Ken nodded, feeling like it made sense. "Thank you Coach, I've learned a lot today." He said, bowing slightly.
"Hehe, it's no problem." Coach Wyatt replied, twirling his mustache once more. Just as Ken was about to leave, he handed him a folded piece of paper.
"That's the list of emails that the scouts left with me. Do some research and see if there are any schools that you like the look of. There's no harm in exploring your options before September 1st."
Ken accepted the piece of paper and opened it. He was shocked to see around 15 email addresses, each with the name of the college above it.
Seeing the look of shock on his face, Coach Wyatt couldn't help but laugh, "Don't be too surprised. I've seen how hard you work, you earned it."
With those final words, the coach turned around and left the field.
Ken was stunned for a few moments, not knowing how to react. To hear the coach compliment him after only around 2 weeks since he joined, he had to admit that it felt pretty good.
But nothing was as good as the piece of paper he held in his hands.
"What have ya got there?" Steve asked, poking his head over Ken's shoulder to try and take a peak.
Ken quickly folded the piece of paper, "Just a bunch of girls phone numbers." He quipped, sending his friend a cheeky grin.
"Oh damn, you gonna share or what?" Steve fired back, though his expression said otherwise.
Ken looked around and saw the other players still in the vicinity, "I'll tell you about it on the way back." He said, heading towards where he left his bags.
"Alrighty."
When they began their trip back home, Steve didn't pressure him at all, silently focusing on the road. Ken couldn't help but smile, feeling warm inside. It was clear that the guy knew more than he was letting on, but wanted to let Ken speak about it on his own terms.
"The coach gave me a list of contact details left by some scouts." Ken stated, his eyes moving to his friend's face.
"Oh that's awesome man." Steve replied enthusiastically, holding out his fist for a fist bump. "It was only a matter of time before someone tried to recruit you."
Ken laughed, "Thanks man." He said, accepting the bump.
"What colleges reached out?"
Ken listed off a few, "Florida State, University of Oregon, West Texas A&M, University of Texas."
"Whew, that's quite a few Division 1 schools." Steve exclaimed, nodding his head.
He was silent for a few moments before asking, "Did you know that you have to complete 3 years of College before you can join the MLB?"
"EH!?" Ken almost dropped his paper, causing it to fly upwards from the window being slightly opened. Thankfully he managed to save it, before it got lost on the road.
"Hahaha, I figured you wouldn't have known." Steve said, wearing his usual mischievous grin.
'Damn I really need to research this stuff myself.' Ken thought, chastising himself inwardly. First it was the travel teams, then the recruiting rules, and now the MLB draft. It was clear that he was walking blindly.
"What would be the fastest way into the Majors?" He asked curiously.
Steve turned his attention away from the road briefly, raising his eyebrow at Ken. "Well, you can be drafted straight out of High School, as long as enough teams are interested in you. But many teams won't take such a risk, unless you've got enough exposure. Not to mention you'd probably get drafted low."
Ken nodded. Though it might seem unlikely, it was always an option that he could explore in the future. Who knew how good he would be by the end of his Senior year after all.
"Another way is going to JUCO, Junior College. You'll get exposure to plenty of MLB scouts and only need to complete a year before you're eligible for the draft." Steve continued, his focus now back on the road.
"Well that sounds a lot better than 3 years…" Ken muttered.
"Yeah, but then you miss out on College man…" Steve said, his mouth practically drooling.
"Dude, you've never even been to College, what would you know?" Ken retorted, feeling a little creeped out from the drool pooling in the guy's mouth.
"Two words… College Girls. Sorority's, frat parties… Ringing any bells?"
"I have a girlfriend, and I hate parties." Ken responded, stone-faced.
"WHAT!? You have a girlfriend!?" Steve almost swerved off the road due to the shock he'd just experienced.
Ken held on for dear life, almost letting out a squeal before Steve finally fixed his driving.
"Dude what the hell!?" Ken complained.
"That's what I should be asking you!" He cried out, a look of betrayal painted on his features.
"What?"
"Aren't we best friends? Why are you only telling me this now? I had all these plans where we could be each others wingmen, pulling chicks left, right, and center."
Ken blinked a few times with a blank expression. He wasn't sure about the best friend title, but Steve looked to be rather upset so he didn't correct him.
"Well, you never asked…"
"Bruh. Why you gotta do me like that?"
The next 10 minutes was filled with Steve basically pouting, muttering to himself every now and then about how the dream team was destroyed before it could even form.
"You were going to be the Goose to my Maverick…"
'Goose? Maverick? What the hell is this guy on about?'
Thankfully, Steve seemed to get over his crisis. "Oh right, I guess you can still be my wingman. At least I know you won't try to hog all the girls." He added, his mischievous smile returning.
Ken shook his head, letting out a sigh.
It was clear by Steve's enthusiasm that he did not fully understand Ken's ineptitude when it came to women. If he did, there was no way that Steve would try to rely on this man in such a crucial role.
"Alright, see ya tomorrow." Ken said, quickly jumping out of the truck and grabbing his bike from the back.