Very few kids would rather be in the weight room than at a party.
or
The batting cages instead of the beach.
or
A tournament instead of homecoming.
or
Playing in a spring break tournament instead of a spring break vacation.
or
Grind it out from start to finish during summer baseball.
or
Play as many competitive games as possible during the fall.
But remember.
Very few kids make it.
Wonder which ones do?
Travel Ball was designed to be best on best.
Strong vs strong.
In shape vs in shape.
Physical vs physical.
Athletic vs athletic.
Grinder vs grinder.
Competitive vs competitive.
Performer vs performer.
If your travel ball organization presented you with well defined physical and training guidelines and you ignored them.
If your son showed up weak and or out of shape.
If your son refused to do everything in his power to be the best and most physical athlete he can be.
Nobody wants to hear your complaints or even opinions.
The sooner you can take accountability for your perspective on everyday life, the better you will play & stop being so miserable.
So many baseball players struggling with this mentally. MLB, College, HS.
The College World Series is full of weird kids.
Weird because growing up they've been all in.
They've been willing to sacrifice for what they really want.
They've been willing to walk alone at times
Their fun is doing things others don't want to do.
Look at the bodies and ask yourself if you're on pace to look like them.
The majority of kids playing on that stage were and are simply willing to work harder, sacrifice more and prioritize being good at baseball.
A lot of good hitters have good swings.
But they're not ALL IN.
Their decision making is MAYBE... MAYBE... OH DANG IT.
Instead of YES YES ABSOLUTELY.
(Or YES YES NO when they take a pitch)
Here's something I've told guys when they need it:
"Treat every pitch like it's a hit and run. You HAVE to get the barrel on it. (within reason)
But don't just hit it, DRIVE it. Hit and run, but make it a DRIVE and run."
It's worked great.
If you're good in the cage but underwhelming in the game, this is usually why.
You're not being aggressive enough. You're not all in when you're between the lines.
2029 C/3B Hammond Bryant @nthbaseball
5-foot-9, 167-pounds.
Max EV: 93.8
Good separation & stays compact in a linear path w/ balance thru the zone.
#GATPG26
Tom Coughlin said, "You never want an opponent to see you in anything, but strength."
"You don't want bad language. You don't want that as a stamp of who you are."
Your body language speaks before you do.
Your presence, your tone, your energy - everything speaks.
When I onboard a new hitter, the first thing I ask for is game film with no edits between pitches.
Full at-bats. No cuts.
Not just the highlights.
Not just the cage swings.
The good, the bad, the ugly.
That's how we see who the real hitter is.
Because the 'swing' is just half of the story.
The rest is the pre-pitch routine.
How he takes a pitch he doesn't swing at.
How he steps in after taking the sign and taps the plate or wiggles his bat.
What his body does when he's behind in the count.
That's where I learn who the hitter really is (or isn't)
I onboarded a guy today whose swing is genuinely good.
But the actions between pitches tells a different story.
Little details that say he's not sure of himself yet.
I don't see those from the hitters who are elite.
The swing is the easier part to train. (easier, not easy!)
The details that go into it are what decide if that swing ever shows up in a game and under pressure.
So we train all of it. Make sure you are, too.
The dangerous part about success isn't the success..
It's what it does to your standard.
- You have a good weekend.
- Square up a few balls.
- Somebody tells you you're one of the best in the conference or tournament.
And without noticing, your training changes.
- The reps get softer.
- You skip the boring stuff.
- You stop chasing the thing that got you here.
Nobody decides to coast.
It just happens.
Your effort quietly drops to match how good you think you are instead of how good you're trying to become.
And you usually can't feel it.
You still think you're working.
You're just not working like you were.
Meanwhile the guy nobody's talking about is still grinding.
Not more talented than you. He just never let a little recognition tell him he could let off the gas.
That's the gap that separates. Not talent. Standards between the two players.
So if things are going well right now, good.
Just don't let it be the reason you start doing less.
> Send this to who needs it
> Save it for when you need it
You’re performance isn’t your identity, your preparation should be your identity. Preparation is a reflection of who you are and what you’re trying to become. The path will end, but the preparation will teach you how to survive beyond the game.
Haven’t posted on social in quite some time but can’t stay quiet in this time of loss. I’m struggling to tell all what Bobby Cox meant to me and so many others in Braves Country.
He was the leader of men and a second father to so many Atlanta Braves thru the yrs. I’m so sad today, but as I sit here watching my two youngest boys play in their championship games on the day he passed, I can’t help but shout the same things he did from the corner of the dugout. ‘Come on kid, u got this!’
We are gonna miss him so much, but his legacy is forever cemented with the success of this franchise for the last 35+ yrs. He started it as GM, continued as manager, and passing the torch to others, the Atlanta Braves will continue to be force that Bobby Cox always wanted us to be. We love you Skipper. You were our rock. I love you more than words can express.
My boys won both of their games…..Bobby had a hand, I have no doubt!
2027 1B Custis Honeycutt scorches this to the OF for a base knock.
Excellent barrel length with bat speed present & huge impact at contact.
Big-time strength in the physical 6-foot-2 frame.
@PB_Uncommitted@nthbaseball || #GAHS26