New York Times Bestselling Authors
Jalen DeLuca loves baseball. Unfortunately his dad cana�TMt afford to keep him on the travel team. His dad runs a diner and makes enough to cover the bills, but there isna�TMt anything for extras. So Jalen decides to take matters into his own hands and he sneaks into the home of the New York Yankeea�TMs star second baseman, James Yager, and steals a couple of balls from his personal batting cage. He knows that if he can sell them, hea�TMll be able to keep himself on the team.
But like the best-laid plans a�" or in this case the worst! a�" Jalena�TMs scheme goes wrong when Yager catches him. But Jalen has a secret: his baseball genius. He can analyze and predict almost exactly what a pitcher is going to do with his next pitch. He cana�TMt quite explain how he knows, he just knows. And after proving to Yager that he really can do this, using a televised game and predicting pitch after pitch with perfect accuracy, the two agree to a deal. Jalen will help Yager out of his batting slump and Yager wona�TMt press charges.
However, when he begins to suspect that the teama�TMs general manager has his own agenda, Jalena�TMs going to need his friends and his unusual baseball talent to save not only Yagera�TMs career, but his own good name.
Age Range: 8-12 | Grade Level: 3-7 | Lexile Measure: 750L