Baseball Faith by Rob Maaddi

Baseball Faith: 52 MLB Stars Reflect on Their Faith by Rob Maaddi
Published by Shiloh Run Press on March 1, 2017
Source: Publisher
Genres: Devotional, Christian Life
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
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Winning the World Series may be the ultimate prize for most MLB players, but a relationship with Jesus Christ is No. 1 for many diamond stars, including:
Hall of Famer John Smoltz
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw
MVP Albert Pujols
All-Star Mariano Rivera
And dozens more.

Baseball Faith will inspire you in your faith journey as 52 MLB players--past and present--share their stories and how they are chasing the success that only comes from being God's man and following His plan. These men are committed to living their lives with eternity in mind. Empowered by God, they are looking beyond the competition to a larger goal: following God's game plan for their lives as team players, as husbands, fathers, sons, and then using their influence to point others toward Him.

Baseball season is just around the bend, and I’m a baseball fan, as is my husband, so Baseball Faith grabbed my attention. It’s a good book, a nice devotional for baseball fans, especially maybe teenage boys who are into the sport.

The setup is well done. Each player’s piece starts with a scripture quote and is followed by the player’s thoughts on why that scripture is important to him or about how faith and the Bible are important in his life. Each devotion can be read in less than 2 minutes. The following two pages contain some of the player’s stats and an interesting fact, like “McCutchen cut his dreadlocks before the 2015 season, and proceeds from the sale of his hair benefited Pirates Charities.” Yeah, we’re Pirates fans around here. And have been for ages, even when we were absolutely terrible. I was glad to see our McCutchen in the book.

The devotions are short and simple. I like that many of the players mention the importance of Bible study groups, attending church, and reading the Bible. Some talk about God always being with them, even when the game is tough, and of being Him being more important than baseball. Some talk about how being a baseball player makes being a good role model even more important. Wilson Ramos (Tampa Bay Rays) talks about the verse that gave him strength when he was kidnapped in Venezuela. Each has his own story, his own background, and each is inspiring.

Definitely a good read for the baseball fan in your life. The devotions are topics that are easy to relate to and written so that everyone can understand. They don’t use obscure terms or phrases that only church-goers would understand. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s nice to see these people who we usually only see on tv sharing their faith.