The Hitting Zone

Mrs. Atkins lips thinned before speaking. "Yes, we'll be waiting for him here. What did you want to talk to him about?"

"Just about the draft process and what he can expect from me for the next few months leading up to the draft. You all probably know that I'm not the only scout here." Willie looked around to emphasize the fact that others were still here even though the practice was already over. "A lot of us would like to know which way he's leaning to. I, for one, was very surprised when I heard about him making an official college visit. Definitely made some GMs a little nervous. No one wants to waste a pick on a player not even playing."

"GM?" I repeated the two letters.

"General Manager." Noah told me. "They basically pick the players from the draft with help from their scouting team and other executives."

"Like we said, we want Zeke to use up all five visits." Mr. Atkins stated, firm on that decision.

Willie nodded. "I understand. I would want my kid to know the difference and his options. In fact, I would suggest you have him read up on what happens after you get drafted. I don't like kids thinking that'll they'll make the big leagues right away. They have to start in the minor league system, receive crappy pay, and fight for a position just like college."

"You don't get paid to play for college though." Dave pointed out.

"They pay you with scholarships. Some better players get more like 80%-100%. Players in the middle will receive half as much. Then the lower rung players won't receive much besides help with admission. Then we have walk-ons who get in the school on their own merit and don't receive any financial aid from the team." He shrugged. "Every school has a budget for scholarships just like how the minor leagues has a budget for their players."

"But if you get picked in the first round, you get guaranteed money, right?" Kyle asked.

Willie nodded. "If you get drafted there's guaranteed money in contracts for bonuses and the such. I personally think Zeke is first round material, so no doubt he'll get a nice lump sum."

"But you don't get to make the decisions." Mrs. Atkins frowned. "Zeke could slip to one of the later rounds and receive the bare minimum. I've heard some things about the minor leaguers making less than minimum wage."

Willie rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. "Very unlikely. But if he does drop to an unsavory position, he could alway just go to college and rejoin the draft after two seasons."

"That's why we're having him look at some schools." She nodded her head, feeling good about giving Zeke a fallback option.

"Why do you think you're having me look at schools?" A familiar voice said from behind. We turned and found Zeke looking down at us. "Are you sure it's not because you prefer I get an education?"

Mrs. Atkins gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. "A good education isn't something to look down upon."

Zeke sighed. "I never said I was against it. I just said I didn't see any reason to need to do these visits during the season."

"Are you saying you didn't like practicing with a collegiate-level team?" Mr. Atkins asked.

Zeke perked up. "I found it enlightening. They play at a higher level. I'm exhausted even though it was just a practice before a game day. I actually wish I came during winter break so they could show me how hard they go."

"What a masochist." Kyle muttered to Dave.

"And a sadist. A dangerous combination." Dave agreed. "He's definitely not gonna get a girlfriend anytime soon."

"It would have to be a freaky one." Kyle wiggled his eyebrows. They both laughed.

"Boys." Mr. Atkins said in a warning tone before turning back to Zeke. He gestured to Willie. "Zeke, do you remember Willie Ramsey? He stuck around to ask you some questions."

Zeke moved closer and sat down in one of the seats with his dirty uniform. "I remember. Mr. Ramsey is with the Cubs organization." He looked at him calmly, not even fazed that he was a scout for a pro team. "What can I help you with?"

"I just wanted to ask what spurred you on to start visiting colleges when you had seen set on going pro immediately?" Willie glanced at his parents. "But I've kind of already know the answer now. So I'll choose to ask a follow up question: are you leaning more towards college after this visit?"

Zeke took a moment before answering, making us hang on the edge of our seats. "I wouldn't say I'm more inclined one way or the other just yet. But I can say that if I was to pick a college, Stanford would be one of my top picks. That's why I chose to visit them. I like what they have to offer for both academics and their baseball program."

"Does the fact that Bradley Thompson is planning to return for his senior year next year to finish his degree before entering the draft affect your decision at all?"

Zeke nodded. "I want to compete with him and against him."

"What do you mean by that?"

Zeke raised an eyebrow. "If I came here next year as a freshman, I would have to compete against him for the center fielder position. But we would also get to compete together for the College World Series."

"Are you sure you're not leaning towards college now?" Willie asked, tapping his knee nervously. "You have a lot of good things to say so far and this is only your first visit."

Zeke gave a light shrug. "If there's something I don't like, it would be the loss of the seniors and the commitment. Stanford has a lot of good seniors graduating this year that I won't get the opportunity to play with here. Then there's the commitment. If I enter college, I can't enter the draft until I finish my junior or senior year. Or turn 21."

Willie appeared more relaxed, hearing that Zeke had his worries. "There's also community college if you want to gain some more experience without being in the minors. Community or junior college players can be drafted at any time. So even if it's not something prestigious or long term, it could help."

"We already set aside the two year schools." Mrs. Atkins said with a frown.

Zeke looked at her. "Mom. They're just in a box. Doesn't hurt to look."

Mrs. Atkins pouted. "But look, you fit in right here. Good school, close to home, you can play baseball and you'll have a scholarship!" She really was pushing for him to come here.

Zeke gave his mom a look. "What happen to supporting whatever decision I make if I look at five schools personally?"

Mr. Atkins patted his wife's shoulders, while looking at Zeke. "We aren't pushing you. She's just expressing her opinions on why she would like you to go here. If you choose a community college for a year, that's good too, but we would still want you to be close to home so we can watch your games."

My heart tugged. How supportive. Just...so much care and love. My mom couldn't care less either way. I wonder if she's even been asking about me or if she just forgot that I even existed. My dad wasn't much better. He didn't abuse me, but the words 'neglect' and 'abandoned' spin around my mind every now and then. There were even more questions to what he would do or say when we get reunited. Would he let me continue playing baseball with the Atkins? Would he watch every game? Did I even want him to?

Zeke was already testing his dad by the time I checked back in. "What are you guys going to do if and when I get drafted by a team on the east coast?"

"We'll be able to watch on the TV." Mr. Atkins replied.

Zeke just shook your head. "You guys..." He sighed. "Just let me finish this visit and we'll talk more about it later.

"So you're still on the fence?" Willie spoke up.

Zeke nodded. "Yea, I guess so."

Willie stood up and walked over to Zeke, holding out his hand. "Just let me know when you have a firm decision. The cubs have the 16th pick in the first round of the draft so we would like to have a firm grasp on who would be committed to sign. We don't want to waste a pick on someone who bails on us."

Zeke stood and shook his hand. "You've been the scout most interested in me; of course I'll let you know." He glanced around the stadium to see a few stragglers hanging around. "I like people like you, who are upfront and honest. All these other scouts seem interested by attending, but not many make an effort to speak with me."

Willie chuckled. "Scouts can't get too attached. Not everyone we suggest to management will be picked." He went back to the Atkins parents and shook their hands as well before saying his goodbyes. "I'll see you all tomorrow at the game. Seeing Bradley Thompson in action will also be good for me to report on." With a wave, he left.