Luis Gil’s former coach vividly recalls the moment he knew Gil was exceptional. It was at a tournament in Baní, Dominican Republic, in early 2013. At 14, Gil was a skinny shortstop who had transitioned to pitching, as hitting wasn’t his strength. Scheduled to pitch the next game, his coach…

On May 28, during their game against the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Angels were trailing by one run midway through. Willie Calhoun, an experienced outfielder, anticipated he might be called upon as a late-game pinch hitter. To prepare, he headed to Angel Stadium’s indoor batting cage and activated…

Maybe the greatest baseball player of all time is Babe Ruth. Perhaps it’s Henry Aaron or Barry Bonds or Josh Gibson or Oscar Charleston. Proponents of a more antiquated version of the sport might argue for Ty Cobb or Honus Wagner. For a time, before injuries wrecked their careers and…