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

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