Spring Camp (2)
Thwack!!
“Run!!”
There were no cheers or roars from the crowd since it was just a practice game, but the shouts from my teammates carried straight across the field, making it feel even more real.
Kim Kang-jun, our leadoff hitter, cracked a sharp liner between center and left field off Oh Kyung-eun's slider. He had read it perfectly. Despite his young age, he had great speed too, rounding first and sliding into second before anyone knew it.
“Nice!!”
Even in a practice game, the players cheered hotly and celebrated. The score was 12-9, with us holding a three-run lead. Kim Kang-jun was already up for his fourth at-bat, having reached base three times on two hits and a walk. He was scorching against the opponent's foreign starter, Maya—a level of performance you wouldn't expect from a seventh-round pick.
All the guys we'd thrown in today—Kang Hyun-jun, Kim Kang-jun, Kim Sung-ha, and Lim Byung-yoon—had put up solid numbers, signaling a strong start for our bats. But Choi Tae-won and Lee Ji-seung, who came in after our starter Song Young-shin imploded, hadn't shown much and got yanked early. We'd given up a bunch of runs because of it.
The two rookies had flamed out, but the results weren't bad overall. Choi Tae-won had decent control but couldn't get his velocity up, and he lacked a finishing pitch. He won counts but couldn't close them out. Lee Ji-seung was off on both control and speed. He definitely wasn't big-league ready yet.
But the spin on Lee Ji-seung's pitches kept the ball from carrying far. The problem was his slow stuff and shaky command got him pulled quick. Their failures gave us clear lessons and paths forward.
Thwack!
No. 2 hitter Kim Sung-ha ripped a single, and Kim Kang-jun raced home from second to score again.
Our lineup: 1. Kim Kang-jun, 2. Kim Sung-ha, 3. Seo Gun-cheol, 4. Park Byung-hyun, 5. Yoo Jun-han, 6. Lee Geun-taek, 7. Lim Byung-yoon, 8. Park Won-dong, 9. Kang Hyun-jun.
It was damn near perfect. No weak spots anywhere. And the bench was stacked too: Yoon Min-seok at first, Kim Soo-ji and Seo Dong-hoon at second and short, Kim Sung-min at third, and Go Jong-hoon and Park Do-heon in the outfield. Yoon Min-seok and Kim Sung-min were legit starter-caliber right now. Our hitting depth was insane—if the pitchers could just hang in there, these guys would provide all the run support we needed.
We pounded their arms silly and called the scrimmage after the sixth because their pitchers were getting torched.
Kim Tae-hyun, the new manager of the Seoul Bears, came over after the sixth and said, “Let's wrap it here for today.” I figured we'd gotten everything we could out of it, so I agreed.
“The Heroes are a team to watch this year.”
“You think so? Thanks.”
He complimented me as he left the park. But I didn't take it at face value. The Bears hadn't shown their full hand today. You always hold a little back before the season to gauge each other.
We didn't have that luxury. During spring camp, we had to see how much our rookies had grown—whether they were immediate impact guys or projects for next year. So we went all-out from the jump. The players fighting for spots had to prove themselves right away, and that meant even fiercer competition.
Even so, the score stayed close. Today's game drove home that we needed to focus more on pitching development than hitting.
After the game, I called in chief coach Lee Cheol-gang and pitching coach Son Hyeok-su for a meeting.
“What'd you think today?”
“Song Young-shin got hit around too much as the starter. Needs to bump that velocity.”
“I agree with the chief. With his command locked in, a little more heat would make him a real handful.”
Lee Cheol-gang and Son Hyeok-su were on the same page. Song Young-shin's status window said the exact same thing.
“Yeah, same here. What about Choi Tae-won and Lee Ji-seung?”
“Still a ways to go. Not sure they're first-team material this year.”
“Hmm... You think?”
“Lee Ji-seung's made huge strides since switching to pitching just over a month ago, but it's still too soon.”
“Same for Choi Tae-won. We could give him a shot in the majors, but starter? Nah.”
“Let's focus on pitcher growth through spring camp. The bats already look pretty complete.”
“No, the hitting's great, but defense is the issue. If our gloves were airtight, Lee Ji-seung wouldn't have crumbled like that.”
Lee Cheol-gang pushed back on me. He had a point—Lee Ji-seung's spin kept balls from flying out, but our infielders misplayed a few routine ones, making it tougher on him.
“True. We'll need to lean on defense coach Hong Won-sam too.”
The meeting dragged on as coaches trickled in one by one. I didn't pull rank as manager—I listened to them. If they were wrong, I'd steer us my way, trusting the status windows. Most times I was right, so they respected that vibe.
“So how we sorting defensive positions? Too many infielders. Kim Kang-jun's DH-only for now.”
“What if we split first base between Yoon Min-seok and Park Byung-hyun?”
“Park Byung-hyun's glued to first. Yoon Min-seok's too good to sit—put him at third?”
Hong Won-sam shot that down quick. Made sense—Yoon Min-seok's current stats were elite. Kang Hyun-jun had higher potential, but Min-seok was better now.
“Then third's crowded with Yoon Min-seok, Kang Hyun-jun, and Kim Sung-min. Who's the starter?”
“Shift Hyun-jun to the outfield? His arm's coming along—he can handle it. Main guy Yoon Min-seok at third, Kim Sung-min backs up third and short.”
The coaches threw out ideas freely. These lifers knew their stuff. Our heated debate didn't wrap until late evening. We mapped out improvements from today's game and set training plans. Next up against the Changwon Dinosaurs, we'd see the results.
...
Kang Hyun-jun started drilling outfield as Hong Won-sam suggested.
“Huff... huff... huff...”
Infield needs quick feet; outfield demands stamina to chase balls and a cannon arm. Back with the Eagles, we'd built Hyun-jun's shoulder for third—and power. Now in the outfield, it looked plenty strong. A year of insane training under me had paid off.
“How's outfield treating you?”
“Never done it before, so it's tough... but I'll work hard.”
Hyun-jun's loyalty to me was unreal. Most guys would've been thrown by a sudden shift, but he just dove in. Kim Kang-jun was out there too, getting defensive reps. Couldn't be DH forever.
The two rivals pushed each other. Both ex-Eagles, they were tight and clicked great—learning from each other's moves.
Thwack!!
Kang Hyun-jun in left sprinted like mad and snagged the coach's fungo.
“Good! Nice read on that one! In the outfield, your first step decides if you catch it or not. Instinct on pitcher and hitter—go!”
Hyun-jun and Kang-jun nodded, locked in on Hong Won-sam's words. Their fire was contagious, turning rivalry into synergy.