Chapter 825 - V3 ch60 (1/2)

”What about me?” Kyle asked.

”Yea, what about the rest of us?” Dave shoved Kyle away from the group.

Mr. Cameron laughed. ”The list should be out after the New Year. I don't know everyone's ranking, but I've heard Jake's name thrown around a lot. With his batting average leading your league, and a few others, it's hard not to put him in the top player prospects. Especially with the CIF win and rookie of the year award.”

”You're fielding is probably holding you back from the number one spot.” Noah told me honestly.

I nodded in agreement.

”And your ugly baserunning.” Kyle joked.

”Don't forget your small size.” Dave added. ”They'll hold that against you. For now. Once they see the homers you're dealing out, I'm sure it'll change.”

”I bet Garret is number one now that Zeke is graduated.” Noah said thoughtfully. ”If Jake is in the top three, then I'm sure a double threat like Garret has to be above him. He can hit and pitch.”

”His name is popular too.” Mr. Cameron nodded. ”I'm going to watch your game tomorrow because I want to interview him. He should be on the mound, correct?” We nodded. ”Yea, I thought so with the way your Coach was holding down his pitch count despite the no-hitter he had going in game one. Tomorrow's going to be a good game.”

”You know the other team?” Noah asked.

”Sure do.” He nodded. ”They won their league last spring, but lost in the first round of CIF. They have good teams year in, year out.”

Mr. Cameron hung out with us for a little longer, talking about player rankings for the twins. They both had outstanding seasons last year and were trending upwards on the list for county, state, and nation.

We stayed to the point where the ice had melted against my ankle. Same with Kyle. Noah helped me take the wrapping off and handed the bag of water to Kyle since he was taking his to a nearby trash can. We said our goodbyes to Mr. Cameron and headed back to the hotel. Jeremy had called Dad mid-conversation and made plans for dinner. He and Rose were just going to bring a bunch of takeout to our hotel.

It wasn't obvious at first, but during dinner, I noticed Noah being quiet. It's not like he went totally silent, but more like a loss of enthusiasm. This was the same teen who wanted me to wake up super early this morning. It wasn't hard for me to guess what was on his mind. Baseball. Always. But after meeting with Mr. Cameron and talking about player rankings, I'm guessing it was specifically about that.

I didn't know what to say or how to cheer him up, but luckily I wasn't the only one to notice. After dinner, we went back to our respective rooms to shower and get ready for bed. When I exited the bathroom with pajamas on, I overheard Zeke and Rhys talking to Noah.

”The rankings aren't that important.” Zeke was saying.

I slowly dried my hair with a towel. ”Kind of...embarrassing..?”

Rhys laughed and Zeke cracked a smile.

Noah rolled his eyes. ”I shouldn't have asked you. What I meant was, don't you feel validated? That you're doing well enough to be considered one of the best?”

I shrugged. ”Not really. If anything, I feel more pressure to do better. I'm only up top because I can hit the baseball better than others. When it comes to fielding...” I shook my head, helpless. ”I feel like a poser. A fake. A fraud.”

Rhys laughed. ”Don't worry about it. You're a great hitter and that can take you to more places than being great at fielding.” He looked at Noah. ”You shouldn't worry either. You're only a sophomore. Even Zeke wasn't on any list his sophomore year. There's time for you to improve and show them what you can do. Just be steady and resilient. You're 3-7 at the plate so far this tourney. That's a great start.”

Noah frowned. ”Being on the list will get my name out there though. I want to attract scouts and go pro after high school.”

Zeke turned out one of the lights. ”Like Rhys said, there's time. Nothing you can do about it right now. Continue to play well during games and everything else will follow.”