Title/Author:
“The
Prospect” by Zack Drisko
Tags:
Baseball,
fiction, short story, Dodgers
Published:
May 9,
2012
Length:
19 pages
Rating:
4 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
The story
of a young pitcher from a small town who makes a rapid rise to the major
leagues, only to suffer a cruel fate while facing the second batter in his
major league debut. This short story is
written just the way it should be – tight, not many wasted words, and the
reader is quickly engrossed with Austin Colt, the young man whose journey to
fame is swift.
The reader
will also be feeling much of the elation, confusion and apprehension that any
young adult would feel in Austin’s situation.
Do I sign the contract or go to college? Will I be good enough to face professional hitters? What will others think of me? All of these issues are faced by Austin and
the reader will be hanging onto every word to see what he will do next.
How
Austin’s journey ends felt like a letdown, however. While the years fly by in
the last few pages of the story, this isn’t to say the story ends badly or that
the ending is poorly written. Indeed,
the reader will still have that connection to Austin and his inner
struggles. I just closed the book
feeling like it was a reality check instead of a young man living out his
dream. I believe that was what the
author was trying to relay to readers. I
just prefer a different type of story for this type of premise. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable quick
read that any baseball fan will enjoy.
Did I skim?
No
Did I feel connected to the
characters?
Yes. Every kid who puts on a glove or swings a bat
dreams of being a major league player and I was no different. Through Austin’s story, I felt like I was
living that dream.
Pace of the story:
Quick. As
expected in a short story, there wasn’t a lot of time to waste. At times it felt too quick – much like how
Austin was feeling during his rise to the majors.
Positives:
The writer
covered a lot of ground with knowledge of baseball strategy, pitching, contract
negotiations with young prospects and even medical knowledge. That is very impressive to put together in
such a short package.
Negatives:
The only
problem I had was the dash through the minor leagues was truly
experienced. In the story, his
experience in Albuquerque, the AAA affiliate for the Dodgers, was a two
sentence paragraph. It felt like he was
there not to play for the Isotopes, but instead just to be told by coaches he
was going to the majors. That was a big
disconnect with the rest of the story.
Do I recommend?
Yes, for
any baseball fan
Author Media Links:
Product link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Prospect-ebook/dp/B0081VX57U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375319345&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Prospect
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