The Hitting ZoneThe Hitting Zone
"The Milwaukee Brewers drafted only one pitcher in the first ten rounds of the MLB draft." Noah read off his phone Friday morning as we sat around the kitchen table, eating breakfast. "Surprisingly, they went with a right-hander straight out of high school, Kyle Atkins. He's got the basics of what makes a decent pitcher: size, athleticism, arm strength, velocity, and accuracy." He paused as his eyes seem to read ahead. "Ouch."
"What?" Kyle frowned.
Noah looked up and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Nothing you don't already know."
"Then tell me." Kyle's frown deepened.
Noah put his phone down on the table and slid it across. Both twins leaned over to read it at the same time. Dave gave a small wince and looked away. Kyle's frown changed into something more threatening. Like a scowl.
"Hey, hey, take those draft recap articles with a grain of salt." Dad spoke up from the head of the table. "These writers have most likely never seen you in action."
"But they've done their research, Dad." Noah said casually. "Kyle doesn't have a whole lot of arsenal and his experience might be minimal after playing behind Garret these last couple years."
Kyle got up. "I think I'm going for a run."
"Me too." Dave stood up and picked up his plate.
"Count me in." Noah also started to clean up.
Multiple pairs of eyes settled on me. I looked at my half eaten plate of eggs and hash browns. "But…I'm not done yet…"
Dad laughed. "Okay, if you guys want to run, go for it. No need to drag Jake along. Let him eat."
Noah and the twins didn't drag me along and I relaxed as soon as the front door closed behind them.
Dad laughed again. "Jake, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. If you don't want to do what they want to do, it's okay."
I nodded, then slowly started to shake my head. "If I wasn't pushed to do half the stuff they do, I probably wouldn't be where I am today." I took a bite of my scrambled eggs. "But I really didn't want to give up my breakfast today."
"Eating is important to your growth too." Dad stated. He started to think out loud. "We should probably take all of you to get a physical done. Make sure you're all set and growing properly. Kyle needs one done before he goes to his new team and Dave will need one done before college." He smiled. "It's going to be a busy summer." He got up. "Take your time. I'm going to the office."
Being the last one to finish, I cleaned up the table and put the leftovers away. I had a feeling that the three of them will want to eat more when they came back.
Mom and Grampa came back from the store just as I started the dishwasher.
"Where's everyone else?" Grampa asked, knocking his cane on the ground twice.
"Dad's in the office." I gestured to the shut door. "The twins and Noah went for a run."
Mom was confused. "Don't you kids like to run before breakfast? Is this going to be the new routine?"
I shook my head. "I think it was spur of the moment. Kyle read his draft outlook and it had some discouraging remarks. Dave probably didn't want him to go alone when he's upset. And then Noah joined in."
"You didn't go?" Grampa raised an eyebrow.
"I was still eating." I said defensively.
Mom laughed and took the bags in her hands to the kitchen. "Alrighty then; I'm going to cut some fruit up for them when they get back."
"I put the leftovers in the fridge." I pointed out.
"Thanks for helping, Jake." Mom said, coming back a few steps. "Can you get the rest of the groceries out of the car?"
"Yea!" I hurried out to her car. For a second I was stunned at how much she bought, considering that we would hardly even be home this weekend. I grabbed the handles of multiple bags, trying to take in as much as I could. I made it to the kitchen, only a little out of breath. "Are we still going to Stanford tomorrow?"
Mom nodded as she started to put stuff away. "Yes, of course. I just figured we could have a few more extra family meals before Kyle has to leave."
"Do you think it'll be soon?" I asked.
Mom stopped what she was doing. She looked to the empty hallway and then leaned over to whisper to me. "Ryan is coming back over tonight. With the contract. I think there's a really good chance Kyle takes it right away." She straightened up and smiled with pride. "From what I understand, it's more than fair for where Kyle was drafted at."
I grinned. "I'll go get the rest of the bags." I headed back out, happy that Kyle was going to get some good news after reading that tough article. It's got to show that the Brewers value him. Even if he was coming straight out of high school.
I made another trip to the car, grabbed the rest of the bags and took them inside. I wanted to help put things away, but Mom was in complete control so I gave her space. I found Grampa in the living room, watching a bowling tournament and joined him.
"Want me to find a baseball game?" He asked.
I shook my head no. "There's only one going right now and it's not the A's so it doesn't matter to me."
We watched two bowlers go head-to-head for ten frames and then the winner of the two played another guy.
Mom stopped to check on us before going to the office. "Make sure to send the three to take showers again."
"What if they want to play some more?" I asked. "Like going to the cages?"
Mom gave me a knowing look. "You mean if you want to go to the cages?" I gave a small shrug and she just shook her head. "Let's keep it light today. We've got the graduation and dinner celebration tonight. I don't want to have to hunt you boys down."
I sighed. "Okay."
She left, joining Dad in the office.
"You've got all summer to hit the cages." Grampa told me. "I'll give you boys a ride any time. Maybe you can practice driving with me in the passenger seat."
"We haven't done any behind the wheel training yet." I told him. "We have to pass the written portion first and get our permit."
"Back in my day, we didn't have to worry about all that nonsense. My dad took me to an open field and told me to start driving. Back then I drove a manual and good lord was my father upset with how many times I stalled. Nearly ruined that old truck in my first week of learning." Grampa paused. "But you don't have to worry about me getting upset. I know what it's like to be new on the road."
I smiled. "Thanks, Grampa."
"One things for sure, I'll turn you into a better driver than the twins."
I laughed. "That shouldn't be too hard."
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