It wasn’t long ago that A.J. Ramos took the mound on a big league field. Ramos tossed 373.1 innings and racked up a total of 430 strikeouts in his nine-year big league career and earned himself a trip to the 2016 All-Star Game as a member of the Miami Marlins. The lessons that he learned still resonate with him today as he finds new interests post-playing career.
Several years removed from the game, Ramos has been focused on his new venture as a content creator and partner with the MLBPA to produce videos that highlight the routines and preparation of big league ball players. His unique point of view as a former major leaguer has allowed the conversations to take a deeper dive and become a comfortable opportunity for the pro athletes to discuss their routine with someone who was once in their similar position.
I had an opportunity to speak with Ramos about his own mindset and mental preparation as a big league reliever in the backend of the bullpen.
“You have to believe in yourself and believe you have the abilities,” said Ramos. “Once you do that, you can rationalize when you do fail. I can use this [failure] as information…Use the failures as a way to overcome the future failures.”
I followed up by asking him about how young athletes can detach from their failures and not take it personally. Many athletes at the youth level and in professional baseball attach themselves to their performance on the field, which can be detrimental to their mental health and consistency on the field.
“That’s something that I struggled with my whole career,” said Ramos. “I was a guy that had to be 100 percent in for baseball…I didn’t throw 100 miles-per-hour, I wasn’t a high draft pick, I wasn’t sought after, I had to prove myself over and over and over. When you have that type of mindset, you sometimes become so attached to the game that you feel like your failures are you.”
It is no surprise that MLB organizations have added sports psychologists and performance coaches to their staffs in recent years. The MLB clubs understand the increase in production that their players can have if they are at an optimal place mentally.
Separating yourself from your sport are some of the present day challenges that players even at the highest level still struggle with. The earlier youth athletes can find peace with themselves outside of their sport, the more mentally strong they will be when challenges arise.
Social Media: @billythebatboy
