Peoria's Pitching staff includes 2 pitchers from Asia, and that means two translators to help. One Peoria translater is more than just talk.

Chiefs pitcher Dae Eun Rhee doesn't understand English but he does understand baseball.

"Come down. Come down. Be aggressive to home plate. That kinda word he understands," said Chiefs translater Min Sung.

It's the other stuff he needs help with.

"There's so many things to talk about," said Chiefs manager Ryne Sandberg. " We're together for the next five months. There's everyday stuff. There's 'what did you have for dinner last night?', just general conversations that I like to have with Rhee.".

And that's where Min Sung comes in...
Sung is Rhee's transator, but he's more than that.

"Sometimes I catch in the bullpen... being a first base coach and translating for Rhee as well," Sung said.

Sung started as an outfielder in the Cubs organization after playing college ball at the University of Nebraska–Omaha.
He's fitting right in in Peoria, even becoming the target of a rain delay prank.
The transition into coaching is helped by the fact that he's fluent in Korean and English.

"Normal translators, they don't understand what coach is saying. They cannot really translate it to players but I have experience with baseball because I played here so I think I understand a lot of stuff that you want to really tell the players," Sung said.

"There could be a future for him, obviously, all the way up over here with minor league baseball and maybe one day at the major league level, because there will be the players from all over the world that are now coming over here," Sandberg said.
"It's a good opportunity for him and he's really made the most out of it."