The Art of Fielding

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, illness, antigay bias, and mental illness.

During a summer baseball tournament game between Westland College and a team from South Dakota, the abilities of the opposing shortstop, Henry Skrimshander, impress Westish captain and catcher Mike Schwartz. Henry’s defensive skills seem otherworldly. Schwartz reflects that he has searched for talent like this and can’t let it walk away.

Three weeks later, Henry arrives at Westish. He’s nervous about the prospect of his room assignment. Schwartz arranged everything, and Henry finds it incredible that someone who is just a student can wield so much power. Henry is from Langton, South Dakota, a small town where his father is a foreman, his mother is an X-ray technician, and his sister, Sophie, is a sophomore in high school.

While growing up, Henry idolized Aparicio Rodriguez, a legendary shortstop who wrote about his baseball philosophy in his book The Art of Fielding. Henry followed Aparicio’s book like a religion, making sure that no one else touched his glove, which he calls Zero.

Henry has always played shortstop. He’s small for his age, which always makes coaches doubt his ability to play one of the most demanding positions.