A/N: Hello again. :D I thought we should check in on this growing family. You will catch that reference in later chapters. However, by growing, I don't mean in numbers. Just some growing twins that a set of grandparents and some uncles are catching up with.

Sorry, baseball chapter first. I'm setting up another story.

All rights to the Criminal Minds characters belong to Mark Gordon Productions, CBS and ABC Studios.

*Knightly bow*

Chapter 1

Zach walked into the first day of pitchers' and catchers' spring training. He looked around and shook his head. Almost every player wanting a roster spot, including the veterans were already there as well. Of all the players invited to spring training, only three were missing. They were held-up with their visas from entering the U.S. because they were not due to be in camp for another ten days.

Zach greeted the familiar faces as well as the new ones with a smile. The newbies got a handshake. The team members he knew got a hug. He then looked each of them in eye. "How hungry are you?" Zach questioned. The coaching staff and the veteran team members noticed.

Two days later, the team walked into the clubhouse to start practice. There were two large cardboard boxes in the middle of the room. Brian Snitker, the manager came out of his office and opened one box. He pulled out t-shirt and looked at his players. He opened the dry weave material t-shirt in Atlanta Braves blue with the Nike logo that would show above their buttoned uniform shirts.

The front was blazed with How hungry are you? in large white letters down the front of the shirt. The players gathered around to grab the short and long-sleeved versions.

-00CM00-

Three weeks later, Zach, Andy and Freddie walked into their shared condo smiling after an afternoon game against the Minnesota Twins. Their wives and children were waiting for them.

Charlie Freeman flew at his dad. "Hi daddy!" he shouted as Freddie pulled him into his arms. Freddie hugged his son and then enveloped Chelsea in the hug.

AJ Minton walked up to Andy with her arms spread out and a big smile. "Hug daddy." Andy happily compiled and then kissed Victoria, pulling her into a hug.

Zach looked at Caleigh. She pointed into the living room with a smile. The twins were happily enjoying their toys. Zach hugged Caleigh. "How was the flight?"

"Piece of cake," Caleigh smiled. "They slept in their car seats that the flight attendants helped me buckle them into the seat. I put the ear protection over the ears when we started to land. They didn't wake up."

Zach looked at Caleigh. "Will they remember me?" he whispered.

Caleigh shook her head at him. "Zach! We've Skyped every night. Go see your children."

Zach walked into the living room. Trevor, trying desperately to get up on his knees and failing miserably looked at Zach. His bright smile lit up his face. "Hi son," Zach smiled, pulling him up into his arms.

Taylor, recognizing her father's voice rolled over and looked at her dad. Her smile lit the room as she babbled at him. The Freeman and Minton families smiled at each other. "Hi sweetheart," Zach smiled, picking her up in his other arm and kissing her.

Even with the guys playing spring training games, the three couples and their children had a wonderful time together for the next ten days. The pool, sunscreen and Weber grill got a workout.

-00CM00-

Greg Maddux looked at the pitchers and catchers in the conference room of the clubhouse ten days before the final cut of players. While final cuts would still be made to get to the twenty-five man roster, those in the room that wouldn't make that cut would be on immediate call-up from Gwinnett, the Triple A club if needed. "Congratulations gentlemen," he smiled. "Welcome to the Atlanta Braves." Zach and Brian McCann, sitting in the back of room winked at each other.

Maddux looked at his pitching staff. "Now begins the process of me making you better. With the help of two veteran catchers." He pulled up the screen covering the white board of the cryptic system that he, Zach and Brian had developed to make the pitchers locate pitches. Most of the pitching staff just looked at each other, shaking their heads. They didn't get it.

-00CM00-

The Braves opened the 2019 season in Philadelphia. They lost all three games. The hitters in the line-up provided their punch. The pitching staff, mostly importantly, the bullpen let the team down issuing too many walks not using the new location system. The Phillies hitters took advantage of those mistakes.

Snit looked at Maddux on the plane home to Atlanta. "Skip, trust us," Maddog said. He nodded to Snit as Zach and Brain walked toward them. Maddox evilly smiled at Snit. "You're the skipper. You manage the argument," he whispered.

"Skip, it's the home opener and BMac is back home in Atlanta. He starts," Zach said.

"Not a chance Cob," Brian retorted. "We've got lessons to teach that bullpen. Minnie has buy-in and you know each other. Who better to give those lessons? Hell, if you fart crosswise, Minnie knows the signal."

Zach shook his head and started to open his mouth. "Can it Cob," Snit growled. "BMac is right and Doggie and I have already talked. You and Minnie teach some lessons, get us through six innings and then it's a Brian McCann welcome home handling the bullpen."

Zach looked at McCann. "For the record. I'm a Hotchner. I've never farted crosswise in my life. We're straight shooters." The other three laughed.

The Braves home opener was the next night in Atlanta. Zach warmed up Andy in the bullpen under Maddog's watchful eye. He smiled at his two brightest pupils.

Zach and Andy finished their warm-up session. They headed for the gate to enter the field. Zach looked at the rest of the pitching staff. "How hungry are you?"

The pitchers looked at him. "Hungry!" they all shouted back.

Zach stopped and looked at them. "Then watch and maybe learn," Zach smiled at them.

"Judas Priest," Andy snarled, looking at Zach as they walked onto the SunTrust Field. "No pressure."

Zach smiled, rubbing his shoulder. "Minnie, why do you think the coaches have you pitching the home opener?"

"Thanks a helluva lot Cob," Minnie growled.

Zach smiled at his friend. "It's you and me Minnie. We're teaching lessons to a bunch of kids," he said, rubbing his friend's shoulder. All the Braves' wives were attendance at the game with their children. Dansby Swanson's fiancée Stephanie helped Caleigh with one of the twins.

Minnie pitched six innings, scattering two hits with no runs. Zach and Freddie both homered to back him up. They weren't the only ones.

Brian McCann, an Atlanta native and former hometown drafted player, coming out to catch the seventh inning, received a huge welcome home from the Atlanta fans that lasted over a minute. The rest of the team joined in the ovation.

Wes Parsons was the only one of the bullpen's pitching staff that understood and bought into the Maddux pitch location system. He retired the Cubs batters in order in the seventh inning with BMac calling locations as well as Zach.

Arodys Vizcaíno, the Braves closer, was already starting to loosen up in the bullpen. He looked at the bullpen coach. "Can you teach me more of that location system?"

Parsons pitched a perfect eighth inning. Vizcaíno pitched a lights out ninth inning. The Braves won 8-0.

Maddux looked Brian Snitker in the eye. "How hungry are you?" he smiled.

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A/N: Just a note. The MLB season is 162 games long. I've touched on a couple of games. The season ends in October. I promise you two things.

It's not all going to be about baseball. But like I said at the top, I'm setting up some things for a story later this summer.

Refresher – Brian Snitker, aka Snit, is the manager, aka boss of the team. Zach's baseball idol Greg Maddux, aka Doggie/Maddog, is the pitching coach.

And the rest of this story is going to be family.

How hungry are you? :D