First published 2014
John Feinstein explores the world of Triple-A baseball, the highest level of minor league play where dreams hang by a thread. He focuses on nine men caught between obscurity and fame: three pitchers, three position players, two managers, and one umpire. Each faces the constant possibility of a call-up to the majors or the crushing reality of being sent down. Feinstein tells their stories across ballparks from Raleigh to Pawtucket, revealing a universe of cramped buses and modest stadiums that exists in the shadow of major league glory. A first-round draft pick schemes for one final chance after his career derailed. A former World Series hero bounces between teams as his skills fade. An All-Star goes from unemployment to a ten million dollar contract in five months. A designated hitter endures eighteen seasons in the minors, setting a record he never wanted, while facing his last opportunity for promotion. The book captures the raw humanity of players suspended between success and failure, where talent alone cannot guarantee escape from baseball's most challenging purgatory.
Genres: sports, non-fiction, biography-memoir, baseball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: underdog, working-class
Setting: Pawtucket, Raleigh
368 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday