Seo Ji-tae chose without hesitation.
His eyes stopped on the word “Houston” near the bottom of the report.
A strange light appeared in Ian Kim’s eyes.
“The Houston Apollos are currently a punching bag that loses nearly one hundred games every year. Their offer is also much smaller, around one million dollars, similar to Signal.”
“What about the training facilities? I heard they’re investing heavily.”
“…Correct. Their front office has recently become obsessed with TrackMan data and modern training methods. They also pay attention to their minor league system. They were actually one of the teams I planned to recommend along with Tampa Bay Signal.”
Ian Kim gathered the remaining reports and smiled sharply.
“Do you want to go with Houston?”
“If we compare Tampa Bay and Houston for my development, which is better?”
“Houston is perfect as Plan A. Houston’s General Manager Gaff is difficult to deal with, but that’s my job. You don’t need to worry about it.”
At last, Seo Ji-tae had chosen the team he wanted.
The cold and calculating agent immediately prepared for war.
“Of course, we can’t enter negotiations with only one card. We’ll use the Seattle Orcas, who promised strong interpreter and housing support, and Tampa Bay Signal as leverage. Let’s make the Houston Apollos general manager sweat properly.”
“Sounds good. I’ll keep building my body.”
The two shook hands and separated.
Two months passed.
Ian Kim traveled between Korea and the United States, fighting through fierce private negotiations.
He regularly contacted Seo Ji-tae and updated him on the situation.
[The Houston Apollos disagree with our requested minor league appearance schedule. I’ll quietly leak information to the media that we’re speaking with the Seattle Orcas.]
[The Seattle Orcas are unexpectedly aggressive. But their minor league training environment is below Houston’s. More importantly, the Apollos have already completed their new facilities.]
While Ian Kim fought his war across America, Seo Ji-tae locked himself inside the training center and quietly built his body.
Seventeen years old.
An age where his body was still rapidly growing.
After two months of a systematic diet and pitching-balance correction, Seo Ji-tae’s body had already developed beyond what it had been before his regression at the same age.
He had originally been 180 centimeters tall.
Now he had grown another two centimeters, approaching 182.
I didn’t pass 182 centimeters until next year before regression. Am I going to grow even taller this time?
More importantly, his shoulders, back, and core had become noticeably thicker.
Before, his body had simply looked like that of a flexible and athletic high school student.
Now muscle had begun developing throughout his frame.
He was starting to carry the physical presence of a real pitcher.
Seo Ji-tae removed his sweat-soaked shirt and caught his breath.
At that moment, the phone sitting on the bench vibrated.
Caller, Agent Ian Kim.
It had been several days since his last call.
Seo Ji-tae quickly wiped his hand with a towel and answered.
“Yes.”
“I finally forced the Apollos general manager to wave the white flag.”
Ian Kim’s voice over the phone was unusually excited.
“Personalized player coaching, unlimited use of the newest training facilities, a dedicated interpreter, and a dietary manager. Every condition we demanded has been written into the contract, without leaving out a single word.”
It was Ian Kim’s victory.
The corner of Seo Ji-tae’s mouth rose.
“Then I’ll come see the contract.”
“You’ll be even more surprised when you arrive.”
After Ian Kim’s call, Seo Ji-tae headed toward the office in a better mood than ever.
