The Batboy

My Review: An inspiring and heartfelt story about a young boy’s hopes, dealing with challenges, and the love for baseball. It balances sport, emotion, and personal growth in a way that middle school readers will relate to.

I found The Batboy by Mike Lupica to be along the lines of an average baseball story. The Batboy was about a boy named Brian Dudley, who has every kid’s summer dream job – batboy for the Detroit Tigers. He’s a fourteen year old boy from a neighboring suburb of Detroit, and even though he’s not officially old enough to become the batboy, he was given the job because his dad is a former MLB pitcher. His parents are divorced, and his Dad is in Japan coaching baseball teams. Brian also plays summer league baseball on his local team, The Sting. In The Batboy, Brian manages the job of a batboy for the Detroit Tigers, along with playing baseball on his own team. Brian’s favorite baseball player has always been Hank Bishop, who has show more recently had issues with steroids. It is announced that Hank will be signing with the Tigers to revive his once great career, and hopefully reach home run number 500. Brian is very excited to have him join the team, as he will get a chance to meet his boyhood hero, The Bishop of Baseball. What Brian discovers in Hank is very surprising to him.

When Hank joins the Tigers, he doesn’t talk to anyone, and certainly not the batboy. At multiple times, Hank ridicules Brian for his simple acts of trying to help him. In one instance, Hank breaks both of his bats, so Brian runs to get another. When Brian returns, Hank turns angry, as he grabbed the wrong bat. The umpire called Hank to the plate, so he had to make due. After the game, Hank was very upset at Brian for this miscue. Meanwhile in Brian’s life, he is having issues with his own baseball, along with his family. Brian can’t seem to get out of his slump on The Sting, and Brian thinks it’s due to his lack of practice. He tries different ways to break out, but nothing helps. Also, Brian’s dad visits from Japan, but Brian is disappointed with how little he stays with Brian.

Will Hank and Brian ever work together? Will Hank hit number 500? Will Brian break out of his slump and go for a championship?

I found The Batboy by Mike Lupica to be a run-of-the-mill baseball book for kids. I have read many of Mike’s sports books, but this was not one of my favorites. The plot that Mike Lupica created was of interest at times, but constantly became dull, especially in the middle of the season where there was nothing but games. The in-game descriptions were very well written, and as I read them, I had a sense of being in the park, along with the team. Also, the ending seemed to leave some developing conflicts unresolved.

Something else I didn’t like about The Batboy is the feel that the only thing Brian cares about in his life is baseball. About ninety-five percent of the plot revolves around baseball, which can easily make the story feel like it’s dragging on. With his friends, Brian talks about baseball, watches baseball, and practices baseball. The banter between him and his friends seems beyond his years, in baseball terms. He rarely ever talks about anything else but baseball in The Batboy.

The characters in the book were all well developed, as most are in Lupica’s books. You could clearly distinguish each character from one another with each one’s different characteristics and traits. The setting of the book is also an upside to the book for me, especially when at Comerica Field, the home of the Tigers. I can picture in my mind the entire stadium, down to the equipment rooms, batting cages, and offices. Adding on to the plot, it seemed to improve especially toward the end of the book, as conflicts and problems are resolved in various ways.
One other thing that this book does well is depict the problem of steroids and drugs in today’s athletes. Many baseball players like Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGuire took steroids to become the best in baseball, and Hank Bishop is no different. Hank is suspended for taking steroids, and is finally accepted by The Tigers when no team wants him. Not many people are fans of his anymore, which proves what steroids and performance enhancers can do to your life. They can give you incredible ability, but when you’re caught, it ruins your career, as well as your reputation.

Overall, I would rate The Batboy at 3.5 stars. What subtracted from the story were the partially-dull plot, the constant feel of baseball, and only baseball, as well as the partially un-resolved ending. The setting and character development were high points of the book for me, and added to the book. The steroid lesson is also a good one in kids’ books, as it teaches the bad effect of them. I would recommend this book to the baseball loving kid, or the long time baseball fan, as they would be interested in the conflicting baseball issues. show less

An unlikely friendship slowly develops between a former baseball great in need of a family and the 14-year-old batboy in need of a father, in Lupica's most powerful and kid-friendly work to date.

While I don't think the author accurately captures how young teens really talk amongst themselves (they, especially the main character, Brian, is so totally obsessed with baseball that it's the only thing he talks about and the banter is more adult than teen), readers who do enjoy baseball will like the baseball jargon. A nice choice for a niche audience.

Good summer baseball book. Cliche at parts (okay, most of the time), but enjoyable.

Very good baseball story. Steroid usage discussed. Good characters that are believable.

Even though his mother feels baseball ruined her marriage to his father, she allows fourteen-year-old Brian to become a bat boy for the Detroit Tigers, who have just drafted his favorite player back onto the team.