The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 41

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 41
Vroom— screech.
The engine of the old bus fell silent.
A quiet that marked the end of a long journey.
Through the window, I could see the familiar Quakes Home Stadium parking lot.
The players who stepped off the bus clutching the championship trophy wore expressions caught between exhilaration and melancholy.
In that moment, Taylor descended the bus steps and stood before them.
He removed his cap and ran his hand through his hair.
Not the stern manager of usual.
His expression was that of a kindly neighbor who had weathered an entire season alongside them.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
Taylor’s gaze swept across each player.
“The championship itself was wonderful, but the process you showed was even more magnificent. Thank you for enduring my nagging all year. Rest well. And next season….”
Taylor paused. The Minor League Baseball world is merciless.
More than half of those here might be released or forced to quit baseball next year.
That’s why he, more than anyone, understood that “see you next time” was a promise without guarantee.
Yet Taylor smiled.
“Wherever you go, I hope you continue to love baseball. Dismissed!”
“Thank you, Manager!”
“We appreciate your guidance!”
The players began gathering their belongings and dispersing one by one.
Some had family waiting to pick them up, others called for taxis.
Some simply gazed blankly at the sky.
Each player’s season was concluding in its own way.
Then Taylor called out three names.
“Casey, Mark, and Soo-ho. You three, come see me for a moment.”
The four of them then moved to Taylor’s Director’s Office.
The desk that had been cluttered with strategy boards and documents all season was now neatly organized.
Taylor sank into the worn leather sofa and gestured for the three to take their seats.
“Sit down. No need to be nervous. I’m not here to scold you.”
Soo-ho, Mark, and Casey sat down hesitantly.
Though they had just been the architects of the championship on the ground, they were as quiet as students called to the principal’s office.
Taylor gazed at the championship trophy on the table for a moment before speaking.
“Time is short, so I’ll get straight to the point. First, Casey.”
“Yes.”
Casey lifted his head.
Taylor looked at him with a satisfied smile.
A first-rounder. A genius. A troublesome one, but ultimately the finest talent who never hesitated to get his hands dirty for the team.
“You did really well this year. Without you, we wouldn’t have even made the playoffs, let alone won the championship.”
“…I know.”
“Yeah. That unlucky confidence of yours is still going strong.”
Taylor chuckled.
“The organization has made a decision. Next season, you’re being promoted to High-A. Depending on how you perform in Spring Training, you might even jump straight to Double-A.”
Casey’s body trembled slightly.
It was the result I’d anticipated.
But hearing it directly from the Manager’s lips carried a different weight.
Recognition always felt good, after all.
“Go out there and do well. Your talent is beyond question. And don’t forget to show your best in the Arizona Fall League you’re heading to. That place is crawling with monsters like you.”
Casey spoke matter-of-factly.
“I’m confident.”
“Good. But remember this. That stolen base you pulled off in this championship. That play where you threw your body on the line for the team. If you don’t forget that spirit when you reach the higher leagues, you’ll step into the Major League much faster than you think.”
Casey continued to exude confidence.
This time, I simply nodded without speaking.
Then Taylor’s gaze shifted toward Soo-ho.
“Soo-ho.”
“Yes, Manager.”
Taylor looked at Soo-ho and fell into thought for a moment.
An old rookie who’d failed in Korea.
At first, I’d thought he was simply a diligent player.
But this guy had created a miracle.
He was like a benefactor who’d given me the hottest flame at the end of my baseball life.
“You… honestly speaking, your promotion to High-A isn’t confirmed yet.”
Soo-ho’s expression remained calm.
It was clear he already knew.
Everything about his age and career was ambiguous.
“But the door is open. If you perform in Arizona the way you have here, promotion is as good as guaranteed.”
“Thank you. For giving me this opportunity.”
“No, you created this opportunity yourself.”
Taylor leaned forward and looked directly into Soo-ho’s eyes.
“Go out there and show them. That the baseball you played here works even among those monsters. Prove that you weren’t wrong. Then the organization won’t have any choice but to acknowledge it.”
This wasn’t really a manager’s directive.
It was more like encouragement from a fan who believed in Soo-ho’s baseball.
“Give it your all. You’re a player who deserves it.”
Soo-ho felt something heavy settle in his chest.
Taylor was the first adult I’d met since coming here who believed in me completely.
Moreover, Alex, who’d taught me the mechanics, had said it was on the Manager’s recommendation.
Soo-ho stood up and bowed deeply to Taylor.
“I will prove it without fail.”
Taylor was clearly placing his faith in me.
That’s why he’d written the recommendation letter, wasn’t it?
I wanted to repay that kindness.
‘I will never tarnish the Manager’s name.’
Taylor nodded with satisfaction, then turned to the last remaining person.
“And Mark.”
At Taylor’s call, Mark flinched.
Truth be told, he was dying of envy watching Soo-ho.
Casey was a first-rounder, so that was a given.
But Soo-ho’s circumstances weren’t so different from his own.
They had both joined the league late.
Yet Soo-ho’s trip to Arizona had already been decided.
That meant the organization had acknowledged Soo-ho’s rapid growth in a short span, and it was a clear signal that they intended to develop him as a core prospect going forward.
‘I’m really envious.’
He thought he’d done reasonably well himself, but compared to the impact Soo-ho had shown, it felt pathetic.
He’d been emptying his heart, thinking he’d just hear some praise and that would be the end of it.
“You’re going to Arizona too.”
Mark’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
“Me? Me? Why, why?”
Confusion burst forth before joy could even register.
Why him?
Objectively speaking, it made no sense.
Casey had dominated the league all season, and Soo-ho had transformed the team’s entire identity in a short time.
But him?
Sure, his performance had been solid since joining, but the sample size was too small.
Even as the cleanup hitter, he’d done his job, but if you asked whether it was an overwhelming performance worthy of sending three players from Low-A to Arizona in a single year….
‘I don’t know….’
He wasn’t confident.
Yet the organization had chosen him?
Mark’s mind rapidly calculated the possibilities.
And his gaze landed on Soo-ho sitting beside him.
‘Ah. I see.’
Soo-ho’s benefit.
The fact that he was the teammate who meshed best with Soo-ho, and the player who had first embraced his leadership.
The organization—or the Manager—had bundled him in as a package deal to facilitate Soo-ho’s adaptation and synergy.
Despite his size, Mark was quick to read situations.
Once he grasped the picture, a smile spread across his face.
Was his pride hurt?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
If anything, he was grateful.
The Arizona Fall League wasn’t a place you could go just because you wanted to.
So what if he was going as a 1+1 deal thanks to Soo-ho?
In the end, it was I who seized that opportunity, and all I had to do was go there and prove myself.
As a result, I had earned a place on the Baseball Club’s list of promising prospects they were keeping an eye on.
Mark sprang to his feet and bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much!”
“Yeah. Go out there and do well. You’ve got plenty of talent.”
Mark grinned widely and added with casual confidence.
“I’ll keep staying close with Soo-ho, so don’t worry about that part.”
Taylor let out a dry laugh.
“Ha. For someone so big, you sure are perceptive, aren’t you?”
Taylor didn’t deny it.
But he made sure to drive his point home.
“Of course, let me say it again—I only made a recommendation. The Baseball Club made the final decision. They looked at your footage and your stats, and that picky Farm Director Kevin gave his seal of approval.”
Taylor’s gaze turned serious.
“You’ve caught the Baseball Club’s eye too, so don’t go there feeling inferior. Understand?”
“…Yes, sir! Thank you!”
Mark’s voice rang with newfound strength.
The knowledge that he wasn’t just a bonus addition, that his own potential had been recognized, truly empowered him.
Taylor was a true mentor in that way.
He genuinely cared for these young men like a father would his own sons.
Taylor stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm… it seems like we’re done here… wait, no. There’s one more thing.”
Something had occurred to him, and his eyes lit up.
“You absolutely have to do well in Arizona. Does anyone know why?”
Casey showed no particular interest.
Soo-ho shook his head, clearly confused.
Even Mark, who knew the baseball world inside and out, furrowed his brow in bewilderment.
Taylor chuckled and continued.
“Only if you do well there will you get a real chance next February.”
That’s when Mark’s eyes, belonging to someone who understood the mechanics of baseball better than most, suddenly widened.
February. For a baseball player, that month meant only one thing.
“Wait… you don’t mean… Spring Training?”
“That’s right. Exactly.”
Spring Training.
The period when Major League Baseball clubs gather in warm Arizona or Florida ahead of the regular season to build their bodies and play exhibition games.
Where superstars you only see on TV all show up.
It was literally the stage of dreams.
Normally, players at the Low-A or High-A level wouldn’t dare even dream of such a place.
They were meant to train in the Minor League Baseball camps, eating dust.
But Taylor was opening up that seemingly impossible possibility for them.
Of course, he didn’t forget to draw a realistic line.
“To be honest, even if you three hit a thousand in the Arizona Fall League and turned every hit into a home run, you still couldn’t make it to the Major League.”
It was a cold, hard fact.
To get called up to the Major League, you first need to be on the Baseball Club’s 40-man roster.
But these three weren’t even on that list yet.
Of course they weren’t.
The 40-man roster was reserved for core assets and immediate reinforcements that the Baseball Club didn’t want to lose to other teams.
There simply weren’t enough Major League spots to spare for raw prospects who’d just graduated from Low-A.
“But Spring Camp doesn’t just bring in 40 players. Add in the invited players, and you’re looking at 60. Sometimes even 70.”
Taylor’s eyes gleamed.
“Invited player. That’s what you three should aim for.”
Taylor continued.
“Of course, even if you become invited players, you’ll be packing your bags and getting sent to Minor Camp within the first week. I guarantee it. You’ll be cut 100%.”
The three fell silent at the Manager’s bold proclamation.
But Taylor smiled with a knowing grin.
“Still, that one week will change your baseball lives.”
Catching a legendary pitcher’s throws from behind—the kind you’d only see on television.
Mimicking an MVP batter’s hitting routine right beside them.
Just breathing that air would give a prospect invaluable experience that money couldn’t buy.
And if you even caught the eye of the coaching staff?
Your path to promotion would accelerate beyond imagination.
“If you show good form in the Arizona Fall League, you’ll definitely get invited to Camp. So give it everything you’ve got.”
Taylor finished with those words.
He was truly a tree that gave without reservation.
His connections, his knowledge, his expertise.
He was pouring out everything he could give.
The reason was simple.
He genuinely wanted these three to succeed.
They had realized the dream of One Team that he’d abandoned and forgotten.
They were his benefactors who’d reignited the passion that had long been dormant within him.
Most of all.
Once they left, he might never see them again.
They would move up, and he would stay here, waiting for the next batch of raw prospects.
Which is why this might be goodbye.
Taylor felt like a parent sending their child away to a distant land.
He wanted to pack them a lunch box and extra spending money if he could.
‘No, that’s not quite right….’
Calling himself a parent was a bit of a stretch.
He too had received something from them—pride.
A gift that couldn’t be traded for anything else.
It was better to see himself as a fellow traveler walking the same path.
“Go on now. I’m tired.”
Taylor waved his hand dismissively and leaned back in his chair.
It was a gesture meant to conceal his embarrassment.
The three players rose from their seats and answered in unison.
“Thank you so much!”
Mark and Casey left first.
Soo-ho, about to be the last to leave, stopped in his tracks.
He turned back toward Taylor and bowed deeply once more.
“Manager. Thank you truly. I will never forget this.”
Knowing the weight of sincerity behind that greeting, Taylor replied with deliberate gruffness.
“Now go pack your things.”
But until the moment the door closed, the smile lingering at the corners of Taylor’s mouth never faded.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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