A Catcher’s Precious Value and the System’s Power to Become a Power Hitter
No matter which position a player occupies, a power hitter is invaluable. So even if his batting average drops or his defense falters, as long as he shows power-hitting talent, the club will not release him.
If a hitter has power, the club can let him play other positions or even use him as a designated hitter in the lineup, and only if he truly has no defensive value will he be sent to the bench as a designated hitter.
That is why catchers who possess power are truly precious. Among catchers, quite a few players train at first and third base and switch positions to play in games precisely because of this reason.
Pitchers are the same. A pitcher who can throw a fastball even if he struggles with command will not be released.
A pitcher with a fastball is an irreplaceable resource. A hitter with power-hitting talent is something no one can simply wave away.
For that reason, Choi Seung-taek had to change his hitting style. To survive longer and attract more attention, he had to become a power hitter.
During his four years in the professional leagues, he had built up his defensive skills through hardship, yet he had been evaluated lower than Ha Seung-yoon. There must have been a reason for that.
Baseball presents a clear dilemma in player management.
A pitcher with elite velocity versus a pitcher with elite command. The manager, who needs reliable results, will naturally opt for the latter. But the front office desperately wants to develop the former.
Ultimately, it is because the fastball pitcher carries the potential to explode for a jackpot. That is why the club never lets them go. They invest years in refining command and never trade them away.
The same logic applies to hitters.
Even a hitter with a .100 batting average who possesses power, or a hitter who consistently delivers a .250 or higher, the manager will choose the latter. But the former cannot be released either.
The latter may be discarded if his average keeps dropping, but the former cannot be released because of that single home-run moment.
Even so, the club never gives up on a power hitter. If Choi Seung-taek had been a power hitter, the old club would never have offered him retirement.
Choi Seung-taek recalled the most impressive hitters from his memories.
The most striking one had been James, the New York Yankees star he watched during his American trip.
A talented player who blasted home runs and was hailed as the best hitter. Watching him destroy 160-kilometer-per-hour fastballs from major-league pitchers had captivated him.
From James, Choi Seung-taek had understood why hitters swung the way they did in America and why his own swing had failed.
He also realized he needed to develop a swing capable of facing pitchers like Go Tae-san.
“Then I should try James’s form.”
[James’s form cannot be registered.]
“Huh? What does that mean? Register?”
[Current information on James’s complete form is insufficient, and no additional data can be acquired at this time.]
Of course. James had not yet debuted in the major leagues.
“Damn… Then I’ll go with Plan B.”
Choi Seung-taek recalled another hitter from his memories. The perfect hitter, Nelson of the Los Angeles Angels.
[Nelson’s form can be registered. The synchronization rate function will activate once additional information is gathered.]
“Sync rate?”
[The metric that shows how closely a player’s swing matches the target form. The higher the percentage, the more accurate the form.]
Choi Seung-taek used Park Gayoung’s phone to search for major-league video footage.
There were many videos of his debut swing from 2011.
[All information has been collected. Synchronization rate activated.]
At that exact moment, morning class ended.
“Then I’ll check it.”
Choi Seung-taek handed the phone back to Park Gayoung and immediately dashed back to the dormitory at top speed. He wanted to practice his hitting form as quickly as possible.
“You hit well today… ah… I won’t lend it to you tomorrow.”
He had wanted to talk with Park Gayoung even a little, but since he had simply handed her the phone and left, she felt a twinge of disappointment.
“An excellent choice.”
Kim Min-jae secretly cheered inside. He had once again found material to tease Choi Seung-taek.
Choi Seung-taek quickly changed into his uniform and arrived at the indoor practice field ahead of everyone.
His body already thrummed with excitement because he had planned to train with the new form.
[Visualizing Nelson’s batting form.]
A virtual Mitchell Nelson appeared in front of the T-ball Choi Seung-taek was about to swing at.
Whip!
Nelson executed a flawless swing on the T-ball.
[As you swing more similarly to this form, the synchronization rate will rise.]
“Good. Got it.”
Choi Seung-taek stepped up to the T-ball.
Thwack!
[Sync rate 4%. Proficiency increased by 0.1%.]
“Proficiency?”
[High synchronization rate delivers a high effect whenever you hit. But to hit naturally, you must acquire proficiency in the form alongside high synchronization rate.]
“Ultimately, practice is the answer. Yes, I see. Let’s try it.”
Choi Seung-taek sent another T-ball up.
Thwack!
[Sync rate 5%.]
Choi Seung-taek still had a long way to go.
* * *
In the meeting room of a professional club, the discussion was in full swing. The overall atmosphere was heavy because the team’s performance had been poor.
“This year was a disaster. Morale is nonexistent. What should we reinforce? The second-round draft is coming soon. Have you prepared who to select?”
The general manager’s words at the head of the table made the scout team manager stand up.
“Our strategy analysis team’s priority is the battery.”
“We acquired a catcher through a trade this time. He’s performing well. Why the need?”
“The original starting catcher suffered serious injuries… Additional reinforcement is required.”
“Hoo, seriously…”
The scout team manager displayed data on the screen.
“We plan to contact Chae Soo, who is a free agent with the Gwangju Pigeons. We’ll also strengthen the battery with a capable catcher in the second-round draft.”
“Reinforcement on two fronts? Is that necessary?”
“Given that the starting catcher has been injured often and the traded player is older, we need two immediate options.”
“So do you have a catcher already considered for the rookie pool?”
The scout team manager advanced to the next screen.
“First, the top catcher prospect currently is Ha Seung-yoon from Buma High.”
“You’ve heard of him, right? The catcher who’s been paired with Go Tae-san, who went straight to the majors. Plus, his batting average is high. An offensive catcher will be a big help.”
“Correct. But he’s not immediate. We should keep a close eye on him for now.”
“That’s fair. We can’t just plug a rookie into the first-team lineup. Is there any ready-made catcher?”
The general manager muttered that there could be no ready catcher among rookies, but the scout team manager moved to the next screen.
“There is. Choi Seung-taek from Suseok High.”
“What? He exists?”
The general manager startled.
“Yes. We’ve been watching him closely since the Q Series quarterfinals. Especially after the second-team manager of the Incheon Cranes, Park Wangyu, commented on him, he’s been mentioned in multiple places.”
“What’s he like? His hitting isn’t great. A defensive type?”
“Yes, he’s a defensive catcher. After hearing Park Wangyu’s comment, we immediately assigned the strategy analysis team to evaluate him.”
“So what was the result?”
The scout team manager played a clip from Choi Seung-taek’s Q Series quarterfinal performance.
“Useful information. Watch the video and you’ll see that Gangdong Falcons pitcher Kang Taepoong lacks command.”
“Indeed.”
“However, Choi Seung-taek is consciously practicing framing and often calls half a strike on pitches that should have been balls. He never lets a strike be called a ball either.”
“So he already has the basics?”
“Precisely. At this level, he’s already worth three options. Plus, there’s another point worth noting: his shoulder and footwork.”
The scout team manager played the next video. It showed Choi Seung-taek attempting to pick off a runner.
“The first situation is somewhat disappointing. While chasing an outside runner, he picked the wrong pitch—a changeup instead of a fastball—so the throw was late. Still, his pop time was 1.98 seconds, which is excellent.”
And then the second pickoff attempt.
“That was the second pickoff situation. This time he read it correctly and used a pitchout, which brought his pop time down to 1.85 seconds.”
“Definitely impressive.”
The general manager’s expression showed interest.
“The strategy analysis team’s evaluation is that he can be sent straight to the first-team roster with no major defensive problems.”
“So he exists.”
“Still, there’s a slight risk. He hasn’t performed that well until now, but only woke up during the Buma game and only did well that day.”
“Hmm… Then we should cautiously reach out. Don’t promise anything definite yet. Just indicate that we’re watching and give him the impression that we’re leaving room.”
“Understood. By the way, one of our team members is from the same school as the Suseok High coach. We’ll approach through that friend, who says he knows the face.”
“Good. Does that friend still have games left?”
“The President’s Cup remains.”
“Then let’s see how he performs in the President’s Cup and decide.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then how about the pitchers?”
The scout team manager advanced to the next screen.
“Unfortunately, all A-grade prospects have already been selected in the first round. So we’ll have to pursue free agents.”
“Who’s the free agent?”
“We should consider Park Hyuk, a middle reliever from the Daegu Eagles.”
“Bring in Park Hyuk? Are you confident?”
“Yes. We’ve already been cautiously contacting him.”
The general manager of an unknown club showed a troubled expression.
“Hmm… Proceed.”