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You tell your coach you have to take time off due to injury. “We look forward to having you back on the field soon,” he says, “but don’t forget about us for two months. I expect your help warming the bench at as many games as possible.”

You spend the next six weeks taking it easy, and you attend your teammates’ games and cheer them on from inside the dugout.

During one game, you get up and start walking to the bathroom when a middle-aged man approaches you. He tells you he’s the recruiting officer for the Greenville Drive, the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. “I spoke to your coach earlier, and he was raving about you to me,” he says. “I was quite impressed by the stats you’ve been putting up prior to your injury. I think you have a natural talent for the game, and I think you could be a great asset to my team one day.”

He then offers you an MiLB contract. Obviously, he says, you would still have to spend a couple years rehabilitating your injuries, but the recruiter tells you he believes you could be a top MLB prospect if you fully recover.

By this point, your parents have noticed your absence and have walked to where you and the recruiter are standing. The recruiter catches them up on the conversation; they are both in total shock, but they are smiling ear to ear for you.

And at that point, you know what you need to do.