Clutch Hit Faith O'Shea (red queen free ebook txt) 📖

final meeting before the regular season officially began. The men would either move up to the big leagues, be sent back to the minors, or be cut completely. It wasn’t her favorite time of year, knowing she’d be crushing dreams, but the ultimate goal wasn’t to massage egos but to put a winning team on the field.

She opened her laptop, opened the file labeled DP and searched for the two she’d yet to finish. When she came to Sebastian Layden, she clicked to open it.

His invitation to spring training had been a no-brainer. He was the best they had and could be great if given the opportunity. It was still incomplete because she was reluctant to admit he was part of their future. That came from her loyalty to Casey. With him in Boston, her friend would be hard-pressed not to notice. Now, with Mac in charge, it would be even harder to discuss his abilities. Not that she’d have to. Mac knew him, had mentored him for the two years Seb had dated Case, and was more than disappointed when Seb had walked away. He might have passed the test in honesty but he’d failed the one in commitment.

A half hour later, she finished the last sentence of her summary. It was honest and hopefully unbiased. It was the next and last one that would cause her heart to flounder.

After she saved the Layden document, she opened the one marked Mateo Alvarez.

Before she could begin to answer the questionnaire she’d devised for her assessment, her assistant, Lyra, rapped at her half-opened door.

Blowing out a sigh of relief that she could procrastinate a moment more, she called out, “Come in.”

“I’m about to confirm your plane reservations for next week. Just wanted to make sure you haven’t made any last-minute adjustments.”

She reached out her hand to accept the sheet of paper Lyra was holding.

The first flight would leave Boston at seven fifty next Monday morning and arrive close to eleven in Santo Domingo. That would give her all afternoon to meet with coaches, players, and the minor league training staff to finalize who’d be attending spring training for tryouts. From there she’d be flying to Puerto Rico, then on to Port Royal, South Carolina, attending to the same tasks. That would be followed up by trips to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Cranston, Rhode Island. It would have taken her ten days to accomplish it all but suddenly she didn’t want to be on the road that long. She should just suck it up, but instead, she said, “Postpone the local trips until the week after. I want to be home for the weekend.”

Let’s be honest. You want to be with Mateo.

“You want to be home by the end of the week.”

Lyra succinctly summarized her intent, but there was an unwritten question mark at the end of the sentence, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah. No later than eight on Friday.”

“Will do.”

Just as Lyra was disappearing around the corner and back to her desk, Allie called her back.

“Get me back by Thursday. Friday I’ll head up to talk to the staff in Portsmouth. I’ll make it a point to get to Pittsfield sometime this week.”

Once Mac had accepted the Greenie position, the front office had promoted his bench coach to manager. He’d be in his office for the next couple of weeks, putting a game plan on paper and she wanted to check in with him. She thought about taking Mateo with her, show him around one of their affiliate stadiums, give him a better understanding of how the farm system worked. She could almost convince herself it was all part of his development.

She glanced back at the computer screen, the first page of the plan staring her in the face.

She’d never written a plan for a third baseman. They’d never had one dedicated to the “hot corner” since she’d taken the job, so most of the plans she’d written had been for utility players, assigned to a variety of positions. Ritter had been their go-to last year and had done an admirable job, but he’d been on edge and stressed a good part of the season, complained about the diabolical topspin he had to wrestle with, the in-between hops he had to handle, the line drives that careened off his body. There was no time to position himself once the ball was hit and his reflexes failed him at times. It was the most misunderstood and underappreciated position in baseball, one very few wanted and not many could do well. What was needed was a strong arm to cover the longest throw across the infield, good range and quick reflexes because any ball hit to them was the most difficult to catch. And, according to Ritter, a large dose of courage. It wasn’t called the hot corner for nothing.

She took a breath and began filling in the blanks on the questionnaire. She didn’t know why she’d put this one off. It was probably the easiest ones she’d do.

Does he have the physical stamina to last a season? Yes. According to his physical exam, he is in superior condition. He is strong and resilient and uses his power in effective ways.

Does he have the tools to compete? Yes. His mechanics are solid, he knows the game, he has the mind of a hitter.

Does he have the agility to play his position, and the flexibility to make adjustments along the way? Yes. He has a wide range of motion, quick feet, great hands, and the flexibility and mental discipline to adjust as needed.

Does he have the fundamentals down? Yes. He knows his position and plays it with exceptional skill.

Was he willing to repeat the drills to improve technique? Yes. He believes practice makes perfect and is willing to do whatever the coaches set out both on the field and in the batter’s box.

Does the player understand his role? Yes. He knows that he is one of the pillars that will support