It’s winter. Stove League this year was also full of various stories. Among them, there was news that young players were retiring early. It was pitiful. ‘Why? I thought it might be too early. I didn’t understand at first.
I thought about it again. When I tried to objectively read the players’ minds, I realized that I was too biased toward the position of the manager, coach, and team. Athletes enter the pros through fierce competition. However, there are many cases where they stay in the second group and the salary remains the same. This is because spots in the first team are limited. Athletes whose future plans are unclear find it difficult to find motivating factors. In the end, he takes off his uniform with his own hands.
There was also a case where the club dried up a player who actually wanted to quit. Faced with the reality of not having a place of his own, the player said he wanted to go out into society as soon as possible and have a new experience. He would have decided that it would be better to get a reward for his efforts in another world. In fact, in the case of the United States, it is said that players with good athletic ability prefer to receive a large salary by advancing directly to the North American Ice Hockey League (NHL) rather than the American Major League (MLB). This is because in baseball, you have to live in the minor leagues for at least two years to advance to the major leagues.
This is a story I had over dinner with an acquaintance who is a representative of a company. He said, “These days, many young employees say they easily move to another company or quit to enjoy their lives. That’s why I’m worried,” he confessed. Instead of building a long career at a company and becoming an executive, they say they are leaving for a place where they can enjoy a high salary right now and the life they want.
Professional baseball players have no way to change teams voluntarily. In order to transfer, there is only trade except for free agency (FA), but trade is between clubs. It is rare that the intention of the player who is the party is actively reflected. Also, the intentions of the opposing team as well as the team you belong to are important. Only when the cards are right can the contract actually be concluded. In fact, players have no choice.
If so, is there any way for the club and the players to achieve a win-win? How about clubs giving more active direction to the players, and players developing a competitive edge to form a healthier team? 메이저사이트
I hope the club will give players more systematic feedback, communicate, and make plans. It is to discuss what the player is good at, what he can do well, and what his current condition is like. I hope to help players set goals and plans for their careers through stories such as ‘This is your strength, so I hope you develop your capabilities like this’ and ‘Those things must come first’.
Japan-born baseball star Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) asked the teams he was meeting with during his major league post, “What can you do for me? Come prepared,” and it became a hot topic. He couldn’t help but be surprised that he chose a club that could serve both hitters and pitchers according to his thoroughly constructed blueprint. He also thought that because he had a solid plan, his life would move according to it.
There are a lot of people who don’t know where I have to go, what I have to do, and what I was happy about when I did it. So are the players. In the future, I hope that more players will establish a baseball life plan and use it as motivation to grow. I look forward to more players like Park Chan-ho (retired), Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays), and Kim Ha-seong (San Diego Padres) who represent Korea beyond the club.
Lee Dong-wook, former director