Batting Order

By: Mike Lupica

Narrated by: Ali Andre Ali

A New York Times bestseller

From acclaimed author of the Home Team series Mike Lupica comes an inspiring novel about the heart and soul of baseball.

On or off the field, Ben and Matt couldn’t be more different. Ben Roberson is an all-or-nothing player: he’s big, he’s bold, and he’s brash. Ben’s swing can hit a ball right out of the park—but that’s if he can get a hit at all.

Matt Baker is small, and shy, and his stutter has him avoiding the spotlight—even if he’s the best all-rounder on the team. But while Matt knows he’s got the chops, a part of him has always envied “Big Ben” and his attention-grabbing charm.

So it’s a total shock when Ben asks Matt to help him work on his swing. Because Ben can’t put the ball into play, and his showboating comes at the expense of the team. And even though Matt’s trying to help, Ben doesn’t seem to take him seriously, especially when it means toning things down.

The end of the season is fast approaching—is there enough time for Ben to realize bigger isn’t always better? For Matt to understand that sometimes, being the bigger person means standing up for yourself?

Or will they have to accept defeat?

Critic reviews

"Narrator Ali Andre Ali captures the voice of Matt Baker, a young baseball player who aspires to improve his game and to inspire his teammates to do the same. In order to be successful, he must find the right words to help his teammate Ben rework his swing. Even when Matt finds the words, he has a difficult time saying them aloud since he stutters at times, especially when he's nervous. Ali provides individual voices for characters, including Matt's mom and his assistant coach, who encourages everyone to be their best. Listeners will cheer Matt on as he finds the confidence to support his teammates and ignore the opinions of those who doubt him."

It was a great book

It was a great book and I’m sure that a lot of people would love it just like I did