So let’s figure out together what it means to be mentally tough, why it matters, and how we can put it into practice.

If you do a quick Google search on ‘mental toughness,’ it will say:

“Mental toughness is a personality trait and psychological resource that determines an individual's ability to perform consistently under stress, pressure, and adversity, regardless of the circumstances. It is characterized by maintaining confidence, focus, and motivation to persevere through challenges, mistakes, and failures to achieve goals.”

I would say that’s pretty accurate. But what does this actually look like in practice? In my journey to professional baseball, I have learned through my own personal experience what ‘mental toughness’ actually looks.

It’s a lot deeper than just be confident or just be perseverant. We all like to believe we are mentally tough until real failure or adversity punches us in the mouth (figuratively).

So here’s a deep dive on mental toughness and fortitude from the perspective of a professional baseball player:

The 4 Pillars of Mental Toughness

1. Falling and getting back up. Undeterred by failure

2. Having faith that something greater has yet to come

3. Drowning out the noise and focusing on what matters

4. Being honest with yourself for the sake of self-improvement

If you embody all of these traits, you reach a state where are you are actually able to grow from failure, not simply just endure it. Let’s break it down:

1. Falling and getting back up. Undeterred by failure

Having a stomach for failure is far more difficult that people suggest. It is so much easier to just run away from our failures or just put them down and act like they don’t matter.

Let me tell you a story about failure:

February 2025, first game of the season, a disaster. My first weekend start as a college pitcher and I don’t even make it through the first inning. I’m sitting in the dugout distraught watching our team suffer a blowout loss thanks to me. My final year of college, transferring in hopes of making a name for myself, and I hear the voice in my head saying “am I cut out for this?”

For context, I had endured a lot of failure in my college baseball career, but I was still set on making a name for myself and eventually becoming a professional. So to be with a new team, in a new role, in my final year, starting off like this… it hurt.

But I didn’t listen to the voice in my head that was casting doubt. I got back up and kept going, and was able to have an incredible season.

The only reason I had the strength to stomach big losses like this and keep going was because I had a vision for my future success that I felt was inevitable. Which leads me into my next point…

2. Having faith that something greater has yet to come

What does ‘faith’ mean to you? To myself and many other Christians, it means a powerful, unwavering belief and trust in God. Even though we can’t see Him with our own eyes, we still believe matter how difficult our life gets.

Well faith is not a word that is exclusive to religion, so I would suggest it applies here too. For a long time I have had an unwavering belief that I could become a very successful baseball player. Regardless of how good or bad I was playing, the vision for my future success remained the same. Even when the evidence was not visible, I still believed I could do it.

I did a deeper dive on how to visualization here:

The problem is, if you have some grand vision or massive goal that seems so unattainable, many people will either suggest or tell you directly that it’s not possible. It’s not worth the pursuit. Even the voice in your own head will tell you this at times. That’s why this next pillar is so important:

3. Drowning out the noise and focusing on what matters

As I just mentioned, any worthwhile pursuit if always going to be cluttered with noise. Opinions, judgement, doubts from others or even your own mind, these are obstacles you will face.

The professional sports world is especially filled with noise, hence why having a strong filter is important. This is how you protect that original vision, goal, or dream you have for yourself.

Here’s a personal story about drowning out noise:

November 2025, I’m alone in my apartment, in a new city all by myself, training in hopes of signing a minor league contract with an MLB organization. The competition is fierce and the spots are limited. I’ve invested a lot in pursuit of this dream. People doubted whether I actually had a chance. As I’m laying on the floor in desperation, I hear the voices saying “am I cut out for this?”

Had I actually listened and believed what everyone else probably thought, well then I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.

But I will say: drowning out the noise does not mean to ignore all feedback. This leads into my last point…

4. Being honest with yourself for the sake of self-improvement

When I say ‘drown out the noise’ I’m talking about external forces that work against what your goals are. However, it is still very important to use objective feedback so you can learn from your failures and grow.

I’ll use baseball as an example. I ignore blanket statements that serve me no utility like ‘you’re not good enough.’

But if I have a bad game and my coach tells me, ‘you didn’t throw this pitch in the strike zone enough,’ thats objective feedback that leads to actionable advice. I can take that objective (not emotional) criticism and create a plan to develop my skills to improve that area of my game.

Don’t let others determine your own confidence, but don’t be so stubborn either to the point where you can’t learn anything. Have the mental fortitude to look at things objectively, not emotionally. Then you can find ways to improve your shortcomings rather than ignore them.

Things that help with mental toughness

I just outlined what I believe are 4 traits that I see in people who are ‘mentally tough.’ How can we actually improve these things? What should I do if I’m lacking in some of these areas?

Well, unfortunately I don’t have all the answers to that question, but I can tell you what works for me. Maybe you can take away something from my own experience.

I’m not going to give generic mental performance advice or offer up some type of ‘exercise’ since that’s not my area of expertise. I’m just going to share the things that bring me mental fortitude:

Putting God Above Everything

This is what we all like to think we do, but I will personally this is something that is far more difficult than it sounds.

How do I (try) to put God above everything? Seeking a relationship with him. Going to Mass and adoration often. Prayers of petition and gratitude. Thanking Him for everything. Trusting in him when I’m struggling. Praying about everything.

He has had a far greater impact on my ‘mental toughness’ than any direct mental performance training, but it’s so much bigger than that. It’s about the eternity of your soul. But that’s too deep of a topic to get into here.

You also might have noticed a lot of underlying Christian themes in the 4 pillars above:

• Falling and getting back up

• Unshakable faith

• Drowning out the noise and focusing on what matters

• Honesty and self-improvement

Healthy Lifestyle

How can you expect to be tough and resilient when you are not healthy?

I have noticed my lifestyle habits play such a massive role in how I’m feeling physically and mentally. If I’m eating bad food, not sleeping well, stressed, or stuck inside all the time, it becomes very difficult to think clearly. Energy tanks, and my mood suffers. You’re stacking the deck against you.

Sometimes the chaos of life gets in the way, but I try my best to always make sure I’m living as healthy of a lifestyle as I can manage. For the athletic performance benefits AND the mental benefits as well. I have enough challenges in life as is. I want my lifestyle choices to energize me, not weigh me down.

Being Social

This is a very unorthodox piece of advice, but something I have embraced lately that has had a profound impact on me.

Branch out of your bubble and talk to as many people as possible. Strike up conversation all the time. Sometimes when we get caught up in our own little world, we are getting influenced by the same people all the time. We try so hard to conform to our small little circle that it dampers who we truly are. We put way too much stock into what certain people think about us.

Most people are afraid to do this people they are afraid of bad interactions, or of awkwardness and the feelings that come with it. This is a subtle implication that you have a outcome-driven view of your own identity and way of life.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to conform, so not stand out too much, to avoid uncomfortable feelings. These things don’t align with mental toughness and fortitude. If you want to develop a stomach for failure this is the easiest place to start.

Plus, you just might make someone’s day or make some new friends.

Unusual advice, I know, but it’s something I’ve noticed lately.

Why Mental Toughness Matters

Suffering, struggle, failure, it’s all a part of life. Some endure far more than others. Mental strength, fortitude, toughness, whatever you want to call it, is about being able to transform our struggles into strength and grace for our own self-improvement. We then invite adversity and challenge to help transform us.

Whether your own struggle in life is physical, mental, spiritual, or all of the above, I hope you gained something from this article that you can take as actionable advice.

Whether you’re an athlete like me, or you’re pursuing something completely different, remember that one singular failure does not define you unless you allow it.

If you have any personal thoughts on mental toughness, comment below!

- MT

For nearly 2 years I have been looking inward at how I can be a better Catholic, trying to live the way Christ commands us to do. I endured long periods of introspection, growth, struggle, and doubt, ultimately trying to find out who I really was.

What is my actual purpose?

I hadn’t really opened up about my Christian beliefs or prayer life online at all. I openly talked about the Catholic faith for the first time on TikTok just a few days ago, and the response and effect it had on people was overwhelming. People told me I inspired them to go to adoration, which brought joy to my heart.

So I decided I would deviate from my usual posts and actually open up about what it’s like to actually practice the Catholic faith as a professional athlete. It has taken me nearly 2 years to build up the confidence to share this online, mostly because I felt I wasn’t ready or qualified yet.

Hopefully now I can use my platform to inspire others.

It’s very easy to put being a pro baseball player and all the worldly perks that come with it above God. This was something I dealt with for a long time, and didn’t even realize until I had drifted so far away. The pro athlete lifestyle has its many challenges for a practicing Catholic, but it also has its perks. Let’s get into it:

The Challenge: Sunday Mass Obligation

The typical weekend schedule for professional baseball, especially in the minor leagues, involves Saturday night games followed by a Sunday game at 12pm. This makes the Saturday Vigil and most Sunday Mass times impossible. The only options are early Sunday and Sunday night.

For home games, I go to a 6pm Sunday night Mass, so I can slow down and enjoy it without worrying about my schedule. For away games, Sunday afternoon/evening is when we get on the bus and travel back home. So I’ll do some research and find the earliest Mass time near where we are staying and catch an Uber ride from the hotel to the parish. After Mass I’ll Uber again straight to the stadium.

I’m bouncing around to different parishes at different times every week. Sure the stability and consistency of a 10am at the same parish every week would be nice, but that is not an excuse to miss Mass. Ultimately my comfort and convenience doesn’t matter, the point of Sunday Mass is worshiping the Lord.

In a way, I actually find joy in the struggle of finding an Mass time that I can get to. Makes every Sunday feel like a pilgrimage of sorts.

The Benefit: Open Mornings

While my unique schedule can sometimes have it’s challenges, it has also brought me so many blessings. For a typical night game, I’ll report to the stadium some time between 12 and 2pm. This leaves the whole morning at my disposal, much of which I enjoy by spending time serving or glorifying Christ.

• Frequent Daily Mass & Confession: Receiving the Sacraments regularly has helped me feel His grace and has strengthened my desire to serve and glorify Him. It also holds me accountable for how I choose to live my life.

• Adoration: This is something I overlooked for most of my life until recently. I was fortunate enough to meet this amazing woman who gave me access to her private chapel. Now many mornings I find myself sitting in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, sometimes over an hour, before I head to the stadium. Being able to actually sit with Him in solitude has helped me to actually hear His voice.

• Volunteering & Community Service: I have been volunteering with my local parish because it’s a good thing to do to serve the community and the Church. I am also required to get community service hours, so I figured no better way to do it than through my local parish community. My availability in the mornings has allowed me to be involved in ways that are not possible for everyone.

Was I always like this? NO

I’ve been a Catholic my whole life, but it wasn’t until roughly 2 years ago I started to actually pursue him above all things. Looking back, I definitely put worldly things like the game of baseball above Him. I would use my demanding baseball schedule as an excuse to miss Sunday obligations. And from there, it was a slippery slope. The desire to go to daily Mass, confession, adoration, and be involved in the parish community won’t be there if I can’t even fulfill my minimum basic obligation to worship Him.

I always believed in God, but I endured periods of just going through the motions, feeling like an empty vessel, like something was missing. As a result, I was always overthinking. Stressed about my direction in life, baseball, career, future plans, how others perceived me.

When you actually submit to His will and trust in Him, all of your worldly concerns will be met with peace. You will see the world in ways you never had before.

Professional athletes are constantly trying to improve their mental performance. From my experience, nothing has brought me more peace, confidence, and focus in my endeavors than fulfilling my desire to seek God.

For me, when I put my baseball career above God, it would not bear good fruit, but rather add stress, difficulty, and even evil to my life. When I finally put God above everything, suddenly it finally starts to bear fruit. Not just in success on the field. My journey in my baseball career has introduced me to so many amazing people who I have been able to share the faith with, or who have been able guide and nurture my growth.

If we worship the game, the thirst of our soul will never be quenched. But if we worship the One who gave us all these blessings, we are free to enjoy them to their fullest.

From the wise words of St. Augustine,"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement."

If you feel far from God, just know that he is always right there, waiting for you.

- MT

WHY THIS MATTERS:

• Help your team compete for a championship in the postseason

• Finish the season on a positive note to help your prospects for next year

• Go into the offseason with excitement and confidence

A strong finish can be the icing on the cake for a remarkable season, or a chance to turn it around if you’re not performing your best.

With your season on the line, every big moment gets amplified. Here’s how you can be the one to succeed in the big moments:

1. EMBRACE THE MOMENT

Do not lie to yourself that it’s “just another game.” It’s not. The games at the end of the season and postseason will always mean more. Don’t shy away from this feeling. Own it instead.

Embracing the fact that these games are pivotal for you and your team will cause to rise to the occasion and improve your level of focus.

If you try to play down the moment, you might end up being swallowed by the tension and pressure of late-season baseball.

My experience:

Last season, my last year of college eligibility, I came into my last start of the regular season fully embracing the idea that ‘this is it.’ I had no pro opportunity lined up yet, and no playoff spot was guaranteed yet. As far as I knew this was my last guaranteed start. I embraced the pressure instead of hiding from it.

The result: Complete game victory

9 innings, 2 runs, 11 strikeouts

Don’t run from the pressure, embrace it

Before we continue, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on this gold mine of info:

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2. REST AND RECOVERY

It’s been a long season. You, your teammates, and your competition have been training/playing for months. Now it not the time to ramp up the training, reps, and workload.

Cut down on the reps, take more recovery days, double down on getting more sleep and eating better.

You hear all the time how many guys get ‘burnt out’ or exhausted. You can get an edge simply by being fresh and well rested.

With how many reps you’ve logged the last few months, you’re not going to lose anything from taking a bit lighter during the homestretch.

Where you’re at physically right now is pretty much what you’re rocking with the rest of the season. Place more emphasis on recovery so you feel your best down the stretch.

What this looks like:

• Slightly cutting down your throwing volume between games

• Make your bullpen sessions shorter

• Spend less time in the cage

• Focus on quality over quantity

• Cutting back the sets and volume in lifting/conditioning

• Try to get to bed earlier

• Eat more carbs, protein, or total calories

Obviously long term we do not want to cheat ourselves out of reps, but for this short period ‘feeling good’ should be more important. Especially with how stressful these games can be at this point in the season.

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3. FOCUS AND ENERGY

Maybe you’ve noticed it, maybe you haven’t, but as the season goes on people get mentally drained. They lose touch with the little things, slack on their routines, or even mentally check out.

Obviously not everyone does this, but it does happen, and it can be contagious. Maybe this is a wake up call for you, or maybe it’s just a reminder.

Bring the focus and energy to your routines, daily work, and training that you brought opening day. Emphasizing this alone can set you apart from a surprising amount of people.

FINAL NOTE:

A strong finish to the season or memorable playoff performance can do a lot of good for your career. It’s amazing how much can happen in such a short amount of time.

Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. Put yourself in the best position to seize these big moments, so that you can look back on the effort you gave and the memories you made.

- MT

I’m currently building a training program for pitchers. It’s going to contain everything that got me from college to pro ball. Subscribe so you don’t miss this opportunity

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This has made me very good at analyzing my own game and creating strategic plans to make adjustments and get the results I want.

Let’s say I just pitched in a game, and I’m looking back on how the game went.

Maybe I didn’t have my best game. Or maybe I played well but I was still lacking in a certain area. If I want to actually improve and not make the same mistakes, I have to be able to make adjustments.

One thing I am very confident in is my ability to make adjustments, adapt, and grow. Even when I’m doing well, there is always something I’m working on. The day I stop trying to improve is the day I call it quits.

I’ve gotten very good at making adjustments on the fly by following a few specific rules I have for myself:

1. POSITIVE SELF TALK

2. WORK ON ONE THING AT A TIME

3. COMPARTMENTALIZE

4. GET FEEDBACK

5. KNOW WHEN TO LET GO

I’m now going to give you a 5-step self-improvement guide but in baseball terms. These strategies I use to be an elite baseball player can be applied to any other skill.

RULE #1: POSITIVE SELF TALK

Never EVER speak about yourself negatively. If you are constantly putting the idea that you are ‘bad’ at something or that something is ‘wrong,’ you will continuously reinforce that idea until it becomes truth.

But this raises the question, how can we be critical of ourselves in a way that motivates us to improve but does not put us down?

It’s all about framing.

Here’s an example for someone who is a pitcher like me:

Option 1: “I threw a lot of strikes today and pitched good, but I wasn’t throwing as hard as I should be.”

• You mentioned what you did well in the beginning but followed it up with this major caveat. This belittles the major thing you accomplished just because one secondary goal wasn’t achieved. Yeah I did something really good but it doesn’t matter as much because this part wasn’t good.

• Ending in a negative tone suggests to yourself and others that you’re not good enough or a failure. You are suggesting that something is ‘wrong.’

Option 2: “I wasn’t throwing as hard as normal today, but I threw a ton of strikes and pitched great.”

• You acknowledge a potential shortcoming in the beginning, then recognize your success DESPITE that flaw. This creates an excitement and sense of urgency to address it, because you want to add to your current success.

• Ending in a positive tone builds your confidence because you are telling yourself you are already good, and you can be every better. You think in a more aspirational way. ‘Imagine how good I could be if I work on this too!’

RULE #2: WORK ON ONE THING AT A TIME

There are several reasons why trying to work on everything at once is a terrible mistake:

1. You can’t apply enough focus to see meaningful change in anything

2. You get in your own head and mess yourself

3. You lose touch with what made you good in the first place

4. You won’t know what actually worked if you do see success

If you’re a pitcher like me, what I’m saying is don’t try to work on every aspect of your mechanics all at once. Pitchers fall into that trap all the time and it’s an ugly road to go down.

This doesn’t mean you can never try to make adjustments, just pick one at a time. If you’re not a baseball player like myself, this applies to any other skill as well.

If you’re an artist, you don’t try to learn every drawing/painting technique all at once. You focus on the lowest hanging fruit first, then move on to the next.

It’s like being in school and trying to study the whole textbook at once. You’re supposed to focus on one chapter at a time.

Do not underestimate the power of one small adjustment.

RULE #3: COMPARTMENTALIZE

Here’s a twist for you: you CAN work on different things at once, as long as they’re different domains.

Even though your classes in school focus on one chapter at a time, you can still take multiple classes at once. Break up your skill into different components.

In between games I limit myself to one adjustment for each component of my game. I’m still following Rule #2 because these areas of my game are separate from each other.

Here’s an example of what a pitcher might need to work on:

• Throwing mechanics: My arm felt tense last week and my velocity was down. This week in my training I’m going to focus on letting the arm relax behind the body.

• Pitching skill/command: I didn’t throw enough sliders for strikes last week. This week I’m going to find the starting point that helps me throw them in the strike zone more.

• Mental: I felt rushed out on the mound. I’m going to use controlled breathing this week to slow the game down.

Now instead of someone like me accidentally overhauling my throwing mechanics, pitching ability, or mental game, I am just making a small tweak to each. These are easy to implement and do not disrupt what made me good in the first place.

These small independent adjustments combine into a massive improvement in my overall skillset and on-field performance.

Let’s say you wanted to get more physically fit. To do that you generally need good training, diet, and sleep/recovery.

Instead of obsessing over getting the best training routine, perfect diet, or optimal sleep schedule right away, just identify the lowest hanging fruit for these and make small improvements to each.

The result: small adjustments that compound into results that you notice quickly. These fixes were simple and you didn’t bite off more than you can chew, you stay motivated to continue to improve.

You get the idea.

RULE #4: GET FEEDBACK

If possible, try to focus on things where you can see some measurable improvement from your adjustments.

If I’m throwing a bullpen in between games, I want to see my adjustments allow me to throw more strikes, throw harder with less effort, etc.

Sometimes the feedback comes from your own eyes, sometimes it comes from some type of technology or other data source.

The point is to see the results of your work. You are simply showing yourself that what you are doing is working. This creates confidence within you that you do have the agency and power to improve your skillset rather quickly.

And if you don’t see ay results, that’s fine too. You now know that the thing you selected to work on is not the thing that is the difference maker for you. You can cross it off and move on to the next.

RULE #5: KNOW WHEN TO LET GO

There comes a point in competition, especially in sports, where you have to just turn your brain off and go COMPETE.

All your training, preparation, and adjustments, they matter until they don’t. Eventually you have to just trust that your process works and it will show on the field.

If you’re still thinking about it heading into game-time, that means you don’t trust yourself and your preparation. If you are following the previous four rules above, the issue is not your training or your prep, but what you think of it in relation to the game/competition.

You don’t WIN in training. Training is simply just to get yourself ready to compete. Should you strive to do as well in training as you can? Yes. But your results in training are not related to your performance on the field.

Training matters as much as you need it to.

You don’t win the Masters on the driving range.

-MT

My first Spring Training was a surreal experience, since I was finally getting to live out my dream of being a professional baseball player.

But what’s even cooler is that this was just the prep for the actual season which goes from April to September.

For those of you who don’t know how it works, each team essentially has two spring training camps running at once:

One for the major league club and one for the minor leaguers.

The major league camp plays all the Spring Training games you see on TV.

Minor league camp on the other hand all happens behind the scenes. It’s where we train and compete to work towards the big club someday.

Spring training is kind of like working a 9-5 but you’re playing baseball.

Contents:

1. Typical Spring Training Schedule/Day In The Life

2. Spring Training Games

3. Biggest Takeaways From My First Spring Training

4. Best Advice I Received

5. Thoughts Heading Into The Season

Here’s what a typical day in the life looks like for a minor league pitcher in Spring Training:

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As I’m wrapping up my first Spring Training with the Phillies, I was thinking about how I’m fortunate enough to be living the life that I envisioned for myself many years ago.

Even though at times it seemed so far out of reach, I remained persistent and kept working towards my goals, my grand vision for myself.

Then I realized that I should write about it, so that hopefully others can be inspired to do the same.

So here it is: a full breakdown of visualization from the perspective of a pro baseball player. Some of this might seem surface level, some might seem obvious, maybe you think it’s boring. That’s fine. But trust me: actually living this way is much more difficult than it seems.

Those who have a burning desire in their heart to be great at something will appreciate this.

Here’s everything I’ll be covering:

Vision vs. Visualization

Your Big Vision

• Finding your “north star”

• Why you need a vision for yourself

Pre-Competition Visualization

• Active vs. Passive

• Why it works

I’m writing this from the perspective of a professional baseball player, but all these ideas apply to any challenging human endeavor.

Vision vs. Visualization:

A “vision” is a transformative view of your own personal identity. A future that your mind, heart, and soul desires. This is the foundation that you draw your passion from. It powers you through the monotonous routines, and serves as your shining light during your darkest times.

Your vision for your future self, your big dream, whatever it may be, serves as your north star. It drives you to do all the things both big and small that are required to make it real.

A vision is a real idea or image of the future that exists in your mind, whereas visualization is the act of creating that idea and using it as motivation to act.

Many successful athletes use visualization as a tool to improve their performance, making their future success seem almost inevitable.

Your Big Vision

Finding your “north star”

Your “north star” is really just something that you want to achieve so badly that it remains at the center of your consciousness all the time. It is the vision for yourself that is so powerful that it always will guide you forward, no matter how great of a struggle you have to endure.

My dream, my vision for myself, is to be a Big Leaguer. My dream since my childhood, something that is exceptionally difficult. That’s why I signed with the Phillies. That’s why I’m playing Minor League baseball. My vision for myself has guided me to this point, through thick and thin.

This insane goal that I always aspired to reach is what motivated me to do the little things every day that would lead to my success despite no immediate payoff:

Training every day, obsessing over improving my skills, overcoming adversity, always eating healthy, focusing on good sleep, avoiding over-exerting myself off the field, and building my entire lifestyle around my baseball career.

It takes discipline and sacrifice, but to me it’s all worth it.

I’m just following my north star.

To find yours, if it’s not obvious to you already, you need to do some deep introspection into what YOU want out of this life. Again, what you want. You only get one shot at this life, so find something your heart truly desires.

If your future feels cloudy, and you’re struggling to visualize what success actually looks like to you, I highly recommend grabbing a pen and paper and answering these questions:

• Who are you?

• Who/what do you wish to become?

• What does success look like to you?

• What is stoping you from getting there?

• How you’re going to overcome that obstacle?

Now that you have translated your thoughts onto pen and paper, they now exist in the real world, not just in your mind. Now that they exist outside of you, this sheet of paper now holds YOU accountable. You now owe it to your past self to fulfill your promises. This should paint a pretty clear picture in your head of what you want.

Why you need a vision for yourself

The world will ask you what you are, and if you don’t know, it will decide for you.

This world can be tough, it can be brutal, sometimes in ways we never anticipate.

If we just go about our lives existing, consuming, never working towards any significant goal, we are just aimlessly floating around waiting for the world to happen to us.

Being a visionary automatically separates you because it puts you in the driver’s seat. You cut through all the noise and distractions, are unfazed by setbacks, and just keep pushing forward.

I do not stay positive because I believe everything will always work out right away. Life doesn’t work like that. I stay positive because I have fallen short of my vision many times before, and yet I always get back up and continue to move forward. My dream and overall vision for my future life is so powerful that nothing can stand in the way of it. On a long enough timeline, I always win.

The man with the vision can never be defeated. He always gets up again: climbs out of the wreckage, stronger, always building, continuing the journey forward. The world bends to his will. He is able to weather the storm while others sail blind.

This is how the man with the clear vision reaches the point of excellence and mastery: he he didn’t need immediate payoff to validate what he was working towards. He knows that if he continues to show up with focus and persistence, that he will slowly move towards his destination.

He might stumble and fall, he might fail, he might have moments of doubt, but then he blinks and he’s further along than he even realizes.

My dream is to be a Big Leaguer. Which it should be, because why else would I be playing in the minor leagues? Maybe your dream or vision for your future life is the same as mine, maybe it’s something different.

If it’s something very difficult, exclusive, out of reach for many, then you can’t just hope it will happen one day. That’s not how the world works. Very rarely do your wildest dreams just fall into your lap for free.

That’s the difference between a wish and a vision. We all wish our lives were better, but only the visionary has the conviction to make it happen.

I’m going to lay it out right here why you need to envision what ‘success’ looks like.

The man with no vision:

• Always wishing for more

• No action, paralyzed by analysis

• Panics when faced with failure: failure = attack on identity

• Can’t stick to a plan long enough to see results

• Waits for things to happen to him

The man with a vision:

• Knows exactly what he wants

• Does what is necessary to make it happen

• Sees failure as feedback to help progress forward

• Committed to his plan

• Knows he wields the power to shape his own future

Ok, I’ve gone on and on about how having a vision for your future success is imortant, but what does that actually look like in practice?

This is where visualization comes into play, where we can leverage our goals and ambitions as a tool for motivation and performance.

The Art of Visualization

Passive vs. Active Visualization

Passive visualization:

A fancy word for daydreaming. This is when see yourself achieving the results you want in your head without even trying, just as you go about your day. You’re basically ‘daydreaming’ about your future success.

This is what motivates you to do the work that nobody sees. To do the little things required to reach your goal meticulously and consistently, even in the face of failure or uncertainty.

A strong vision/dream is a requirement for this to even happen. Your mind is consumed with achieving your goals, and your heart has a burning desire to turn your dream into your reality.

Sometimes I just go about my day and I replay big moments of me pitching in my head. I see myself striking people out, sometimes in the past, sometimes in the present, sometimes in the future in crazy scenarios. I don’t try to, it just happens.

Active visualization:

The meditative practice of visualization most people are familiar with. This is when you consciously choose to sit and see yourself achieving your goals in your head.

This is more of a tool for short-term performance. Something you do when you need to win in a big moment.

Like many other athletes, I use active visualization as a tool to prepare me to pitch. Whether it be in my apartment, the hotel, or at the field, I take time to sit and play a ‘highlight reel’ of myself in my head. Seeing myself throw the pitches I want to throw.

This kind of visualization is sometimes blindly prescribed by mental performance coaches and such. It’s not a catch-all, but still very powerful.

Active Visualization Routine:

1. Find a setting that will allow you to focus best:

   • Bed, couch, or quiet room if you prefer solitude

   • The actual environment if you prefer emersion (example: at the stadium/field)

2. Lower your heart rate and reach a meditative state

   • Close your eyes

   • Control your breathing

   • Use white noise or calming sounds/music to drown out external noise

3. Envision executing the tasks you need to accomplish

4. Envision yourself winning/celebrating

The effects of visualization on your brain

When you sit down and actively visualize yourself doing something like throwing a pitch, your brain fires along many of the same neural pathways it uses when you actually throw one.

This functional equivalence means your brain doesn't fully distinguish between a vividly imagined movement and the real thing. Since your brain is exposed to an experience before it happens, it reduces the novelty of the moment. You are less anxious and more confident, able to express your ability more freely in that instinctual, child-like way.

Why do you think pro athletes seem so nonchalant and effortlessly good? It’s because they’ve been in these situations countless times. Both in the real world, and in their own mind.

Those are the ones that hurt us the most, that make us think we are failures.

For me, someone who plays professional baseball, I deal with failure all the time like any athlete. Maybe you’re an athlete like me, or maybe not, this lesson still applies.

In your life, you might have consequential moments that can shape your future success.

In your career:

Interviews, meetings, pitches, etc.

If you’re a student, you might have crucial exams.

We can’t just show up and ‘try again’ over and over for these. There are pivotal moments where opportunities are limited. We have to show up and win.

None of us are perfect, so sometimes things won’t go our way.

The true separator is do you let one setback compound into several? Or do you know how to bounce back with a vengeance?

The 3-Step Bounce-Back Protocol:

1. Relax

2. Reset

3. Reload

This is the routine I follow as a professional athlete trying to be the best every time I take the field.

Tons of pressure, hyper-competitive, unforgiving.

Momentum can be your best friend or your worst enemy: this is how I get back on top.

The goal of this protocol is to make the most of every major opportunity you get since these opportunities are limited. You cannot let one failure create another: they are independent events.

Phase 1: RELAX

You had your moment and you failed. Now your life is over.

That’s what it feels like sometimes.

Your cortisol is through the roof, serotonin tanked. You feel defeated.

This is when you are most vulnerable: when you have to come to terms that you did not live up to your own expectations.

It’s very important you calm yourself down to avoid any further damage. It is very easy to point the finger and take out your frustration on others, or make a fool of yourself and cause reputational damage.

Avoid all of that at all costs. Just take a deep breath accept what happened.

Phase 2: RESET

This is the part most people skip.

Whatever situation, event, or circumstance that didn’t go your way, if it was actually consequential and important then it’s probably going to bother you. That’s fine in the moment, but we cannot be consumed by the outcome.

Failure can be a fuel source, but it can also cause an avalanche of negativity when we are most vulnerable.

Why? Well you become what we think about most of the time. If all you think about is how you are a failure, then you will continue to be one.

Think in terms of exercise: you stress the body, then give it time to rest, and you grow stronger. Flood the body with constant stress with no rest, you become weak and fragile. We need to give the mind the rest it needs so it can recover.

Once you have relaxed and accepted the situation, you then need to find a healthy distraction to help reset the mind and get the proper rest.

Healthy distractions are things that add to your life, not take away. They recharge you rather than drain you.

Examples of healthy distractions:

• Socializing with family and friends

• Spending time in nature

• Reading/writing

• Eating good food

Examples of unhealthy distractions (avoid)

• Doomscrolling

• Drugs/alcohol

• Partying

• Binge-eating garbage food

Healthy distractions are crucial in the hours following any major setback or failure. If you have the luxury, take a drive down to the beach and just enjoy the ocean. Or sit with family and friends and enjoy each others company.

Do whatever you need to do to not be too upset when your head hits the pillow that night.

Phase 3: RELOAD

You woke up the next morning: calm, relaxed, blessed with a new day.

Disclaimer: if you’re still hung up on the past (emotionally) then you need to repeat phase 2.

Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to look back on what happened.

It was nice to forget in the moment when we needed to calm down, but just ignoring all failure entirely means we never progress.

You might also notice that nobody cares about your own failures more than you. In fact, other people probably care a lot less than you think.

So why should you be emotionally hung up on one failure? Perfect opportunity to RELOAD.

Look back through a purely objective lens at what went wrong. No emotion. Be analytical, logical.

What can you do to make sure that when you get another opportunity, you won’t make the same mistakes?

What do you need to do to get another opportunity?

That’s up to you to figure out.

Don’t just go about your day hoping that next time you’ll get better results. That’s the definition of insanity.

You are a weapon, forged in the fire of your failure, growing sharper with wisdom through every setback.

I started to follow this framework, and its remarkable how many times my best moments came not too long after I failed.

I lose a big game. Hurts in the moment. I relax, reset, and reload. Next one is one of my best.

Down but never out. One setback cannot defeat you.

Stay Winning.

-MT

But that was ceremonial. This is the real thing.

I walk through the complex towards the clubhouse, overwhelmed by a combination of excitement, anticipation, and nerves (the good kind). I looked around all of the perfectly-kept fields while soaking in the Florida sun.

I was finally living out my dream in real time.

Now that I’ve had a week to settle in, I’ll tell you what it’s like being a minor league baseball player for the Phillies.

Below I’ll get into:

• Some initial thoughts/impressions from my first week

• What the day-to-day training/work looks like

My Initial Thoughts:

Overwhelming Sense Of Gratitude:

Not trying to get overly sentimental or corny, but I genuinely feel a sense of gratitude every time I step into the clubhouse each morning. This is the opportunity I dreamed of, and made many sacrifices to get. Even though this is my new ‘normal’ I do not take it for granted. It is very easy to work as hard as you can when you feel this way.

It’s Still The Same Game:

With Phillies logos everywhere and Big League Stars practicing on the field next to you, everything feels so much more ‘grand’ and ‘spectacular.’ But really it’s still the same old game of baseball that you fell in love with as a kid. You do the same motions, the same training, just in a much cooler place. This makes it much easier to settle in as a new guy, since there’s familiarity in the routine.

Hard Work Isn’t A Separator:

At this level everyone was that guy at some point. Everyone trains, works hard, and has a hunger to climb the ladder. It becomes increasingly difficult to just ‘out work’ people, especially as a pitcher where you can only throw so much. It really comes down to two things:

1. Focusing on the right things

2. Showing up when it really matters

Right Where I Belong:

I trained with a lot of pros this offseason, and one thing many of them told me was to always remember that I belong right where I’m at. ‘Don’t let imposter syndrome get a hold of you,’ they’d say. After a strong first week, I really do feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I know it’s only one week, but when you remember that you were blessed with this opportunity because other people saw the potential in YOU, it’s hard to not be confident.

Like I’ve said before too: be your own biggest advocate.

Typical Spring Training Schedule:

Breakfast

Meetings

Stretch/Prep Work On Your Own

Group Warm Up

Throwing For The Day

Bullpens/Live/Scrimmage (2 Days a Week)

Defense

Lifting/Conditioning

Lunch

Obviously there’s a ton that goes into each segment that I won’t get into, but the schedule itself is pretty simple. If you currently play or have played baseball at any competitive level, this is probably what you do already. That’s why I mentioned earlier that even though it’s a totally new environment, a lot of what I’m doing is still very familiar.

Everything is entirely on you at this level. It’s up to you whether you show up and decide to work hard. (Spoiler: everyone does)

It’s so much fun. I love it.

Competing with the best.

Doing what I love, and making a living doing it.

That’s why I thank God for this opportunity every day.

More to come, stay tuned.

Onward & Upward

- MT

But with power comes great responsibility.

While you have the ability to empower yourself to achieve great things, you can just as easily put a damper on yourself without even realizing.

This is why you need to be very protective about what you put out into the world and internalize about yourself, as it can very easily become your reality. In fact, I’d say it can be a determining factor in your likelihood of reaching your goals.

Unwavering, Delusional Optimism Remains Undefeated

In this article I’m going to go through the three avenues in which you are in full control of how you perceive yourself and why it matters.

• What you think about yourself

• What you say about yourself

• What you write about yourself (under-explored area, don’t sleep on it)

1. What You Think About Yourself

Your mind is a blank canvas with a mandate to be painted. A void that must be filled. The occupation of your mind is a zero-sum game. Something MUST occupy that space. That is why it is so important to inject the right thoughts into your brain, because if you don’t, something else will.

Life is full of challenge, uncertainty, struggle, suffering, disappointment in ourselves and others. We’ve all had moments in our life where we are bombarded with negative thoughts and emotions. You’re lying if you say otherwise.

At the same time, those negative thoughts and emotions cannot occupy space in your mind if you are full on everything that is good: optimism, confidence, love, ambition, etc.

Your thoughts are what set the foundation for who you are and what you do. Those who actually think they can achieve something great will do what is necessary to make it a reality. From the outside, they’re dedicated, full of energy, ‘lucky’ even.

It’s simple really. Think highly of yourself, smart, capable, skilled, resourceful, your life will reflect that. You will show up when the lights are brightest. Think very little of yourself? Your life will reflect that too.

Your actions are a reflection of your attitudes and beliefs. My fellows Christians understand this well.

But anyone can just think something. It’s easy, inconsequential, safe. There’s no risk of how you’ll be perceived by others, or any accountability for yourself.

That’s why there’s levels to this.

2. What You Say About Yourself

How you talk about yourself has to be one of the most important and complicated aspects to personal success.

If you are always downplaying yourself or even agreeing when others put you down, then you are installing a ceiling on your own potential.

If you have a belief, a dream, a goal, a conviction, you need to own it. And don’t just hint at it, I mean OWN it. I wish I understood this sooner.

The world is a constant competition for attention, position, money, status, and everything of the sort. You need to be your own biggest advocate. Nobody will advocate harder for you in the public domain than you.

You might think this is common knowledge, but not everyone fully grasps this. There are so many times where people put a damper on themselves without even realizing.

I’ll give you a personal example.

I moved out of my parent’s house to be on my own to chase my dream and sign with am MLB Organization. I moved from Rhode Island to North Carolina totally alone and had to force myself to make friends.

The Parish I went to Mass every Sunday near my apartment had a strong and organized young adult presence. When they would have a social gathering or event, I would make sure to go.

Everyone knows that when you are trying to meet new people, they will ALWAYS ask:

“What do you do (for work)?”

I would always say: “I’m a professional baseball player.”

“Cool! For what team.”

“Oh I’m a free agent.”

Sometimes then I’d get: “What team did you play on before?”

“…”

I’m sure they didn’t think that much of it, but let me tell you, on my end it felt so awkward. I was telling people what I was before I became it. I was confident in myself, but it can be tough to express that to others sometimes.

But here’s the thing:

The first time was awkward.

The second time, a bit less.

But the third time? Felt nothing. Instinctual. By then I had just fully embraced who I was. Even before I had any opportunity to sign with an MLB team.

Some call this ‘fake it till you make it,’ but are you really faking it if you believe it?

Imagine if I said something different to the people I met. Softened my language. Said I was “trying to potentially be..” or something like that. I was already pursuing something extremely difficult as is. Does that sound like ‘unwavering delusional confidence’ to you? That suggests I don’t have it within my grasp.

But you might be thinking: “Well what about being cocky? That’s not always a good thing." You might be right. To be quite honest I’m not exactly sure what is the optimal balance between humility and cockiness, at least in order to be a high achiever.

A general rule of thumb would be to remain humble until called upon. Know who you are in your mind, but don’t feel like you have to constantly project that to the world. If you do, have a specific intention, don’t just do it for personal validation. But if you’re called upon, meaning someone specifically asks you what you believe, that’s when you express your full attitudes (in the right situation of course).

They opened the door for you to tell them who you truly are. That’s when you don’t hold back. What comes out is a reflection of what you think you can actually achieve.

But talk is cheap, as everyone says. So let’s take this a step further…

3. What you write about yourself

Stay with me here. This is one of the reasons I enjoy writing.

What you think about yourself matters because it sets the foundation for who you want to be.

What you say about yourself matters because what you project onto others is a reflection of what you think you can be.

What you write about yourself, something people explore far less often, is important because it takes your ideas and brings them into the real world.

If you have an idea, dream, vision, goal, whatever it is, you can think about it all you want. But if it just stays as thought, eventually it will fade as other things distract you and fill your mind. You can talk about it, but again, talk is cheap. Anyone can just say things.

Putting that idea down on pen and paper has just transferred it to the physical dimension. It now exists outside of you. This allows you to expand on that idea even as you’re bombarded by other distractions in life.

There are so many instances where I had an idea, wrote it down, forgot about it, and came back to it with better insight later. Had I not written it down, it would just be gone, onto the next.

But there’s a whole different angle to writing about yourself that is overlooked:

Accountability for yourself.

If you have some type of journal or notebook and you write a grand vision for yourself, who you are, and what you aspire to be, you now have to hold yourself accountable to that in the future.

This creates urgency to act and work to become the person you think and say you can be. It’s a form of pressure that comes from a need to fulfill your own prophecy.

Writing down an ambitious vision for yourself implies you have the confidence to carry it out and make it happen. This implies that you believe deep down that you are a capable person. You wouldn’t write down something that didn’t matter to you.

Read more on pressure, urgency, and action here:

At at the end of 2024 I wrote extensively in a journal about how I wanted to be a Big Leaguer one day. At that point I was nowhere close to even getting an opportunity to get a foot in a door with any organization (delusional optimism strikes again). And here I am now in February of 2026 getting ready for my first Spring Training in a few short weeks. What was just a long-shot dream for years started to become real as soon as I started to write about it.

Weird coincidence huh?

Writing things down makes them much more real. So many athletes and other types of high-achieving people would agree. It has truly been a difference maker for me and I wish I understood it’s power sooner. I don’t do a daily journal out of habit, I only write when I feel convicted to.

Wrapping Things Up

The reason I’m sharing this with you is because I learned the importance of mastering self-belief first hand through trial and error. I made the mistake of just thinking, just believing, hoping that things would go my way and the life I wanted would appear. There have been times where I’ve been too timid to proclaim my goals and ambitions proudly.

It wasn’t until I learned to fully embody who I wanted to become that opportunities would fall into my lap. Not cocky, humble but confident. ‘Delusional Optimism’ as I like to say.

Life is hard. Every worthwhile pursuit is competitive. Be your biggest advocate in every possible dimension, and never sell yourself short.

-MT

“Take it slow”

“It’s a marathon not a sprint”

Nope.

You’re being lied to. You have less time than you think.

Time is the most valuable resource on the planet, and yet most take it for granted. Every successful person constantly talks about how much they value their time.

We go about each day as if things will just work out for us tomorrow somehow. As if tomorrow was guaranteed at all…

We are blessed with opportunities in life and assume they are abundant and plentiful. This assumption then kills our sense of urgency.

An opportunity that falls into your lap will get up and walk away just as quickly. Most will not realize this until it is too late.

I have accomplished far more when I KNOW time is NOT on my side. When the pressure is on, when I have to perform or else the clock will run out. That’s when I have performed my best.

I’m not the only one who has experienced this, I’m sure you have too. It’s actually a well-studied phenomenon called Parkinson’s Law.

Parkinson’s Law is more about productivity than anything. In this case, speed is the name of the game. Those who are willing to act with urgency always seem to accomplish more. Short deadlines makes for more output.

But I want to look at this principle through a different perspective.

Sometimes there’s situations in life where you don’t get to set the deadlines. Some things are out of your hands. We grow old, windows of opportunity close, and we move on to the next chapter of life.

There’s two things you can do when the world decides the timeline for you:

1. Forget or ignore the fact that your window of opportunity is limited and just slowly run out the clock until the end.

2. Acknowledge that your time is limited and use that added pressure as fuel to make the most of your opportunity.

Here’s a quick story about how I learned to embrace the pressure of time:

Towards the end of my last college baseball season, in the spring of 2025, I was enjoying more success than I ever had in college baseball by far.

But I could sense that the end was near.

This was long before I signed with the Phillies, and at that point I was still just a kid with a dream, longing for a chance. I had zero idea what my professional baseball chances looked like post college.

So, with the end of the season approaching, each game had massive playoff implications. I started to think about what the future would look like.

If the season ends, then my window of semi-guaranteed opportunities has closed. Everything from then on would be left up to chance.

So I started walking onto the field thinking to myself:

“If I do not win, it’s over.”

Sounds dramatic, but it worked. I pitched some of my best games of the year down the stretch.

Pressure makes diamonds they say. Pressure turned me into a battle-hardened weapon.

Realizing the power of pressure, I carried that same mentality with me all summer to the next opportunity, and I continued to win. Reinforcing this idea more and more, week after week.

Even though my path to professional baseball has been long, in many ways I am grateful for it all because this is one of the many incredible lessons I learned along the way.

Now that I’ve gotten my opportunity with the Phillies it’s a whole different level of competition. I’m ready to go all in with sense or urgency. Work my way towards the to the top as fast as possible.

It’s a sprint, remember?

The Takeaway:

“It’s a sprint, not a marathon.”

What if everything you ever wanted was a up for grabs, few blocks down the street. But only for a moment. You have to go catch it before it’s too late. Before it’s gone.

No aimless stretching, no leisurely jog, you’re just gone.

You’re sprinting.

Full effort. Maximum output. No thinking, just moving. Making massive leaps with every stride.

If you know that everything is temporary, you know you have to act with urgency. The pressure to act brings action.

Embrace that opportunities in life are temporary. That nothing is guaranteed. Take no day for granted. It can be scary at first, but this fear is why people ignore reality in the first place. Once reality is no longer scary, you are in the driver’s seat.

Pressure and urgency, coupled with focus and confidence will give you the power to achieve so much that people might even start to call you lucky…

At the very least, if things don’t work out how you want, you can walk away knowing you gave it your all and made the most of the opportunity.

- MT

• Pro-style training schedule for pitchers

• 7-day, 6-day, and 5-day rotation training plan

• Training advice for relievers

• Throwing, lifting, and conditioning recommendations for each day

• Access to subscriber chat/messaging to ask questions

What Is This For?

• In-season, Pre-season, or Late Offseason Training Optimization

• Throwing hard and staying healthy all year

• Feeling your best every time you take the mound

HERE IS THE PROGRAM: ⬇️

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Everyone loves to tell young people:

“Chase your dreams!”

But nobody prepares you for what that actually takes.

It takes a lot of courage.

Whatever it is you are dreaming of doing or becoming, it’s probably something very difficult to attain or do. If not, you wouldn’t be dreaming about it, you would have already done it.

To fulfill this ‘dream’ of yours an…

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Welcome to my complete baseball archive. The list below contains links to all my baseball/performance-related content. Get one-of-a-kind insight from a professional baseball player. Most of this is for paid subscribers only.

What You Get:

• In Season Training Guide

• Command Training Guide

• How I Learned To Throw Hard

• Ask Qu…

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I’ll show you the meta. This is advice you probably haven’t heard yet that WORKS.

Why should you listen to me?

For most of my college career, I was a reliever that walked roughly 1 batter per inning.

Never wild, not hitting guys, just too many walks that added up.

Then in 2025 I completely transformed: 3.5 BB/9, high strike percentage, multiple 0 walk starts, regarded by coaches as a reliable strike thrower, and a WHIP as low as 1.1.

This led to me earning my first pro contract.

Here’s how I did it:

This post also includes a downloadable PDF of a command bullpen tracking sheet that I use in my command bullpen training.

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I started college as a stock 85-89 right-hander.

In this article I will explain every velo jump I made and how I did it.

There were three major velocity jumps over the last few years, each requiring a slightly different strategy from a throwing and training standpoint. I will explain each in great detail below:

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How so?

In December 2025, I was blessed with the opportunity to sign a contract to play for the Philadelphia Phillies Organization. That day my childhood dream became a reality.

But that alone wasn’t what made my year great. It just happened to be a fitting conclusion to a fantastic story.

It was the …

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Until you run out of tries.

What do you do when one day you’re not allowed to try again?

The harsh truth people seem to forget when it comes to dealing with failure is that you cannot just ‘try’ your way to the finish line. If you are in pursuit of anything that is difficult, competitive, and worthwhile,…

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1. Hard Work Does Not Guarantee Success

You could work hard, grind all you want, but that does not directly translate to the success you hope for. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as people make it out to be.

Along your journey to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve, there will be moments where you have to just flat out show up and win. You’ll fa…

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