"So, Coach, you've made up your mind?"
Ochiai asked one last time.
"I've decided…"
Coach Kataoka's tone was decisive.
"This decision of yours is quite unexpected. Even Zhang Han himself might not understand it."
Just because you are wholeheartedly good to someone doesn't mean that person will be grateful.
Especially in a situation like this, Zhang Han's strenuous performance on the pitcher's mound, his purpose was clear to anyone with eyes.
He didn't want to give up the pitcher's mound, nor did he want to give up competing for the Ace position.
Even if it meant using his right hand, he was willing to try.
Kataoka's attitude remained firm.
"He's a smart kid; he'll understand."
"Then let's talk about the other players. Besides the excellent performance of Furuya Satoru in this game, there were a few other rookies who performed commendably. Coach, how do you plan to arrange them?"
He possessed a keen eye for strategy and could discern a player's potential and future development direction.
He had a very effective way of guiding players.
Manager Ota was still mumbling, wanting to say a few more words.
Ochiai had already given up on that idea and started considering other issues.
With Ochiai's change in attitude, the four giants became 3:1. Among the three, there was also Kataoka, who held the deciding vote.
Even if Manager Ota had many more thoughts, he couldn't voice them at this moment.
He finally just mumbled a few times, without saying a single word.
"The truly outstanding performers, besides Furuya Satoru, are only three others. Kominato Haruichi's defense and hitting are both exceptionally outstanding, but his current stamina and physical strength are clearly still lacking significantly. I want to put him in the second team to accumulate game experience and also to improve his skills. Before the Summer Tournament, we'll see if we should promote him to the First string."
"Jinguuji is not inferior to Kominato in all aspects, and he is even stronger in terms of speed. Most importantly, his stamina and physical strength have already met the requirements for the First string. Let him train and gain experience with the First string in practice games first. If he's suitable, he'll continue to stay in the First string; if he can't keep up, he'll be sent down to the second team to train with Kominato Haruichi."
For the arrangements of these two players, Kataoka clearly hadn't made a temporary decision.
As early as when he served as an umpire and watched the welcoming game, he already had these thoughts.
Now, he directly stated them in front of the others.
The other three were very surprised by these arrangements.
They knew Coach Kataoka should be very satisfied with the rookies' performance. After all, this batch of freshmen was even more boisterous than Zhang Han's batch.
Moreover, in Zhang Han's batch, before the practice games, the coaching staff already knew the abilities of Zhang Han and Miyuki; they basically already qualified to join the First string.
Although their performance at the time was very good, it did not exceed the expectations of the coaching staff.
This batch of freshmen was different.
Besides Jinguuji, Coach Kataoka and the other coaches knew in advance that this kid's ability was extraordinary.
Furuya Satoru and Kominato Haruichi got in through regular entrance exams.
As for Sawamura, although everyone had some expectations, after all, he had previously struck out Azuma Kiyokuni.
After all, he came from soft-ball and had always been in teams that were eliminated in the first round. He himself hadn't undergone any professional training and was a pure grassroots pitcher.
The performance of these three players certainly delighted the higher-ups of Seido High School Baseball Team.
But precisely because of their backgrounds, no matter how excellent their performance was, it always made people feel a bit uneasy.
Even if Coach Kataoka wanted to promote and cultivate them, everyone still believed it should be done gradually, step by step.
But to everyone's surprise, Coach Kataoka's expectations for them were terrifyingly high.
Furuya Satoru was directly called up to the First string, and the other two players also had similar arrangements.
Jinguuji trained with the First string, and although Kominato Haruichi was in the second team, Kataoka was cultivating him as a First string player.
Currently, the First string roster is full. If they are truly promoted, it means that three First string players will be kicked out of the First string.
"Still, the third-year players are more reliable, right?"
Ota felt a pang of sympathy just thinking about that scenario.
If it was for a starting position and the freshmen were indeed excellent enough, then they should naturally be promoted.
After all, this directly related to the team's combat strength.
As for substitutes, if the freshmen didn't have a clear advantage, Ota clearly preferred to use the third-year veterans.
However, Kataoka did not give Ota any reply. He was closing his eyes, deep in thought. When Kataoka reopened his eyes, it meant he had made up his mind and would not change it.
"What about Sawamura? Coach, how do you plan to arrange him?"
Takashima Rei said.
This woman, who had personally brought Sawamura Eijun to Seido, felt that his performance in the welcoming game had not disgraced her.
At this moment, she naturally had to speak up for Sawamura.
When Sawamura was mentioned, Coach Kataoka's face showed a rare smile.
Even when discussing Jinguuji, his face hadn't shown such emotion.
"His quirk ball is very powerful. If he is properly cultivated, he should be able to become an important asset to the baseball team. However, he lacks too much game experience. There were many instances of misjudgment, and he can't even execute pick-offs properly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been in such a predicament later on."
"For now, put him in the second team and let him play in practice games. The more games he experiences, the more he will naturally grow. During regular practice, also have the second team players teach him more about what a qualified pitcher should do. If Chris and Zhang Han had gone all out from the beginning and organized the veterans to attack, his runs allowed would probably not have been less than double digits."
Although Coach Kataoka spoke with unusual severity, from his attitude, it was clear that he was undoubtedly quite lenient towards Sawamura.
"Alright…"
Takashima Rei was very satisfied with the answer Coach Kataoka gave.
Just as the several baseball team giants were deciding the future whereabouts of the rookies from the welcoming game.
Just as they were about to discuss how to arrange Chris and Masuko?
A knock sounded at the door, followed by Zhang Han's voice.
"Report!"
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