Just like last year, minor league baseball manager Arthur “Murph” Murphy’s team, the River Rats is on a losing streak. In fact, out of the thirteen games they’ve played this season, they won exactly—none. They’d be grateful to be victorious in just one game. Now, the team owner has given Murph an ultimatum: start winning or else. So Murph sets out in search of fresh talent to bring to the dugout.

On one of his scouting trips, Murph’s car breaks down in a muddy ditch in a rural area. It is there that he sees 18-year-old farm boy Mickey Tussler tossing apples at such a velocity that Murph knows he’s just found his star pitcher. When he talks to the boy, he realizes he has special needs, as Mickey is reluctant to engage in conversation. Murph manages to persuade Mickey to bring him home to meet his parents, and Murph learns the boy has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, and lives a sheltered life on the farm.

Murph is sure both the boy and the team would benefit from Mickey’s raw talent. Convincing his overprotective father takes some doing, however. Murph makes his case that Mickey should be allowed to prove himself in life, use his gifts and not remain hidden from the world, his only friend a pig named Oscar. Mickey’s parents relent and soon Mickey is on his way to try out for the team in Clayton, Ohio.

Murph expects Mickey to do well, and the new pitcher comes through with flying colors. But what Murph didn’t expect was how this unique boy would affect the other players on the team, the optimism and hope he would bring, the lessons he would unknowingly teach on and off the field. The players are drawn to him and inspired by him—all but one. Lefty, another pitcher is driven by jealousy and is determined to ruin Mickey’s success.

An inspiring story of teamwork, perseverance, faith, giving, and the power of love and friendship, this family-friendly film portrays Mickey with dignity allowing viewers insight into his perspective on life and his view of the world.