The Hitting Zone

We exited the field together as a team. As soon as the other guys saw Zeke, they all made their way over to say 'hi'. However, Zeke only had eyes for Noah. He took Noah's bag from him and squinted. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Noah frowned and murmured. "Somewhere to be..?"

"Get your back checked out by the trainer, kid." Coach said from behind us. He knew instantly what Zeke was talking about. "I want to see an ice pack strapped to your back within the hour."

"Yea, yea." Noah waved them off. "I know the drill. I'm fine, but gotta be cleared by the trainer. We really need to start dragging Drew to these tournaments." He looked at me. "Want to come with?"

I scoffed. "No, thanks."

Noah laughed and gave a small wave as he started to back away. "Okay, I see how it is." He turned and jogged lightly towards where the trainer's tent was.

"You're not going to follow him?" Coach glanced at Zeke.

Zeke gave a small smile. "I'm not his captain or his coach. Just going to trust that he knows how to take care of himself now."

I tried not to laugh.

Zeke noticed. "What? Is he so unreliable as a vice captain?" He reached out and took my bag from me.

"I think Jake remembers a former captain trying to play while hurt last year." Coach pointed out.

Zeke had the decency to give a sheepish smile. "There's a difference between playing hurt and playing injured."

Coach didn't look convinced. He gave a small shake of his head and looked at me. "I can only hope you don't become one of them. Take care of yourself. Your body is important. Especially if you want a future in this game."

"Any interest?" Zeke asked Coach.

"In Jake? You know it." Coach smirked. "I'm sure there'll be even more after this tournament." He reached out to give me a small pat on the shoulder. "Don't talk to any strangers without your brothers or parents around. Got it?"

I nodded. Then started to look around for my missing family members. Mom and Dad was about ten yards away with Grampa, who was sitting on a bench. Dave was talking their ear off. Just a few feet away was Kyle talking with Jeremy and it looked like Rose was checking something on her phone.

"Let's go over." Zeke said, noticing me looking over. "We should have lunch a little earlier to fuel up. That way it'll be digested come game time."

"Go on." Coach waved us away. "There's plenty of time before finals. Take it easy. The other semifinal game should be concluding soon too. I'll check out the box score and then send out a mass text to the team."

We said our goodbyes and joined the rest of the family. Dave was recapping his feelings in the moment of the game, very animated despite giving up three runs and being pulled out before the last inning.

"Good game, kiddo." Grampa gave me a small poke with his bony finger.

I took that as an invitation to sit down beside him on the bench. "It was alright." I shrugged. "I did what I could."

"You succeeded in the one opportunity given to you." Grampa said. "That's more than enough." He said some more nice things about the game while we waited for Noah's return.

Noah came back with an ice pack and said he was fine. "Nothing more than a bump. I don't even think I'll bruise, really."

With everyone gathered, lunch was decided and we headed out together. We split up to take the two cars and met at a restaurant. They put us near a back corner, giving our group plenty of room which was good for Jeremy. Professional baseball players aren't always recognizable, but someone as popular as Jeremy definitely was.

"If you're serious about going pro and entering the draft, then you need to start looking at agents." Jeremy was talking directly to Kyle.

"Zeke didn't have an agent." Kyle pointed out.

"You lose college eligibility if you get an agent." Zeke joined the conversation.

"That used to be how it worked." Jeremy nodded. "Now high schoolers can employ agents as long as they pay the going rate and you discard the agent before enrolling in college." He looked at Mom and Dad. "I don't know where you guys stand on Kyle's decision, but having an agent for him can really be beneficial. If the cost is too much, I can help out."

Mom frowned, but it was directed at Kyle. "I really think you should take one more look at the colleges. Why not join Dave at Vanderbilt?" She looked to Dave. "That reminds me, do you want to hold a commitment ceremony like Zeke's?"

"Nah." Dave laughed. "I'm not as popular. When I get the papers, we can hold a small get together or something. Then do the signing."

"Mom, I did the visits all summer." Kyle redirected back to him. "That was way sooner than Zeke. There is no changing my mind. This is the path I'll be taking."

"What if you don't go high in the rounds?" Noah asked between bites of bread. "Maybe go undrafted completely?"

Kyle grinned. "No way I don't get drafted. As for being a low pick? That's fine. Just means I'll need to show a little more effort in the minors." He looked to Mom. "I'm ready for this. This is what I'll be doing."

Mom hesitated.

Dad looked to Jeremy. "Would you really suggest getting an agent? We already have a lawyer that can look over contracts for us."

"Yea, but he doesn't specialize in sports contracts." Jeremy said. "Having a good agent can put your name out there, plus he should have strong negotiation skills. Maybe have some connections with endorsements. Having a regular lawyer like yours isn't bad though, and it can help you when signing a contract with your agent."

"Can we just use your agent?" Noah asked.

Jeremy shook his head. "No, I wouldn't recommend him." After a brief pause. "I had to get a replacement after Uncle Jack..." He trailed off. For obvious reasons, Jeremy didn't like his first agent. And the one he had now was merely a placeholder.

"I know a couple of people." Rose spoke up. "Seeing as Kyle is still in high school, it's probably better to go with a more affordable option. An agent that's looking for a way into the majors."

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "You should start your search with former or current advisers. That was the term used before agents were allowed to help high schoolers with the draft. My first agent was actually considered an adviser until we signed that first contract. It helped us get through some loopholes."

Dad looked at Kyle's pleading look and sighed. "Alright. If this is what you want to do, we'll take a look. Rose, if you can find some names and contact information, send me an email so we can go over it."

"Sure!" She smiled. "I know a few potential avenues you can try." She looked around the table. "Should...we also be considering having the same agent for all the boys...? Or...?"

Mom and Dad looked at one another. Then around the table. No one really had a clue.

"As long as I'm the priority, I don't care." Kyle said, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm the first one to enter the draft."

"I'll be next!" Noah raised his hand excitedly.

"Consider someone that could potentially take on all five." Mom told Rose. "The boys don't necessarily have to agree with them being the agent in the future, but it's a good start."

"They can be the agent to Kyle first." Jeremy said. "Then an adviser to the rest."

No one had a problem with that.

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