Off-Season in Hawaii: Golden Prospects Emerge
During the off-season, players finally escaped the suffocating schedule of the regular season and savored their freedom. But even so, professional athletes couldn't neglect their body maintenance. In that sense, Hawaii was one of the ideal spots to spend the winter. The warm weather provided perfect conditions for training, and as a famous resort destination, it allowed for relaxation at the same time. That's why Hawaii was a popular choice for baseball players' overseas training camps.
Reporter Lee Young-gon had come to Hawaii to cover the players training there. Currently, quite a few overseas pros and prominent domestic stars were in town. Having scheduled a five-day reporting trip, Lee Young-gon had been meeting players one by one to fulfill his itinerary. Now, only his final interview remained—and it was the part he was looking forward to most.
Before being a reporter or columnist, he was an avid baseball fan who loved the sport deeply.
It's been too quiet for far too long.
In his career, Lee Young-gon had met countless players and written articles and columns about them. Among them were league superstars, journeymen scraping by on average skills, and bright young prospects with promising futures. And what he enjoyed writing about most were those prospects.
Prospects on the cusp of blooming weren't yet in the spotlight. But when they matured, they became the superstars that fans went wild for. Imagining what kind of player a prospect might become was one of the greatest joys in Lee Young-gon's life as a journalist.
But lately, that joy had been diminished. While the U.S. and Japan kept producing monster rookies that shook up baseball, Korea hadn't seen talent like that in ages. There was a thing called a "golden generation"—when a bunch of same-year rookies rose to stardom, that cohort earned the label. Korean baseball hadn't had one in years. Lee Young-gon himself realized it had been ages since he'd used the term "golden generation" in an article or column.
And now, after so long, he was writing a column titled just that. It was heartening news not just for him personally, but for Korean baseball as a whole.
Taking a taxi, Lee Young-gon finally arrived at the training spot where Yoo Min-hoo and his group were working out. After paying the fare, he headed toward the open lot in front of their lodging. Crisp batting sounds rang in his ears.
Crack!Crack!
Hearing the clean, resounding cracks of the bat scattering shots everywhere, he couldn't help but smile contentedly.
Looks like they're doing great.
As he walked toward the source of the noise, Lee Young-gon figured it was either Lee Ho-seok or Kim Yong-su at the plate. But as he approached, a puzzled look crossed his face. Standing in the batter's box was a well-built foreigner. Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-su had stepped aside and were observing the foreigner's batting stance.
Wait, that guy... I've seen that face somewhere before?
Staring at the foreigner—Jack—with a baffled expression for a moment, Lee Young-gon's face soon lit up with shock.
It's Jack Brown!
Spotting the major league legend coaching two Korean power-hitting prospects, Lee Young-gon stood frozen in place for a while. Then, Jack—who had been slowly assuming a batting stance and explaining technique to Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-su in a mix of English and halting Korean—noticed the dazed reporter and gave him a curious look.
"Who are you?"
At Jack's words, Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-su turned their gazes to Lee Young-gon as well. Recognizing the reporter who'd hounded them since high school, they looked puzzled.
"Reporter Lee?"
"How've you two been?"
Adjusting his bag, Lee Young-gon pulled himself together and greeted them warmly.
"I'm Lee Young-gon."
"Jack Brown."
Pausing training, Jack moved to the shade on one side of the lot for a break and exchanged greetings with Lee Young-gon. The reporter spoke fluent English.
"I was shocked, honestly. Never dreamed Jack Brown himself would be coaching these two on hitting."
"Well, my son asked me to."
Jack chuckled in response. Lee Young-gon seized the moment.
"What do you think of them, Mr. Brown?"
He eagerly awaited the evaluation from a slugger who'd crushed nearly 600 career homers in the majors. For Lee Young-gon, there couldn't be better column fodder.
"Both are excellent. Better than I expected."
Jack glanced toward the plate, where the two were practicing swings in stance.
"That Yong-su kid has power, great plate discipline, and hitting sense to boot. And he's smarter than he looks. Guys like that go far. Ho-seok has real presence at the plate. He hunts for the big one. Not a do-it-all hitter like Kim Yong-su, but he could absolutely anchor a cleanup trio—threatening enough for any team. Impressive, especially as a catcher."
"Lee Ho-seok's skills behind the plate are top-notch too."
"That's impressive."
Jack's words weren't lip service—they were genuine praise. Lee Young-gon felt a surge of delight. Then he noticed someone missing and frowned curiously.
"Where's Roy?"
"Roy's out running. Should be back soon."
Running made up more than half of Yoo Min-hoo's training. Ever since serious workouts began, he'd been pounding the pavement relentlessly. He invested so heavily in running to build rock-solid lower body strength and boost his stamina.
For now, he held a bullpen spot, but he had his eyes on the rotation. Running at a blistering pace, Yoo Min-hoo would dash to the beach near the lodging and back before diving into pitching drills.
But a few days ago, he'd run into a slight snag.
"Oh, you're back! You're back!"
A woman in a bikini, lounging on a beach bench, waved cheerfully at Yoo Min-hoo.
"Running hard again today, huh?"
She beamed at him. Yoo Min-hoo stopped and replied to her friendly greeting.
"I wouldn't think watching someone run is that entertaining."
"Yeah, you're right. It's not."
She—Lena—shrugged at his words. Yoo Min-hoo sighed.
"Like I thought three days ago, aren't you way too nonchalant? Usually, guys would be panting and swarming if a girl like me talked to them."
She pouted, furrowing her brow. Yoo Min-hoo shot back.
"Not everyone's like that."
Lena made a bored face at his response. They'd first met three days earlier. Yoo Min-hoo's running route was fixed: a straight shot along the beach back to the lodging. A handsome, athletic guy running at the same time every day had piqued the curiosity of some female tourists on the beach, including Lena. They'd struck up a casual chat by chance, and that's how they'd gotten friendly.
"I heard pro athletes chase women like crazy. You don't?"
Yoo Min-hoo just shrugged in lieu of an answer. He had no interest in casual flings.
"By the way, I saw another baseball player using this as a running route—not you. Teammate?"
"I train with some guys, but they don't run all the way out here."
"Yeah? Makes sense—you said you're Korean. That one was Japanese. Oh? Here he comes."
Lena pointed excitedly at something. Yoo Min-hoo spotted a tall guy matching his own height.
He tilted his head, staring.
Wait, that face looks familiar.
Narrowing his eyes in thought, Yoo Min-hoo soon recalled a name.
Suzuki Toji.
He was one of Japan's top pitchers. Twenty-two this year, in his third pro season. After high school, he'd joined a pro club, seized a rotation spot as a rookie, and won Rookie of the Year. Year two: team ace with a 2.86 ERA and 14 wins. This year, his third: 17 wins, 2.57 ERA, establishing himself as a league monster.
Yoo Min-hoo knew of him not from following Japanese ball, but because in the future, Suzuki would thrive as an ace in the majors too.
Running along, Suzuki Toji locked eyes with Yoo Min-hoo for a moment. After a brief glance, he looked away and kept running, vanishing from view.
Like before, running into familiar players feels weird.
"Hmm, he's handsome too—almost as much as you."
Snapped from his thoughts by Lena's voice, Yoo Min-hoo said,
"Guess I'll head out then."
"Hmph. Fine."
Lena huffed sharply and headed back to the beach. Yoo Min-hoo gave a wry smile and resumed his run.
Waiting for him back at the lodging was none other than Lee Young-gon, snapping photos of Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-su's batting practice. Spotting Yoo Min-hoo, the reporter lit up.
"Oh, Min-hoo! How've you been?"
"What brings you here, Reporter Lee?"
"Covering training, of course. Heard you guys were here from Ho-seok."
Yoo Min-hoo nodded.
"I know you're busy with training, but mind a quick interview?"
Yoo Min-hoo nodded at the smiling reporter.