2020, end of August.

Hakusan Town.

There were only a few pedestrians on the streets and few vehicles. It took a long time to see a car passing through, making the whole town look particularly deserted.

The epidemic has profoundly affected life here.

Wearing a mask, Zhang Zhe walked on the long slope leading to school, thinking about what happened in the past year.

After winning the Spring League last year, the Hakusan High School Baseball Club continued to advance and qualified for the next Spring League, achieving four consecutive seasons of appearances.

It is a pity that a sudden epidemic broke out all over the world.

The 2020 Spring Festival and Summer Festival have been canceled one after another.

As a consolation, the officials held an exchange trial in Koshien for the graduating third-year players.

The summer ended with each county hosting its own county convention without spectators.

After the dust of various competitions has settled, the third-year players are faced with the choice of path.

If his future direction is related to baseball, the baseball club will continue to provide training venues for him until he officially graduates next spring, so today the baseball club members returned to school one by one to discuss with the supervisor and others.

Zhang Zhe walked into the school.

It was summer vacation, so the number of students on campus was sparse, and some members of sports clubs returned to school early to prepare for training after the semester started.

After looking at the form posted in the group on his mobile phone, Zhang Zhe confirmed again that he was the last one and waited at the door when he arrived at the department.

A few minutes later.

Wearing a mask, Kazuya Nishino opened the door and walked out.

"Oh, Azhe, I'm done. It's your turn. I'll wait for you outside first."

"Okay." Zhang Zhe nodded and entered the club room.

Supervisor Higashikata and Director Makiko Kawamoto sat far apart, and Zhang Zhe sat down on a stool quite far away in front of them.

Keeping distance during the epidemic has become a habit.

After saying hello, Minister Makiko Kawamoto asked in a gentle tone: "Xiao Zhe, have you decided whether to enter school or participate in the professional baseball draft?"

"I've thought about it, I plan to participate in the professional baseball draft."

After all, it is a choice that determines the future of life. Zhang Zhe answered very solemnly.

After hearing Zhang Zhe's answer, Supervisor Dong Tuoji raised his eyebrows first, then suddenly frowned, and then relaxed after thinking about it.

Zhang Zhe's choice made Dongtuosi feel happy and worried.

"Xiao Zhe, have you thought clearly? The path of professional baseball is not easy."

"Supervisor, actually when the Spring League was suspended, I had been considering whether to enter professional baseball after graduating from high school. This choice was the result of careful consideration."

Zhang Zhe knew that the supervisor was worried about him.

If the baseball club of a public school produces players who enter professional baseball, the supervisor as the instructor will naturally take the greatest credit and may receive the National Koya League's Outstanding Nurture Award.

If Totoji was considering it personally, he could have strongly suggested that inexperienced players participate in the professional baseball draft and trick them into saying that they would enter the professional baseball even if they were ranked low, but now Totoji is completely outspoken.

Professional baseball is fiercely competitive and cutthroat.

After graduating from high school, you enter professional baseball. If you fail to play well and are given up by the team after a few years, the young players will have to sacrifice their precious youth for this, and it will be very difficult for them to follow the path of life.

We should not just look at the glamorous side of professional baseball, but also see the huge risks and sunk costs involved.

Dong Tuosi once talked with Zhang Zhe's parents and learned that Zhang Zhe's childhood ideal was to be admitted to Dongda University of Medicine, but this ideal was instilled in his children from an early age because his parents wanted someone in the family to become a doctor.

In fact, to be honest, Zhang Zhe's deviation value is above 75 all year round, and he is a sure shot at getting admitted to Dongda University. If he finally chooses to be admitted to a top prestigious school, it will be something worthy of special mention for Baishan High School, which is not known for its admissions.

matter.

However, he decides his own life. Since Zhang Zhe chose baseball as his life career, Totoji, as his mentor, fully supports it.

Higashi Takuji nodded towards Kawamoto Makiko, indicating that the rest of the conversation would be left to her.

Makiko Kawamoto explained the Japanese Professional Baseball and draft rules in detail.

Japanese professional baseball is divided into two leagues, one is the Central League and the other is the Pacific League. The formation of the two leagues is related to regional divisions and historical reasons.

There are 6 teams in each of the two leagues. Each league holds its own league. There will be an exchange match between the two leagues in the middle of the season. The results of the exchange match will be included in the total score of the league.

The draft meeting is jointly participated by 12 teams.

All high school students who have registered and logged in at Japan Takano Company for three years can participate in the draft.

Before the draft meeting begins, 12 teams submit a list of named candidates to Takano Company, and Takano Company uses the list to consult players from all over the country whether to submit applications for professional baseball.

There is no doubt that Zhang Zhe is on the list of named intended targets.

Because Zhang Zhe has been concentrating on training and competition, he has always let supervisors and ministers handle external chores, so he is not particularly clear about which team's scouts have contacted him.

Zhang Zhe asked curiously: "Minister, which teams are interested in me now?"

Minister Makiko Kawamoto raised her forehead, helpless at the naturalness of her captain, and wanted to know whether you know what level you are at.

"Xiao Zhe, let me tell you, I currently have the numbers of the Tokai region scouts of the 12 Japanese Professional Baseball teams on my phone."

"That's it." Zhang Zhe understood belatedly.

The impact of the epidemic on high school baseball is all-round. At its most severe, official games were suspended, practice games were suspended, internal training was suspended, and high school baseball activities almost came to a complete halt.

The class of 2020 high school graduates are generally not favored by professional baseball teams.

Almost all professional baseball teams have set their sights on college graduates and corporate team players who are ready to play.

But Zhang Zhe is an exception.

After the Spring League was suspended, Zhang Zhe began to specialize in the use of wooden bats, and he continued to use wooden bats during the County Independence Conference.

The scouting departments of various teams found that compared with other high school players whose progress was slow, Zhang Zhe still showed great progress.

When he retired from the baseball club, Zhang Zhe's high school home runs total was fixed at 102, and he successfully entered the 100-homer club in high school baseball history.

In the history of Japanese high school baseball, there are only three players who have reached 100 home runs. Zhang Zhe is the third player in history, and there are only two players who have a record higher than him.

According to calculations by the scouting departments of each team, if there was no epidemic, Zhang Zhe's total number of home runs should be between 120 and 130.

The player with the greatest potential in the history of high school baseball hitting department is naturally very popular.

Because players graduating from high school in 2020 are generally not optimistic, Professional Baseball and Takano League held professional baseball volunteer practice sessions for high school students at Koshien Stadium in the Kansai region and Tokyo Dome in the Kanto region to provide scouts with

Opportunities to scout players.

Zhang Zhe didn't go.

The first reason is that Zhang Zhe knows that he has been spotted by the scouts. Anyway, the team will name him for the draft. If he has a little time to run around and work, he might as well do more independent training.

I didn't go to Koshien Stadium to be inspected, so I thought there were only a few teams that were interested in me, but I didn't expect that there were all 12 teams.
Chapter completed!