15 Best Baseball Romance Books That Knock It Out of the Park

This book list features the best lineup of baseball romance books. These must-read books hit a home run when it comes to sports romance and you’re going to want to read each and every one.

These baseball romance novels cover the bases, qualifying them to be listed as the best.

• They are well-written with amazing storylines.
• They feature the best characters and baseball player heroes who know how to score on and off the field.
• They all feature a happy ending for the baseball player and his heroine.
• They leave you wanting more baseball and more romance!

That’s a grand slam in my book. 🙂

Surprisingly, there aren’t a ton of baseball romance books like you find with other sports, such as hockey romance books or football romance books, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t found and read the best in baseball romance books.

By far, my favorite “series” (although not technically a series as each is considered a stand alone) are the baseball boys written by Meghan Quinn.

I love, love, LOVE her books but each of these must-read baseball romance books below knocked it out of the park.

*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Best Baseball Romance Books:

The Dugout
by Meghan Quinn

Let me ask you a question:

If someone is vying for your spot on a team and just so happens to injure you during practice, would you believe it was on purpose?

Word around campus is . . . it was no accident.

That injury has cost me everything; my starting position, my junior year—and the draft. Now, I’m a senior fresh off recovery, struggling to find my groove, until the day I run into a nervous, fidgety, girl with freckles, in the dining hall.

They call Milly Potter The Baseball Whisperer, The Diamond Wizard, and The Epitome of All Knowledge. She believes in baseball. She breathes it.

She’s the queen of an infamous dynasty, but no one actually knows who she really is, and she plans to keep it that way.

One mishap in the panini line, one miscommunication in the weight room, and many failed attempts at an apology equal up to one solid truth — Milly Potter never wants to speak to me again — no matter how good my forearms look.

Little do we both know, she’s about to become more than just my fairy ballmother.

I love all of Meghan Quinn’s baseball romances but this is one is so fantastic that it’s also one of the best romance novels of all time.

I love it because the storyline is fantastic, the characters and secondary characters are amazing and it has so many laugh-out-loud moments.

What’s even better is this baseball romance not only focuses on a college star looking to get his groove back so that he can make it to the MLB, but it’s also about a fantastic woman who knows just as much if not more about baseball.

She’s the one to help Carson get his swing back but they both end up getting so much more. This is a fantastic baseball romance book that you’re sure to love!

Check out my book review of The Dugout.

Anything But Minor
by Kate Stewart

“She’s a nerd.”
“Heyyyy!”
“Okay, she’s a flight instructor.”
“Better.”
“He’s a ballplayer.”
“The best that ever was.”
“Technically, you aren’t according to MLB stats.”
“See? Total nerd. She also has no filter.”
“He’s no southern gentlemen.”
“I had one last season to prove my worth.”
“I’d never seen a game.”
“He told me he was a player.”
“But you fell in love with me anyway.”
“Yeah, baby, I totally did.”

I love this baseball romance book because it takes place in the minor leagues.

Rafe is a pitcher for a South Carolina team waiting for the call to be brought up to the big leagues.

He’s in no position to start a relationship, not that he’s a relationship type of guy, but when he meets sweet Alice he can’t help but fall for her.

I loved how fun this book was and how it was more about the athlete and his dream versus another story about a ball player already in the major leagues.

Although it was a great baseball romance, Alice was such a highlight with her lack of filter, obsession with Google and her zest for life. A great read for sure!

Major Love
by Kate Stewart

“I met her at an all-time low . . . the worst night of my life—a time I never wanted to remember.”
“It was a night I could never forget.”
“When it came to women, I swore I was done with wishful thinking. Ball and my coaching career were all that mattered.”
“I reminded him it wasn’t.”
“She was everything I was afraid of.”
“He was everything I’d ever wanted.”
“She was fire—an irresistible piece of southern heaven that I couldn’t stay away from.
“He was smoke that clouded me in every imaginable way.”…
“I fell hard, and she gave me hell at every turn.”
“I made a promise I was hell bent on keeping.”
“And you kept it.”
“Hell yes I did.”

Although Major Love can be read as a standalone, I totally fell for Andy in Anything But Minor and needed to see him get his happily-ever-after.

He was a catcher in the minors but never got his shot at the big leagues as a player.

He’s now headed to the MLB as a coach just as he meets April, a girl who just might make him believe in love again.

This book just hooked me from the start and is now on my best romance novels of all time list. I loved how Andy and April couldn’t deny the chemistry between them and gave their love a shot.

As a baseball romance I love how you get to look at the sport from a coach’s angle versus a player’s which gives this story a unique twist.

It’s a must-read baseball romance for sure in my book. Check out my book review of Major Love.

Jock Row
by Sara Ney

Scarlett is always the sensible one: The sober driver. The planner. The one holding your hair back while you’re worshiping the porcelain gods.

Week-after-week, she visits Jock Row with her friends — the university’s hottest party scene and breeding ground for student athletes.

And if keeping her friends out of trouble, and guys out of their pants, was a sport, she’d be the star athlete.

Being a well known jock-blocker gets her noticed for all the wrong reasons; just like that, she’s banned from Jock Row. No guy wants a girl around who keeps their jock friends from getting some.

“Rowdy” Wade is the hot shot short-stop for the university’s baseball team — and the unlucky bastard who drew the short straw: keep little Miss Goody Two-Shoes out of the Baseball House.

But week-after-week Scarlett returns, determined to get inside.

So I’m letting this one in on my list because I loved it so much (and it’s also one of the best romance novels of all time) but it doesn’t technically have any baseball played it.

Instead, it’s about a college shortstop who ends up falling for a girl on the front porch of the baseball house he lives in.

The college party scene may go on around them with his teammates in his house, but the story is all about Rowdy and Scarlett on the porch, falling for each other.

It’s perfect in its simplicity and I loved them so hard. Plus it has one of the best epilogues! Check out this baseball romance with a different twist if you love romances set in college!

Check out my book review of Jock Row.

Changing the Game
by Jaci Burton

Sports agent Liz Darnell will do anything to win back her number-one client, baseball pro Gavin Riley. And Gavin’s more than ready- especially when Liz is offering herself as part of the bargain.

But when love unexpectedly enters the playing field, neither Liz nor Gavin are ready for the biggest game-changer of all.

Ooohh, I loved this book so much and it was so HOT!

It was one of the first sports romance books I read when I started devouring Jaci Burton’s Play by Play series.

Changing the Game is the perfect baseball romance book to read because it features MLB pro, Gavin Riley AND a hot sports agent who intends to woo him as her next client.

The only problem is that Liz isn’t Gavin’s football-playing brother’s favorite person.

Can you mix business with pleasure? Can Liz redeem herself? You’ll have to find out in this hot baseball romance!

Double Play
by Jill Shalvis

Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He’s got the arm, the experience and the wins.

He’s also got the pain, the pressure, and the possible end of his career looming over him.

The last thing he needs now is a distraction, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.

Holly Hutchins knows a good story when she sees one, and the tall, dark and slightly attitude-ridden Pace Martin fits the bill.

But when she realizes there’s more at stake than just the win, she starts to notice the handsome broad-shouldered jock in a different light.

Pace and Holly begin a seductive game in which neither wants to drop the ball, but in the face of an unexpected betrayal and challenge, they’ll have to find the courage to swing for the fences…

Jill Shalvis knows how to write a story and she knocked it out of the park with her baseball romances.

Double Play features a MLB pitcher who’s hiding a shoulder injury and a sports journalist who’s assigned to get the scoop on his team.

This book definitely features the ins and outs of baseball and whether you would risk your career for love. Such a fun read I know you’ll enjoy.

The Trade
by Meghan Quinn

Can you pinpoint a time in your life where you realized you are completely and utterly screwed?

I can. I got the dreaded phone call, the one every baseball player hopes and prays never comes.

I was traded. Yeah, that phone call.

Traded from my long time team of over ten years. And not just to any team, but my childhood rivals; the Chicago Rebels.

Completely and utterly screwed, right? Wrong. The trade was the least of my concerns.

I met a girl. Natalie. Man, she’s perfect.

I swore I would never get involved with anyone during the season. Too complicated.

But can you believe I have zero restraint when it comes to this girl? I couldn’t get her out of my head and the more I talked to her, the more I realized I needed her in my life.

So what’s the problem? Why am I screwed? Because, Natalie, the girl I can’t stop crushing on, yeah… she’s married.

At least, that’s what I was told…

This is another favorite of Meghan Quinn’s baseball boys (though seriously, just go ahead and read them all!).

I picked this one for the list because it features the good boy of baseball who unexpectedly finds himself traded to his rival team – the bad boys of baseball.

I loved how it focuses on what it would feel like to leave your beloved team, get traded and find yourself in a new town with a new team that isn’t welcoming.

Cory Potter (who you’ll fall for in The Dugout if you read that one above) is such a nice guy and no one deserved a nice guy more than Natalie. But is it true she’s married??

You’ll just have to read it to find out! Check out my book review of The Trade.

Unforgettable
by Melanie Harlow

Back then, I had it all. Wicked fastball. Cocky grin. Full package. (And believe me, I knew how to score.)

My senior year, I was a first round draft pick with a two-million-dollar signing bonus. Before I could even legally buy myself a beer, I made my Major League debut.

Point is, I was invincible. Until one day I wasn’t.

After tanking my career—during the World Series, no less—the last thing I want to do is return to my hometown, where every guy in a ball cap has an opinion about what went wrong with my arm.

So when my sister drags me back to town for her wedding, I vow to get in and out of there as quickly as possible. Then I run into April Sawyer.

In high school we were just friends, but I’d always wanted her, and I’d never forgotten her—the red hair, the incredible smile, the crazy, reckless thing we did in the back of my truck the night we said goodbye.

It’s been eighteen years, but one look at her and I feel like my old self again. I can still make her laugh, she can still take me down a notch, and when the chemistry between us explodes, it’s even hotter this time around—and I don’t want it to end.

But just when I think I’m ready to let go of the past and get back in the game, life throws me a curveball I never saw coming.

Unforgettable gives you a different type of baseball romance.

It’s also a second chance love story between April and Tyler who were once friends in high school before he went off to make it big in the MLB.

His career however came to a screeching halt when he could no longer pitch.

This book looks at his inability to move on from losing his career and how April may just be what he’s looking for to help him do just that.

Don’t miss my book review of Unforgettable.

Slow Heat
by Jill Shalvis

After a woman claims she’s pregnant with Wade O’Riley’s love child, Major League Baseball’s most celebrated catcher and ladies’ man is slapped on the wrist by management and ordered to improve his image.

His enforcer is the team’s publicist, the tough yet amazing Samantha McNead.

When Wade needs a date for a celebrity wedding, Sam steps up to the plate as his “girlfriend.”

But given her secret crush on him and that one awkward night a year ago in a stuck elevator with too much scotch, the whole thing is an exercise in extreme tension.

Wade is thrilled when the pretense turns into an unexpected night of hot passion. But the next day Sam is back to her cool self.

As a catcher, Wade’s used to giving the signals, not struggling to read them. Now, to win the love of his “pretend” girlfriend, he needs a home run—even it involves stealing a few bases…

Oh yes! A baseball romance that is also part fake relationship trope– this book is perfect!

Celebrity image is everything, even in the MLB.

This book features a pro catcher in need of an image makeover which pulls publicist Sam into his life. She’s secretly had a crush on him but now gets to play the role of his “fake” girlfriend when she wants it to be anything but.

For fans of baseball and fake relationships with all the tension, this is the perfect choice.

The Player
by K. Bromberg

Easton Wylder is baseball royalty. The game is his life. His passion. His everything.

So, when an injury threatens to end Easton’s season early, the team calls in the renowned physical therapist, Doc Dalton, to oversee his recovery.

Except it’s not Doc who greets Easton for his first session, but rather his daughter, Scout. She may be feisty, athletic, defiant, and gorgeous, but Easton is left questioning whether she has what it takes to help him.

Scout Dalton’s out to prove a female can handle the pressure of running the physical therapy regimen of an MLB club. And that proof comes in the form of getting phenom Easton Wylder back on the field. But getting him healthy means being hands-on.

And with a man as irresistible as Easton, being hands-on can only lead to one thing, trouble.

Because the more she touches him, the more she wants him, and she can’t want him. Not when it’s her job to side in the club’s best interest if he’s ready to play.

But when sparks fly and fine lines are crossed, can they withstand the heat or is one of them bound to get burned?

K Bromberg gives us not one, but two baseball romances in this duet that starts with The Player.

I love how this book starts off with a hilarious misunderstanding since Easton wasn’t expecting a woman to be rehabbing his shoulder.

He’s set to return to his starting position as catcher in the big leagues and Scout is determined to win a contract with his professional team.

But once she starts working with him, there’s no denying the attraction even if it is against the rules.

There is a lot of baseball to this romance with rehabbing, trading, and clubhouse pranks, but there is so much more to the story. Check out my book review of The Player.

The Catch
by K. Bromberg

After an unexpected twist of fate, All-Star catcher Easton Wylder is left questioning the loyalty of everyone around him.

Even the woman who shares his bed, Scout Dalton.

But if Easton thought being uprooted to the last place he expected was the only challenge life had to throw at him, he was dead wrong.

With an ailing shoulder and his career in limbo, his decision to make an unexpected change leads him to question everything – Scout’s love, family loyalties, and whether he can conquer the one obstacle he’s never been able to overcome. The secret he’s never shared with anyone.

He may be a man pushed to his limits, but he’s hell-bent on proving his worth no matter the cost.

If you read The Player, then you’re going to need to move on to The Catch to finish Scout and Easton’s story.

It’s the perfect conclusion to this baseball romance and love story between two determined adults set on making it in their respected professions.

There’s twists and turns to the final book in this duet but without too much undue angst. It’s a must-read. Check out my review of The Catch.

Are you a fan of sports? Check out my list of Best Sports Romance Books!

Thrown By a Curve
by Jaci Burton

For Alicia Riley, her job as a sports therapist for the St. Louis Rivers baseball team is a home run—until she becomes the primary therapist for star pitcher, Garrett Scott.

Out of the lineup with an injury, he’s short-tempered, hard to handle, and every solid inch, a man.

Right now, the only demand he’s making on Alicia is that she get him ready to pitch in time for opening day. Except the chemistry between them is so charged, Alicia’s tempted to oblige Garrett just about anything.

But both their careers are at stake—one bad move and it’s game over for both of them.

Garrett also feels the hot sparks between them, and the way he figures it, what better therapy is there than the one between the sheets? Now all he has to do is convince the woman with the power to make the call.

Similar to The Player, this baseball romance features a recovering ball player and the mutual attraction between him and the sports therapist assigned to get him ready for his big return to the mound.

But this book focuses more on the risk of Alicia and Garrett mixing business with pleasure when it comes to her rehabbing the star pitcher.

Jaci Burton never disappoints and this one is another must-read in her Play by Play series!

Stealing Home
by Carrie Aarons

Walker Callahan has loved from afar for as long as he can remember.

The golden boy of the Callahan baseball dynasty, he’s the only player to ever secure a top spot on a roster controlled by his own flesh and blood.

The pressure, duty and plans laid out for him since birth loom large, causing things like love and a family to fall by the wayside.

Or maybe that’s because the woman he loves is already married with children.

When they met, Hannah Giraldi was already promised to someone else. For over six years, he resigned himself to being her friend.

Until one night, when her marriage and the ugly secrets it keeps unravels for the world to see. She’s burned, scared and needs someone who will put her needs above everything else.

Can Walker risk his own future and show Hannah how to trust again? Or will the feelings he’s kept hidden for years throw him out of the game before he can even attempt to play?

Aarons really got me with this baseball romance about a player who’s been in love with his teammate’s wife.

She did such a good job shedding some light on the very important topic of spousal abuse while also giving us a really great book boyfriend in Walker who was so sweet and patient.

This is a special baseball romance with so much more!

Hothead
by Stella Rhys

He’s the hottest player in Major League Baseball, the most notorious playboy in all of Manhattan… And my fake fiancé for the next three months.

Long story short, we got off to a bad start the night we met. But when the tabloids interpret our sparring as Drew Maddox “groveling” with a “mystery brunette,” his agent presents us both a proposal: Shacking up as a couple this summer.

It’s an alleged “win-win.” I need to prove to my ex that I’m fine. Drew needs to prove to his team that he’s stable.

Thanks to his on-field brawling and never-ending lady drama, Drew Maddox has suddenly found himself on the trade block – which means he needs a fast, easy way to show the team that he’s settled down.

Our fights are real, our kisses are fake, and thanks to the nonstop heat between us, I’m starting to mix up all my signs.

But whether it’s real or fake, there’s one thing I do know: I’m already addicted.

Hothead is not only one of my favorite baseball romance books, and it’s also one of my all-time favorite romance books.

This romance has the classic set-up for a fake relationship romance where the bad boy athlete needs to clean up his reputation or he’s at risk of being traded to a new baseball team.

The chemistry between Drew and Evie is off the charts even while they’re faking it.

They had the best witty banter and Drew’s dirty talk was HOT! You won’t regret adding this to your TBR list. 😊

Work Me Up
by Julie Kriss

Everyone knows Ryan Riggs—everyone who follows minor league baseball, that is. He’s the player with the hair-trigger temper, the bad shoulder, and the smoking hot looks.

He’s also a single dad in need of a nanny—which makes him my new boss.

Simple. Except for one thing: We had a one-night stand five years ago.

We’re trying to be professional. But it was one of the best nights of my life, and the more I work with him, the more I’m thinking about a repeat.

He’s battling his demons, and I might be the only one who can help him win.

He’s impossible. He’s unforgettable. He’s unwinnable. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

This is another baseball romance book featuring a player in the minor leagues and I love it – especially since he’s an athlete that’s really floundering.

From nursing an injury that might ruin his career to trying to raise his son on his own, Ryan is desperate for help only to find it in a former one-night-stand.

Ryan and Kate have the best chemistry that hasn’t faded in five years and I loved watching them reunite in this second chance romance.

Are you a fan of baseball romance books? Tell me your favorite in the comments below!

Related Posts:

• Best Sports Romance Books
• Best Hockey Romance Books
• Best Football Romance Books

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