"The Ligers want to select me? Wouldn't that mean you would be my coach in the Majors?" Ken didn't want to get his hopes up, but being so close to his Grandfather would be a dream come true.
Mark smiled, "We've got the 3rd pick in this draft, only behind Pittsburgh and Washington. As long as they don't take you, then you're basically guaranteed to go to Detroit."
But he continued, his smile retreating, "I know that Pittsburgh are looking for a pitcher, so you shouldn't count your chickens. How did the pre-draft workout go?"
Ken wore a pained expression, "I got a fever, so I barely managed to hit a few balls and only pitched twice before I had to leave. I was going to stay another night and reschedule, but they told me not to worry about it." He explained.
Mark nodded, "I see… Well you played college for 3 years, they would already have a lot of data. We will see what happens on the day."
"Yeah… Hopefully they'll pass me up so I get picked up by the Ligers." Ken said, feeling a surge of excitement.
At this, his grandfather laughed and sat back into his chair. "Unfortunately I have no say in the matter, it's entirely up to the GM. As for joining the team, it may be some time before you actually get to play in the Major League."
"Yes, I assume I will be working my way up through the minor leagues." Ken replied. He was aware that even the top picks in the draft would have to spend time developing before they could reach the big leagues.
However, this suited him just fine. He was hoping that he would receive another mission from the system, since the minor leagues were a level higher in competition than college. Of course this was just speculation, but if it were the case, he might be able to improve even further with the rewards.
Mark nodded, taking a sip of his tea. "Santiago was drafted last year, but he's yet to make his debut in the majors."
"Eh!? Santiago was drafted?" Ken was shocked.
"Didn't I tell you this already?"
Ken shook his head vehemently. If the man had, he would have definitely remembered something like this. Santiago was a year older than him, but he assumed that the guy would have finished college first before getting drafted.
"Mmm… Well he's playing for the Rochester Red Wings, the triple A affiliate team for the Washington Natives. I'm surprised he hasn't been called up yet since they haven't been playing well of late." Mark replied, sipping his tea once more.
"They have the 2nd pick in the draft this year right?" Ken asked.
"Pittsburgh have 1st pick, Washington 2nd, Detroit 3rd and Texas 4th. I don't think you'll fall further than 4th, it's not every day a switch pitcher comes into the league." Mark replied, sending him a wink.
Ken laughed, "I only pitch left to lefties. Even after training for a full year, I can't get past 95mph with my left."
Mark almost choked on his tea, giving his grandson an incredulous look. Many pitchers in the Majors could not pitch above 95 even with their dominant arm, yet this kid was complaining about doing so with his left.
He was sure that if a major league pitcher heard his words, they might just beat him up.
"Are you okay Grandpa?" Ken asked with concern.
"I am fine… How about we play some chess? I have an old set that was your Grandmothers. She was a lousy player, but she did love the game." He said, his face full of reminiscence.
"Sure." Ken replied. He did not really like chess, but it was hard to refuse when his grandfather gave such an expression.
"Can you tell me about Grandma?" Ken asked as the older man was setting up the chess board.
"Are you sure you wish to hear it? I could speak all day about her…" He replied, letting out a small chuckle.
Ken nodded. He could tell that the man truly wished to speak about her and that he missed her dearly. Before a few years ago he had barely seen his grandfather, let alone his wife who had passed away when he was a child.
Mark was silent while he set up the chess pieces on the board. Ken didn't interrupt him, letting the old man find his words while he waited patiently.
"Your Grandma… She had the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met. We first bumped into each other when I was studying at college. The moment I laid eyes on her, I was infatuated." He said, his eyes turning distant.
"At the time, she was still learning English, but that didn't stop me from trying to get closer to her. She had a sort of magnetism that drew people in. Her velvety laugh was like music to my ears… Sometimes I can still hear it now."
"What was her name?" Ken asked.
"Yumi Takagi." He replied softly. "After college, we moved in together and quickly got married. I was playing in the minor leagues back then, but I could never get into the majors, no matter how hard I tried."
"But she was my shining light, the one to pick me up whenever I would fall." Mark said, his voice trailing off.
"We had your father and we were as happy as could be. But with my small minor league contract, we struggled to make ends meet. I needed to work, so I took up coaching. At first it was just little league, but after some years, I was offered a position at a college."
"I wasn't ready to give up my own dream of becoming a professional just yet, but I had to make a decision for my family…" He said.
"I was both young and selfish back then… I took the job so that we could afford to live, but I resented both Yumi and Chris for it." Mark said, lowering his head in shame.