Today is the last day of the Major League baseball season. We aren’t going to playoffs, so it’s the end of the 2021 season for me.
My feelings are mixed when baseball season comes to an end.
I’ll miss being at the field, the competition, and even throwing BP to the guys every day…
…but my wife says 1st day of off-season feels like Christmas! 🥳
As I sit on the Rockies team plane for the last time this year, heading back home to Denver from our series against the Diamondbacks, I wanted to share some takeaways from a long 162 game season.
- The #1 thing non-players tend to forget… This game is hard. We have all swung at a slider in the dirt, walked a hitter we shouldn’t have and booted a routine groundball. One of the beautiful things about this game is the better the players on the field, the easier the game looks. Don’t fall into the trap of being too hard on your young players for making mistakes. It’s part of the game.
—- - Consistency is the most important separator amongst the games best. When you go from playing 2-3 times a week to 7, the days seem like they all run together and it becomes a mental test. Now do this for 6 months where every play, every at bat and every game is under a microscope. This is where mental toughness, resiliency and consistency rise to the top.
—- - Routines, routines, routines. The players that have a consistent routine and stick to it every single game tend to the be the most consistent. Going through the same preparation at the same time will not only get you physically ready for a game but mentally ready for a game. Talent is needed to reach baseballs highest level, but consistency is more important. When your coach knows what he can expect from you every single day, he can trust you.
—- - We tend to get overly complicated when we are struggling and are trying to get out of a slump or back on track. Yet many times the answer is simplifying and getting back to the basics. Trust me, I have gone down this route. Its easier to talk about it after the season and not when you are riding a 0-22 slump.
—- - Enjoy everyday you have playing the game. You never know when your last game will happen and even though we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, we need to remember we originally got into baseball because we LOVED it. Be able to slow down once a game and be grateful for putting that uniform on and playing this game on the same field as your friends.
—- - Don’t tie your self-worth to your results. This is easier said than done, but once I was able to do this it freed me up. I was in a better place on and off the field. When I come home from a game, my dog didn’t know if I got 4 hits or struck out 4 times. And to be honest, my dog didn’t care. Don’t bring home the emotions from the game. Remember that baseball is something you do, it’s not who you are.
—- - Don’t stop. Keep working on getting better. Small adjustments always need to be made to make our swing or fielding mechanics more efficient. It’s a journey with no destination. Stay hungry and keep grinding. This is baseball.
These are some of my takeaways from the season.
Now I have a question for you… would you like me to expand on any of these points above?
Add stories?
Explain the importance,
Or how some of the most successful pros deal with them?
Just hit reply and let me know which number above you’d like to hear more about (and feel free to ask any other baseball-related questions. I may not be able to respond to every email, but I promise read every one… and good questions might become my next YouTube video )
Best of luck in fall ball and I hope you are going to enjoy the MLB playoffs this year. It should be incredible!
Stay hungry,
Doug Bernier
—-
PS. If you’re like me, this is the time of year to GET TO WORK, doing skills training for next season. I’m working on an October special for our infield and catcher training programs. But these specials are ONLY available to the folks on my email list. Click here to subscribe to PBI emails Click here to subscribe
About Author
Doug Bernier, founder of Pro Baseball Insider.com, debuted in the Major Leagues in 2008 with the Colorado Rockies, and has played professional baseball for 5 organizations (CO Rockies, NY Yankees, PIT Pirates, MN Twins, & TX Rangers) over the past 16 years. He has Major League time at every infield position, and has played every position on the field professionally except for catcher. (You should click to watch this great defensive play by Bernier) Where is he now? After 16 years of playing professionally, Doug retired and took a position as a Major League scout with the Colorado Rockies for 2 years. Currently Doug is the Data and Game Planning Coordinator with the Colorado Rockies
