Just go and talk to him.
This is what I had to tell myself a few times in the dugout of a big league spring training game this past year in March. I was nervous about approaching a 10-year big leaguer and introducing myself because we used to hit at the same facility. I was nervous because this big leaguer was Dustin Ackley, the same Dustin Ackley I have watched and admired for years. It ended up great—we had a long conversation that day that ventured everywhere from where we grew up, to talks of hitting mechanics and approach. Our conversation continued the next time I shared a dugout with him as well. He’s a great dude.
Despite the excitement I felt in this moment, I share the story to pass on a few important thoughts about growing as a baseball player.
First, members of the baseball community are, in almost all cases, very approachable. Everyone who plays this game loves it and loves talking about it.
The number of things that can be learned from your peers is endless. You should never overlook the advantage of asking questions of those who are more advanced than you.
I am more than happy that I went up and introduced myself to Dustin. Now I have a colleague with years of MLB experience. Don’t be scared. Go say what’s up and speak up about what’s on your mind.
Second, get rid of the pedestal. I sometimes have the tendency to view the next level of competition as somewhat sacred. Like those who play in it are superhuman. The fact of the matter is that they are not. They are just people who have put in the work, become consistent, and done the right things to keep their career alive.
If you view the next level—whether that be the varsity team, college, pro ball, or the big leagues—as somewhere above you, you are only tricking yourself into thinking it’s less attainable.
This is not to say it’s easy to advance in this game, but the confidence you need to get there comes from believing you can. Once you buy into believing in yourself, you can take action towards attaining it. I came to this conclusion this spring after watching many days of minor league games and comparing them to the few big league games I was in the dugout for. Big leaguers act the same, and the game looks the same. It came to me that this level was right within my reach, much closer than I’ve ever thought of it. That varsity team or D1 college you’re eyeing is more than within your reach, put the work in and get there.
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