The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 7

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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 7
Frank Lambert returned to the Hotel Lobby after concluding the meeting and settled into a chair, taking a measured sip of warm coffee.
His gaze remained penetrating, yet a satisfied smile played across his features.
Alan Powell, his assistant, produced a sheaf of documents and extended them forward.
“Here are the relevant documents.”
Alan handed over the papers, his voice tinged with subtle admiration.
“To think you’ve selected two players from this tryout. I’ve never seen you do this before.”
Respect colored Alan’s words.
Typically, discovering even a single promising prospect at an Independent League Tryout was considered a success once a decade.
This time, he had selected two players—Soo-ho and Mark—and Soo-ho had even come from the KBO Minor League.
Major League Scouts traversed the globe observing countless prospects.
Yet actual contract signings were rare enough to count on one’s fingers.
Particularly from an unproven Independent League stage.
Recommending two players simultaneously to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a prestigious organization, was uncommon even for a heavyweight scout like Frank Lambert.
Of course, scouts from other organizations often signed any player who caught their eye, rushing into contracts first.
And naturally, most of those endeavors ended in failure.
But Frank was different.
He saw through potential, evaluating how well a player would mesh with the organization’s system.
And above all, he valued whether they possessed genuine hunger for baseball.
Frank set down his coffee cup and spoke softly.
“Yes. I was fortunate.”
Humility infused his words, yet Alan understood it was far more than mere luck.
Frank had perceived what other scouts could not, drawing upon decades of accumulated experience and intuition.
“Now we must send the scouting reports for these two players to the organization.”
A scouting report.
The most critical document in Major League evaluation of prospects.
It assessed a player’s technique, mental fortitude, and potential on a scale from 20 to 80 points, with detailed commentary appended.
This report wielded decisive influence over the organization’s front office and manager’s player acquisition decisions.
For batters, the categories included batting accuracy.
Power.
Base running.
Defense.
And miscellaneous factors such as arm strength and teamwork—five categories in total.
An 80-point rating represented talent that defined an era—an ability unparalleled and incomparable.
For instance, the raw power of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, or Shohei Ohtani.
Or the keen eye of Juan Soto, Rickey Henderson, or Ted Williams.
The defensive mastery of Nolan Arenado or Matt Chapman.
It was the caliber of talent capable of winning the MVP award, bestowed annually upon the Major League’s most outstanding player.
Below that, 70 points represented exceptional talent.
The kind of ability that could earn a Silver Slugger or Gold Glove award.
A score of 60 represents superior talent exceeding Major League averages.
A score of 50 represents league-average talent.
A score of 40 falls below league average, while 30 and 20 indicate talent well below league standards.
“If you’d like to offer your assessments, I’ll document them. Shall we start with Mark?”
Frank didn’t hesitate.
“Mark, I’d give that player’s hitting accuracy a 50. As for his potential, I’d say 70.”
Prospect scouting reports capture both current performance and future potential.
“50/70, then. Looking purely at his contact skills, he’d be capable of performing in the Major Leagues. That’s quite impressive, though certainly without that injury, he would’ve been selected in the first round of the draft. What about his power?”
“Power is 60/80.”
“Wow. You believe he could become one of the Major League’s elite power hitters? Of course, I have no objections. His strength was truly remarkable.”
His speed came in at 30/40—his legs were slow.
Fielding was rated 45/50.
And throwing arm was 50/55.
Mental fortitude scored 60/70—a high mark earned from his relentless competitive spirit despite falling from grace due to injury.
“This guy is a real gem. Other scouts have been eyeing him too, so I’m grateful he agreed to take our club’s test. Shall we move on to the next player? Soo-ho.”
Frank Lambert began reciting Soo-ho’s scouting report categories one by one without waiting for Alan’s question.
His voice carried unwavering conviction mixed with subtle excitement.
“I’m giving his hitting accuracy a current score of 20. His batting average in the KBO Minor League—hovering in the .100s—says everything. But his potential is 70+.”
Alan’s eyebrows twitched. A current score of 20 was something you almost never saw in Major League scouting reports.
It was a score far below league standards.
Yet potential of 70 or higher? He’d never witnessed such an extreme evaluation.
“Frank, isn’t that… a bit of an overestimation?”
Alan expressed his reservations.
Frank smiled with ease, as if he’d anticipated Alan’s reaction.
“You don’t properly understand what that number means. The 20 is merely a score reflecting how dire his current state is. But the pure contact ability I witnessed in his swing yesterday was remarkable. The talent to generate that kind of exit velocity with arm strength alone is truly extraordinary. His potential is sufficient.”
Frank continued.
“Power is currently 30, with potential at 60++.”
Alan could offer no further objection.
Frank’s eyes blazed with certainty.
There were few players Frank Lambert held such conviction about.
“Base running is 80/80 currently.”
“I can’t argue that point. We confirmed how fast he runs during the test.”
“Fielding is 50/80.”
Frank and Alan hadn’t witnessed Soo-ho’s defense since he played as a designated hitter.
So they evaluated him based on KBO Minor League game footage.
His defensive range, agility, and split-second decision-making were overwhelming.
With refinement, he possessed the talent to become a Gold Glove-caliber defender in the Major Leagues.
“And I’ll give his throwing arm 50/60.”
“Excellent. What about mental fortitude?”
Deep admiration resonated in Frank’s voice.
“80 out of 80.”
Alan couldn’t hide his astonishment.
A mental fortitude score of 80. In Major League scouting, an 80 represented generational talent.
In other words, it was a score reserved only for Hall of Fame caliber players.
Especially a mental fortitude score of 80—he’d rarely, if ever, heard of such a thing.
“Are you absolutely certain about this…?”
Alan’s words carried a mixture of reverence and bewilderment.
Frank nodded.
“Exactly as you said—it’s the highest quality a baseball player can possess, something no amount of training can manufacture.”
Baseball was often called a mental sport.
“I see within him a diamond in the rough capable of thriving even in the Major Leagues. He’s the finest low-pick prospect with the highest expected return on investment.”
A low-pick prospect referred to a player who wasn’t expected to be selected highly in the draft.
Alan said nothing more.
He simply expressed his deep trust in Frank Lambert’s eye for talent.
Frank then delivered his final comprehensive evaluation of Mark and Soo-ho.
That is, their Overall Future Value score.
“Mark’s Overall Future Value is 65+. Without his injury history, he’d have been a lock for an early first-round pick. He possesses the potential to develop into a Major League starter, perhaps even an All-Star caliber infielder.”
Alan wrote that score down on Mark’s sheet.
Then.
“Soo-ho’s Overall Future Value is 70++. Currently, he’s a player with extreme strengths and weaknesses simultaneously. However, his overwhelming baserunning, defense, and mental fortitude represent top-tier tools rarely seen even in the Major Leagues. If his hitting is refined, he becomes an All-Star caliber player representing the league itself. He’s even a diamond in the rough capable of pursuing an MVP.”
Alan exhaled slowly.
“Wait… How does a first-round caliber prospect score lower than a KBO Minor League castoff? That doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s purely the potential he’d develop if he grew within our Dodgers organization. Our club possesses superior coaches and technical expertise beyond any other organization. However!”
Frank added his explanation in a lowered voice.
“The immediate question is whether these two players can even pass our club’s evaluation.”
“True. If they fail the evaluation, they can’t sign. All these scores we’ve assigned could become meaningless.”
* * *
Soo-ho headed to the restaurant to meet Mark.
Mark had finished his 9 o’clock meeting and was already waiting at the restaurant.
The moment Mark saw Soo-ho, he jumped to his feet.
“How’d it go? Did you pitch it well?”
Mark’s face brimmed with anticipation and excitement.
Soo-ho smiled and nodded.
“Yeah. It went well. We’re taking the Los Angeles Dodgers evaluation test.”
At Soo-ho’s words, Mark clenched his fists.
“Me too! Wow! This is insane! The Dodgers! Of course, we haven’t passed yet, but still.”
Soo-ho tilted his head curiously.
“I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
“You had other clubs reaching out to you too, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. But I was only looking at Frank, you know?”
“Yeah. But what if all those clubs are offering tryout tests?”
Mark shook his head.
“That’s not it. Some of them would’ve offered Minor League contracts right away.”
“Then why….”
“Why did I choose the riskier path? The reason’s obvious. First, it was because of Frank. And because it’s the Dodgers. You know the Dodgers, right Soo-ho? I bet if other clubs had approached you too, and the Dodgers were among them, you’d have made the same choice as me.”
After a moment’s thought, Soo-ho nodded.
‘That’s true.’
The Dodgers possessed the most exceptional prospect farm system among all Major League clubs.
Prospects belonging to the organization eventually played in the Major League, but the Dodgers had an unusually high number of them.
This meant they possessed the most superior development system.
I could understand Mark’s choice.
Setting aside my thoughts, I asked quietly.
“But what’s the format of the test? Who’s coming?”
“The drafted guys won’t be coming. They’re all under contract already. But.”
Mark’s expression turned serious.
“Mostly Undrafted Free Agents like us—players who weren’t selected in the draft but caught the organization’s eye for their potential. In other words, hidden gems who either didn’t appear in the draft or went unpicked. The Dodgers are remarkably skilled at finding such players. While scouts from other clubs miss them, the Dodgers scouts—those called geniuses—have perfected the art of discovering and developing them directly.”
Mark paused and swallowed hard.
“And there could be prospects brought in through international contracts. Young prodigies from Central and South America, Europe, and Asia. Sometimes even Minor League castoffs with prior professional experience come seeking another chance.”
In essence, it was a gathering of those who might be unknown to the world but were considered geniuses by the Dodgers’ eye for talent.
At Mark’s explanation, tension settled across Soo-ho’s face.
This was an entirely different dimension from the Independent League Tryout.
A true arena of competition.
Then there was no time to waste now.
“Mark. We have two weeks until the test, right? Let’s train together.”
“W-wait, really? I’m pretty confident even without separate training….”
“Then help me out. I can’t stay as I am now to pass the next test. I need to win against stronger opponents.”
Soo-ho continued calmly.
“I won’t just ask you to teach me. I’ll cover everything I can—meals, lodging, everything.”
“You have no idea how expensive things are in America….”
Mark shook his head repeatedly.
Soo-ho’s eyes, like an active volcano, seemed unmoved even by a typhoon.
“Fine. I’ll help.”
The moment Mark gave his final approval, Soo-ho clenched his fist tightly.
Gaining a reliable ally in this unfamiliar American land would prove to be tremendous strength.

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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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