Fall 2023

Bryce Harper was a high school baseball phenom. He had to deal with immense pressure before he even stepped on a minor league ball field. However, since making his Major League Baseball debut in 2012 for the Washington Nationals, Harper has proved he is up to the task of meeting expectations. The two-time National League Most Valuable Player has left a mark across two franchises and will continue to dominate for years to come. From on-the-field exploits to off-the-field insights, the continuing series, Ballpark Greats: Pro Baseball's Best Players gives the reader a close-up look at some of the very best of today's pro baseball stars. Statistical leaders and championship winners go under the spotlight in a fun-to-read and visually interesting examination of each player's outstanding career.

Format List Price Your Price Qty
$37.27 $27.95
Interest Level Grade 7 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 7
Dewey Number 921
Lexile
ATOS Reading Level
Guided Reading Level
Language English
Publisher Mason Crest Publishing
Format Reinforced book
ISBN 9781422248386
Copyright 2024
Number of Pages 80
Dimensions 6.5 x 9
Graphics Full-color photographs

Ballpark Greats: Pro Baseball's Best Players - School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up –Readers who have been enduring football season just to make it to baseball spring training will be happy to find this on the shelves. Each player is given the full biographical treatment, including “The Greatest Career Moments,” which are accompanied by QR codes linking to videos of the specific plays. A chapter dedicated to player quotes rates the sound-bites on their originality; some are more cliché than others. It would be an interesting research project to analyze the ingenuity of these short speeches. Text-dependent questions and research project suggestions cap off each chapter. Each book concludes with a chapter about charitable work and personal details. While mostly good, there is some questionable formatting that complicates reading. “The Greatest Career Moments” are inserted into chapter one of each book, breaking up the narrative (in the case of Justin Verlander, splitting a sentence with a nine-page break).

VERDICT Cherry-pick based on local popularity.

Author: Jeremy Pike