Have a Purpose

Some of you may remember my post from the beginning of spring training describing a guest speaker who came in and spoke about having a purpose in life, baseball, and everything that you do. For me, baseball is a great way to learn life lessons because, just like in life, there are so many things that you can't control. However, there are some things you can control, like the effort and attitude you have and these are the important things to focus on. And it's impossible to get anywhere in baseball or life without a goal or purpose. This may seem like a simple and obvious statement but I've come to realize that when you're on the same routine everyday (i.e. spring training) it is easy to complete some drills without having a central focus. For example, every morning I hit off the tee to warm up and get my swing feeling right. It's easy to mentally check-out during this time and just get my body loose. But a new coach has given me a new focus while I'm hitting off the tee, and it's something that I think is useful for players of all ages. On a side note, I would advise young kids to hit off a tee as much as possible, the more swings you can take the better. You might even be able to set up a net in your basement so that you can swing all year round.

Our new coach working with hitting and infielders had an 18-year career in the major leagues, Tony Phillips. Tony played over 2,000 major league games and amassed over 2,000 hits throughout his long career. Tony was listed at 5'9'' and 155 lbs, which gives hope to the smaller players out there, like myself. He is a vibrant character and is always energetic about his work, he loves working with minor leaguers.

The piece of knowledge that Tony dropped on me and that I want to pass along was to focus on the head. What he meant by that was, like everyone else I would hit the ball off the tee and then track its flight down the length of the batting cage. Tony encourages guys to keep their head on the contact point and not follow the ball. He says that this will help you 'stay on the ball' and your head won't pull off the baseball. So, instead of just missing that pitch during the game, you drive it into the gap. I now have a new focus or purpose when I'm hitting off the tee..to make solid contact and keep my head on the contact point. We practice this same concept during side and front flips, and batting practice and hope this it carries over into the game.

But, this new found purpose during my tee drills has also carried over to how I'm approaching defensive work and other parts of the game. Every time that you field ground balls during practice you should have a focus on what you are doing. For me, I focus on getting a wide base and keeping my head down and seeing the ball into my glove. You're not really changing what you're doing physically, but mentally this will help to correct any flaws that you're most likely to make.

On another note, we start our extended spring training games tomorrow. I'm excited to get some more at bats in a real game setting. I know that Torrington High School started their season last week and are 2-0. It's an exciting time of the year with the start of baseball season and getting to see baseball highlights on Sportscenter. And of course, my favorite show, Baseball Tonight. Good luck to everybody starting their seasons!