Tampa Bay Bears
Tampa Bay Bears. Based in St. Petersburg, a satellite city of Tampa, the port city in Florida, they were a relatively young team in Major League Baseball, which boasted many clubs with over a century of history. Founded as recently as 1996, their creation involved various complex circumstances, and their path afterward wasn't smooth either. But just five years later, with a change in ownership and a shift in the team's atmosphere, they established themselves as a competitive organization.
Representing the small-market teams of MLB, they excelled through smart management and relentless investment in scouting young talent, which meant their farm system was stocked with promising prospects even now. Notably, among MLB teams, Tampa Bay was the most aggressive in scouting international talent. And recently, Korean media had drawn a lot of attention to them for targeting Kim Yong-soo, seen as Korea's premier power-hitting prospect.
Now, that very Tampa Bay Bears had reached out to Yoo Min-hoo.
In this sudden turn of events, Yoo Min-hoo couldn't hide his bewilderment. Until late last year, he'd been mentioned as a first-round draft pick, monopolizing the interest of MLB teams. But now, with his shoulder injury clouding his future, a Major League club contacting him like this left him understandably flustered. On top of that, according to his father Jack, a scout was coming to their home that afternoon.
When he told his mother, Kim Mi-hyun, she looked equally stunned.
"Tampa Bay is coming to our house today for a contract meeting?"
"Yeah."
Kim Mi-hyun wore a dazed expression as Yoo Min-hoo spoke during breakfast.
"Who told you that?"
"Dad. He just called."
"Hmm, this is all so sudden."
She muttered in confusion. She'd anticipated something like this ever since her son started playing baseball and showing talent, but now that it was right in front of her, she didn't know how to handle it. In America, her expert husband would have taken care of it, but they were in Korea now, and he was back in the States.
"Well, it's not like they're signing right away. Probably just presenting an offer or something."
In truth, the scouts' real target was likely Kim Yong-soo, not him.
'Did they see me at the Golden Lion Tournament?'
Tampa Bay's scouts were notorious for their thoroughness. Even if he was pitching right-handed now, the odds were high they'd recognized him.
After breakfast, Yoo Min-hoo sat in the living room, turned on the TV, and checked the time. Plenty of hours left. Though his eyes were on the screen, his mind delved deep into what kind of offer they'd make and what choice he should make.
Ella, who'd slept in late, made a huge fuss when she heard about the Tampa Bay scouts coming. She knew her little brother was amazing, but she also knew his status had plummeted after the injury. Direct contact from an MLB team in this situation was hugely encouraging.
"If you get signing money, buy me a car."
"……."
Yoo Min-hoo stared at her wordlessly in disbelief at Ella's absurd demand. Feeling awkward under his gaze, she averted her eyes slyly.
"Ask Dad for one."
She grumbled softly at that.
"So, when are the scouts coming?"
"Around 2 p.m., I think."
"Hmm."
Ella crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully. It was 11 a.m. now—three hours to go. Yoo Min-hoo spent the time playing games with Ella and such.
After lunch, as 2 p.m. approached, the doorbell rang. Kim Mi-hyun answered to find a middle-aged American man. Yoo Min-hoo watched from the living room as the two entered.
The man introduced himself as Wayne Logan, scout for the Tampa Bay Bears. He greeted Roy with a kind, amiable smile, standing to shake hands. Ella watched from the corner of the room with keen interest.
Kim Mi-hyun brought two glasses of orange juice from the kitchen and set them down. Wayne Logan smiled and said,
"Perfect timing—I was thirsty. Thank you."
After wetting his throat with the juice, he continued.
"Doesn't Jack Brown ever come to Korea?"
Kim Mi-hyun nodded.
"No. For rehab, it's better to avoid noisy environments and stay out of the press's eyes in a quiet place. If my husband came to Korea with us, it'd get pretty chaotic."
Wayne Logan nodded in understanding.
"Makes sense. With Jack Brown around, not just American reporters but Korean ones too would make a huge fuss. Still, as a personal fan, I'd love to meet him someday."
He muttered with regret. Indeed, Kim Mi-hyun's husband, Jack Brown, was the kind of figure whose mere presence drew media attention.
Jack Brown. Career batting average .282. 2,132 hits. 1,726 RBIs. 567 home runs. A legendary home-run hitter representing modern MLB, ranked 12th all-time in homers, he was Yoo Min-hoo's stepfather. At 44 this year, he'd retired from pro ball six years ago, but his records kept him popping up at MLB ceremonial first pitches occasionally. He'd debuted with the Boston Red Gloves, finished with the Seattle Dolphins, but true to his Boston legend status, retired there—his number 21 permanently retired.
In any case, Jack Brown's existence was precisely why Yoo Min-hoo had to return to Korea. Even as his son from a remarriage, an Asian son of Jack Brown was always media fodder. And with Yoo Min-hoo's own pitching talent, the attention was intense. In his previous life, he'd suffered greatly under the weight of his father's name, rushing rehab recklessly and ruining his arm.
Wayne Logan, leading the conversation, turned to Yoo Min-hoo.
"Anyway, glad to see your shoulder rehab is going well. When we heard about your injury, scouts from a lot of teams were worried."
"Is that so?"
Yoo Min-hoo responded flatly, making Wayne Logan pause briefly before continuing.
"Things had gone quiet, so we were puzzled. Then I came to Korea and was shocked—what do you know, Roy Yoo was pitching right-handed in games."
Wayne Logan exclaimed in admiration. Yoo Min-hoo gave a wry smile.
"Didn't want to lose my game feel. Lucky it went better than expected."
"……."
Wayne Logan took another sip of juice.
'Hmm. Personality's way different from the reports.'
Scouting reports covered not just physical stats but personality, family background—everything beyond baseball. Yoo Min-hoo was America's famous lefty fireballer prospect. As a scout, Wayne knew his report inside out: diligent, proactive in training, high pride, emotional temperament. He'd planned to butter him up with praise to make a good impression, but Yoo Min-hoo was calm and businesslike. It threw Wayne off a bit.
"So, I heard from Dad you're here about a contract?"
Yoo Min-hoo cut to the chase. Wayne Logan nodded.
"Yes. Tampa Bay wants you. We've talked to the GM, and he's positive about signing you as an international amateur."
Yoo Min-hoo had gone to school in America, but his nationality was South Korean. If he'd been in an American high school, they'd need the draft. But in Korea, they could sign him like any international prospect without wasting a pick. Tampa Bay had moved fast knowing that.
Yoo Min-hoo pondered silently before speaking.
"One question."
"What?"
Wayne Logan looked puzzled as Yoo Min-hoo tapped his left shoulder with his right hand.
"I've had major shoulder surgery—pretty fatal for a pitcher. Why come all the way to Korea to sign me?"
Wayne Logan looked awkward at the blunt question. He'd never expected this. With the shoulder injury, no team wanted Yoo Min-hoo right now. But Tampa Bay did—because he was playing right-handed. They'd already gathered intel via their network on his post-surgery status and rehab, confirming it was nearly perfect. The injury was serious, but with flawless surgery and rehab, given his age, regaining his form wasn't impossible—that was their assessment. Plus, no competition meant a low signing bonus.
"Our team sees your comeback positively."
Yoo Min-hoo nodded. Wayne Logan pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.
"We're thinking this for the signing bonus."
Yoo Min-hoo scanned the document inside, eyes landing on the final figure.
USD 500,000
"……."
In his previous life, he'd barely gotten a bonus before joining a minor-league team. This was huge. After a pause, he nodded, slipping the paper back.
"I get Tampa Bay's position. But I can't answer right now."
"Mm. Understood."
Wayne Logan nodded understandingly and stood.
"Roy, know that our team went out of its way for you."
"I do. It's more than I deserve right now."
Wayne Logan silently watched Yoo Min-hoo nod with a wry smile, then said goodbye to Kim Mi-hyun and Ella before leaving.
Checking the time as he stepped out, he noted it hadn't taken long.
'Different from the image I had.'
He murmured to himself, glancing back at the house.
'Calm, deep thinker. And call it a scout's instinct, but…'
He took a deep breath.
'I have a strong feeling he'll become a massive star.'
Wayne Logan's impression of Yoo Min-hoo was that profound.