Baseball Genius

Twelve-year-old Jalen DeLuca is an aspiring baseball player who dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. He knows he can jump-start his career by playing for the travel team Rockton Little League Rockets, but he runs into a massive problem: his father can’t afford the travel team expenses. Desperate to find the money, Jalen attempts to sell some stolen baseballs from famous Yankee ballplayer James Yager. However, when Yager catches Jalen with the baseballs their worlds collide. More importantly, they realize that they need each other when Yager learns that Jalen is more than just a misfit criminal—he’s a baseball genius. 

Just like Jalen, James Yager is in a tough situation. His job is on the line because of his poor performance, and he needs a miracle to prove that he deserves his spot on the Yankees roster. Luckily, Jalen’s ability to perfectly predict pitches from opposing pitchers offers a glimpse of hope, and he embarks on a riveting adventure to save not only his chances of playing baseball but Yager’s entire career. With many people counting on him, Jalen feels the pressure as he struggles to balance the travel team, friendships, his father’s business, and Yager’s career. Can Jalen’s genius save his family, friends, and Yager? 

Told from Jalen’s perspective, the story portrays the complex circumstances in Jalen’s life and explores how Jalen views and feels about these events. As a result, Jalen comes across as a realistic character with authentic joys, anxieties, and dreams. Many readers will relate to how Jalen reacts to the pressure of helping his family, friends, and Yager. Jalen’s brave demeanor leads him to frequently help others, trust the people he loves, and believe that things will work out in the end. They will also admire Jalen’s fortitude in the face of overwhelming adversities. After getting caught stealing, Jalen knows that “Even though he was alone, imprisoned in the Yankees manager’s office, he knew everything was going to work out.” 

Baseball Genius balances the interconnected plotlines within Jalen’s life and gives each storyline proper development with a distinct solution. The constant twists and turns will keep the pages turning and readers will enjoy the quirky side characters who surround Jalen. The story also features several action-packed baseball sequences, where readers will experience detailed play-by-play scenes of actual baseball games, complete with real-life players and settings. For example, during a Yankees game against the White Sox, Jalen watched as “Hutt struck out in four, and then Joe Ros knocked one in the 5-6 hole on his first pitch, putting runners on first and third. Quintana had thrown a total of eighteen pitches.” 

While Baseball Genius has an intriguing plot, it struggles to develop the many characters. Outside of Jalen, most of the supporting characters are flat and don’t show a massive shift in perspective or feelings. As a result, the story’s lesson of trusting in your talents at times feels half-baked and incomplete. Luckily, Baseball Genius’ action-packed narrative overshadows this flaw and presents an engaging story that will capture even the imagination of non-sports fans. With this combination of exciting baseball scenes and page-turning cliffhangers, Baseball Genius is a must-read for sports fanatics. 

Sexual Content 

• After Jalen successfully predicts the next pitch from a Yankee baseball pitcher, Cat, Jalen’s friend, “kissed [Jalen’s] cheek” in celebration. 

Violence 

• When Jalen grabs Cat by the arm to talk to her, she “dug her heels in and cuffed him in the back of the head.” Jalen wanted to talk with Cat privately because she was upset with him over his new baseball skills. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• None 

Language 

• Throughout the story, Jalen’s father says the Italian curse word “mannaggia,” which translates to “darn” in English. 
• Chris, a school bully, calls Jalen “mutt,” which means “biracial, half white and half black.” 
• Yager says, “Holy crow” once. Yager also mutters, “Good God” during a stressful moment. 
• Yager calls the radio sports analyzers “idiots” because they believe that his career is dying.  
• Jalen calls Chris a “jerk” and a “rat” once. 
• Chris calls Jalen a “sandwich” because Jalen’s dad has to make sandwiches for the baseball team to pay for Jalen’s travel team expenses. 
• Chris calls Jalen the “Calamari Kid” after news spreads that Jalen’s dad’s calamari gave Yager good luck in his baseball game. 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content 

• Yager helps Jalen’s father out during a busy time at the diner. Afterwards, his father asks, “Jalen, did you bring me an angel from above?” 
• The travel-ball coach, Coach Gambles, explains to his players that “those of you who are new to this team need to understand that what I say is like the word of God.” 

• When Jalen’s late for baseball practice, “Jalen flung the door open and took off, praying Coach Gamble’s watch was slow.” 
• Jalen’s friend describes his feelings when entering Yankee Stadium as if “[he] died and went to heaven.”