Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Start of the Starting Lineup Competition
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Setting goals is important.
First, establish a grand ambition as your big goal.
Then, set and achieve smaller goals that help you reach that big one.
And it's even better to start with goals smaller than those.
Play as a starting player for a pro team and win the championship!
Reward: ???
As Choi Seung-taek returned home from the team office, text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
This message presented him with an incredibly daunting goal, and he couldn't help but sigh the moment he saw it.
"Is this the goal I have to achieve? Isn't it a bit too cliché?"
Choi Seung-taek grumbled at the system's objective.
"Hoo..."
Choi Seung-taek let out a deep sigh.
Of course, this was the goal he wanted to achieve, but he knew the road ahead was long.
It might look like one goal, but it was actually two overlapping ones.
1. Win the pro league. 2. Become a starting player.
The previous goal he'd received upon returning—getting picked in the upper rounds—was far easier than this one.
In that case, the opponents were high school players, not pros, and their skill levels varied widely.
Players like Go Tae-san, who were outliers, were intimidating, but most others weren't so scary.
But this was the pros' stage.
Even players like Kang Tae-pung or Lee Tae-yang shuttled between the first and second teams, liable to vanish at any moment.
Choi Seung-taek himself had endured only to choose retirement in the end.
The pro stage was different.
Even among skilled baseball players, making it into a pro first-team lineup was tough, and locking down a starting spot was no easy feat.
For some, just getting drafted by a pro team was the goal; for others, appearing in the first-team lineup even once.
'Enter the first-team lineup, play as a starter, and win a championship? That's way too demanding.'
Especially for Choi Seung-taek's position of catcher, which took a decade of honing to perfect.
'Can I even achieve that? Even becoming a proper starting catcher will take at least five years.'
In that sense, coming to the Daejeon MacPhies was both good and bad for Choi Seung-taek.
On a top-tier pro team, you naturally couldn't play right away.
Because every position was already held by formidable veterans.
On a new or lower-ranked team, there were openings to challenge for.
That meant it was easier to crack the first-team lineup and gain experience faster.
Choi Seung-taek's situation was the same. But the downside that came with it was...
'The Daejeon MacPhies aren't a team that can win a championship.'
Therefore, the goal the system had given him now was impossible for him to achieve.
Just win with the Daejeon MacPhies, right?
'The Daejeon MacPhies... they'd need to collect Dragon Balls just to make the postseason... tsk.'
Then joining a championship-caliber team was the answer, but those teams' catcher corps were never weak.
He couldn't switch teams at will either. Trades required the club's approval, and free agency was years away.
So Choi Seung-taek decided to ignore that damn goal for now. Winning a championship was something even he might not achieve before retiring.
Pushing aside the championship-related goal, Choi Seung-taek first set some immediate targets.
1. Train hard and improve my skills.
Choi Seung-taek checked his current status. Everything except his batting form looked lacking.
'There's still something I haven't checked.'
If Choi Seung-taek played in pro games, his question was whether those stats would rise faster.
From what he'd seen of the system's mechanics so far, playing games seemed key to improving abilities.
'To do that!'
2. Make the first-team lineup.
Choi Seung-taek rummaged through the player data he'd received from the head coach.
He pulled out the files on catchers and began organizing them.
'First, I need to know my competitors.'
Choi Seung-taek recalled the second-team catchers and developmental players he'd faced during the wrap-up camp.
Fortunately, he was ahead of them, so he only needed to focus on the first-team catchers.
The Daejeon MacPhies' current first-team catchers were three: Jeong Kyung-ho, Park Geok-po, and Jo Woo-su.
Choi Seung-taek began jotting down notes on the three catchers.
Jeong Kyung-ho.
A catcher cultivated by the Daejeon MacPhies for years, he'd started as their main catcher from last season.
All his hitting stats were rock-bottom. He barely maintained a .200 average and could drop to .100 anytime.
His defense was also subpar, but after Jo Woo-su joined last season, he'd improved somewhat under his coaching.
'I don't get why this guy's the starter. He's not much different from me. With effort, I might even surpass him.'
Choi Seung-taek was satisfied to have a reachable rival.
Park Geok-po.
A veteran backup catcher shuttling between first and second teams.
His steady defense was his strength, but like Jeong Kyung-ho, he hit in the low .200s and had nagging minor injuries.
Likewise, after Jo Woo-su's arrival, he'd received coaching and gained pop-time skills, boosting his caught stealing ability.
Choi Seung-taek specifically checked Park Geok-po's defense stats.
'A bit tough, but with effort, I can catch up.'
Then Choi Seung-taek checked the final player.
Jo Woo-su
A veteran with experience under Manager Han Geun-seong alongside Woo Jeong-geun.
Having worked with Han Geun-seong at the Gangbuk Sparrows, he was now an aging player but still highly skilled.
'My most dangerous rival. Or can I even call it a rivalry?'
Choi Seung-taek confirmed the stats.
'Wow... But he's too old now, so stamina must be a burden.'
He still had solid stats and was a catcher the manager had used before, so Jo Woo-su seemed likely to become the starter soon.
Seeing Jo Woo-su's stats made Choi Seung-taek think sticking to backup duties might be best.
'He'll retire in a few years anyway, right? Until then, think of him as a good mentor. But I won't yield that backup spot. Compete with the other two and survive.'
Choi Seung-taek pulled out the pitcher data he'd brought.
'And to survive here, I need to impress the manager. That starts with knowing the pitchers well.'
Choi Seung-taek reorganized the players likely for the first-team lineup.
Starting Pitchers
Shin Jeong-woo
Oh Myeong-wol
Choi Seung-taek felt grim.
No matter how he looked, these were the only two viable starters.
'Add two foreigners here, and test someone for the last spot. Insane.'
Letting out a deep sigh, Choi Seung-taek began checking the bullpen pitchers.
Relief Pitchers
Yoon Jeong-jin
Kwon Gyu-jin
Seo Chung-seong
These were the Daejeon MacPhies' decent pitchers.
Meaning two starters and three relievers—that was it.
The rest were guys who got shelled whenever they came up.
Last place had its reasons.
Wiping his dry face, Choi Seung-taek recalled the few positives.
They all consistently hit average velocities in the 140km/h range, and their breaking balls seemed controllable enough.
Looking again, those FA signees seemed essential.
At least they wouldn't get hit around and would eat innings properly.