The Scout (1994)

A washed-up career can get a second life when you finally stumble onto the real thing, as long as you're willing to care about more than the paycheck. Michael Ritchie's comedy "The Scout," co-written by star Albert Brooks and inspired by a Roger Angell magazine article, casts Brooks as Al Percolo, a fast-talking New York Yankees talent scout whose career hits rock bottom after his latest prized prospect falls apart on the mound in a humiliating debut. As punishment, Al is banished to scour the backwoods of Mexico, where he stumbles onto Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser), a sweet, childlike phenomenon who can throw a baseball over 100 miles an hour and hit nearly every pitch out of the park. Al signs him to a record-breaking contract, but there's a catch: before Steve can take the field, a psychiatrist (Dianne Wiest) must certify that he's emotionally stable enough to play. As Steve's troubled past comes to light and the pressure mounts toward his first start in the World Series at Yankee Stadium, Al slowly realizes he cares about the young man far more than the deal. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and a host of baseball figures make cameo appearances.