Intentional Walk: Part 1 (Paperback) by Allen Goodrich

Reporter Ray Gorman met baseball player Dixon White in 1971, before he was a star, but that didn't stop Gorman from seeing star potential. Dixon was the best high school pitcher in the state-until a fateful car crash changed his life forever.

A few years later, Dixon decides to take a chance and try out for the big leagues. He misses baseball, but more than that, he also wants to help his parents financially. His little brother, Todd, suffers from polio and will need an expensive surgery to live a normal life. Dixon is shocked when he is hired to join the team's Triple-A affiliate, and Gorman dubs him "The Can't Miss Kid."

Now Dixon is the hottest prospect in the minors, and with Gorman's help, he's front-page news on the Pittsburgh Gazette. Soon, however, Dixon's best intentions get lost in the fray. Unready for the kind of attention and expectations the story brings, he will need to look to his roots and his inner faith to find success while staying true to his family, friends and to himself.