An Open Letter To The Aspiring Elite Ballplayer

Dear Future Star, Welcome to the challenge of becoming “elite”. You’re now entering a world where your everyday life will be different than most. Before you embark on this journey, you’ll need to understand what it takes, what you’re giving up and what you stand to gain. You then need toask yourself the most important question of all (and you’ll be asking yourself this often to stay am I committed or am I just interested? Assuming you said that you were committed rather than just interested, let’s explore some traits that elite players share, whether they were born with five tools or they’re an average human with a killer desire to be elite. 1. Time Management- Elite players learn this very quickly and very early. Elite players have less time than Average Joes and need to manage everything from schoolwork to teamwork and friendships (yes, contrary to popular opinion, you can still see your friends if you manage your time). Elite players even play X Box or PlayStation; they just do it after they’ve finished their work. 2. They do MORE than what is required- I’m a big fan of efficiency of practice, so this doesn’t mean hours upon hours of time, but simply put, team practices or required functions are not enough to make players elite. Elite players come early or stay after practice. Elite players hound coaches, teammates, parents to hit them extra ground balls, throw BP and to be a long toss partner. They do tee work alone, do extra band work, stretching, cardio, etc. They do things without being asked. If you think practicing with your team and playing games is enough, you’re flat wrong. 3. Fundamental belief in themselves- Elite players look in the mirror and see a dude. They may show it differently on the outside, but every single elite player firmly believes that he is a dude. You cannot succeed at a high level and against good competition if you’re timid. You might throw one good inning, run into a couple of balls, but you’ll eventually get eaten alive if you don’t believe with every fiber of your being that you’re a stud. 4. Huge cajones- Elite players relish the competition. They view everything as a challenge to them and want to be in the battle. They want the ball hit to them, they want to be at bat down 3-2 in the last inning with two outs and the bases loaded, and they want the ball in a big game. 5. Trust in the process- Elite players play the long game. They understand that getting better means getting out of your comfort zone to improve parts of your game that aren’t up to par. Average players get into a cage and swing out of their shoes to see how far they can hit the ball on HitTrax. Elite players work on squaring up a pitch on the inner and outer third of the plate because that’s what they’ll see against other elite competition. They understand that the struggle will eventually pay dividends. 6. A huge number of naysayers- The better a player is, the more people tell him that he sucks, will never make it, etc. The difference between an elite player and a Regular Joe is that while the Regular Joe starts to have doubt, the elite player remembers the name and makes it his mission to shove it up the naysayer’s you-know-what. Elite players take negative people and use them as fuel. They relish the chance to laugh in the naysayer’s face down the road and maybe even write a thank you note for the motivation. Understandably, this isn’t the path for everyone. Most of you will play your way out of being elite at some point. Some will choose a different path, some will burn out and some get hurt. It’s not always easy telling friends and family that you can’t hang out for long and it’s definitely not easy having very little free time. Being an elite player consumes kids. So why try to be elite? Why bust your butt and give some things up when there is such a miniscule chance of you making a career out of baseball? As I look back on my career, the answer now, at least to me, is easy. Aside from the obvious travel to different parts of the country (or world if you’re lucky), the friends from different places and backgrounds and the chance to see how you stack up against the very best, you learn life lessons that will serve you well in the real world. There is a reason why so many companies want to hire former elite athletes. Former elite athletes have the ability to perform under pressure. They understand how to manage their time, work under deadlines and be at their best when needed. Why? Because they’ve had to do that all of the way up the ladder leading to their job. If you choose this path, go in with eyes wide open, be committed (not just interested), and understand that there are rewards far beyond the baseball field, whether your path ends in high school, college or professionally. Sincerely, Andrew Margolick