It was the fall of 2015, Alan McDougal, head baseball coach at Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, Texas, asked me to work with his team as their mental performance coach. After my first introduction to the team, the players came up and thanked me for my time and shared what they had learned. the last player to appear had a noticeably stronger handshake, stronger eye contact, and a humble confidence about him that stood out from the crowd.
“that last player who shook your hand is going to be a major league player”. coach mcdougal said. “that’s bobby witt jr.”
I had remembered bobby witt’s name from collecting starting lineup action figures as a kid playing minor league baseball in williamstown, massachusetts.
“are you a senior?” I asked alan.
“first year student”. Alan said.
Having worked with alan, bobby and colleyville over the next four seasons from fall 2015 to spring 2019, I was able to see firsthand the mental performance progression and development of bobby and his teammates as players and alan as coach . i was thrilled when they won the texas 5a state championship in 2019, they were the #1 high school baseball team in the nation, and they presented me with a championship ring for my efforts. I love that they put mpm under my name on the ring. my goal is that when you become a certified mpm trainer you will start to increase your ring collection. it’s also a nice touch that they put the number 70 there as a tribute to my mentor, dr. Ken Ravizza, who passed away when he was 70 years old on July 8, 2018.
In June 2019, Bobby, who at the time was the #1 prospect in all of high school baseball, was selected 2nd overall in the Major League Baseball Draft by Kanas City Royalty and signed a record signing bonus of 7.79 million dollars
As a high school star in Colleyville Texas, Bobby graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine when he was named The Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year, helped Team USA take home the gold medal at the Pan-American Championships, won the National High School Home Run Derby at Washington Nationals Park and was named MVP at the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field.
however, despite the accolades, the huge signing bonus, and the comparisons to hall of famers like alex rodriguez when they were his age, if there’s one thing about “junior” that impressed me, it’s not just his skill on the pitch – it’s the mindset, the routines, the habits, the work ethic, the humility and his team-first approach to play that makes him so special.
In this mental performance mastery (mpm) podcast, “junior” talks about his mental performance training and:
- how he trained his mind game from a risk to a weapon
- the benefits of playing for a coach in high school investing in the mental game
- how to handle the adversity and expectations that comes with competing in baseball at the highest level
- the routines you use to compete one pitch at a time
- how he uses breathing as a tool to turn pressure into pleasure
- your night viewing routine
- his leadership style and what it means to him to be a great teammate
- and more…
thanks for listening to brian cain’s mental performance mastery podcast on the ironclad content network. If you liked this show, be sure to leave us a rating and review, and don’t forget to engage with me on instagram and twitter @briancainpeak.
podcast highlights:
Bobby’s Top 3 Mind Game Strategies
In this video below, Bobby shares his top 3 mental game strategies he uses to create consistency on and off the field by using intentional routines and habits and how to eliminate them to help separate offense from defense.
develop concentration and awareness skills
In this video below, Bobby shares how he has developed present-moment focus and self-awareness skills and discusses his use of “signal lights” as a way of knowing when to let go and refocus on the moment. diamond.
mental performance training tips for young baseball players
In this video below, Bobby shares what he knows now that he wishes he had known when he was just starting out with mental performance training.
if you enjoyed this podcast with bobby witt jr. you should join my free 60 minute baseball masterclass video mind game and start developing the winning mindset, routines and habits you need to compete a pitch at the time and perform. at your best.
podcast transcript:
brian cain:
hi brian cain hosting the brian cain podcast today and i’m so excited to have our guest bobby witt jr. he is one of the most exciting young athletes in the country and was recently the number two overall pick in the 2019 major league baseball draft by the kansas city royalty organization. and he signed the third-largest signing bonus contract in major league baseball history. And Bobby, who has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, was named the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year. He was a state champion his senior at Colleyville Heritage High School and helped lead the United States baseball team to a gold medal at the Pan American Games.
brian cain:
also, before leaving high school, he has already hit home runs at three major league parks, wrigley field, nationals park and globe life park, home of the texas rangers. And the beautiful thing, for all the praise, is that if there’s one thing people know about Bobby Witt Jr., it’s not just his skills on the field, but his humility and early approach to team play that really It draws you to this player and really makes him the special breed that he is in a lost art of humility and the lost art of first team athletes, humility and team first define bobby witt jr. as well as one of the most impressive skill sets where they said in the sports illustrated article, the second best prospect to come out of high school since alex rodriguez. Bobby Witt Jr. welcome to the brian cain podcast.
bobby witt jr.:
yes, sir. thanks for having me I’m really excited and really privileged to be here and talk to you.
brian cain:
yes bobby. man, he was excited to have you. And we met, I think, when you were a freshman at Colleyville Heritage High School. Do you remember your kind of intro in the mind game?
bobby witt jr.:
I was coming from football, football in the fall and then in the spring and I heard about brian cain and what he was doing for the baseball program and in the past what they have done for us. and then he hit the spring and then that’s when he came out and saw us and flipped the switch for me. so having him in my life and the opportunities that he gave us as a team and the team building, things that we had, has been amazing.
brian cain:
bobby, we’ll go back to your mind game, but let’s press rewind here and go back to the end. your father, bobby witt, mr. he was a long time major league baseball pitcher and he was actually selected third in the major league baseball draft and you have to be selected second. So, did you always know that growing up as an athlete, you wanted to follow in your father’s footsteps as a major league baseball player?
bobby witt jr.:
yes. ever since he was little because his senior year was in 2001 and with the arizona diamondbacks and that’s when they won the world series but i was too young to remember any of that. but I grew up and talked to a lot of his teammates and just hearing what he was like as a player really was how I found out who he was, because I never really got to see him play personally and in the old days. video tapes and stuff. but then how he grew up with him by my side, he really instilled a love of baseball in me and put that hard work into me because he’s from massachusetts.
bobby witt jr.:
so he’s that tough guy. he’s always going out there trying to…even to this day, he’s trying to get better at everything he does, whether it’s yard work or throwing balls, trying to get better at it. so just having it, it’s almost like it has a cheat sheet for me through my career years playing baseball and also growing up to be a good young man.
brian cain:
and for all your success, at a very young age, we asked you about some of the hurdles you’ve had to overcome and I think when people look at you, junior, they see sports illustrated, they see the second round pick and they see all the success, but all success has challenges and one of the things that you mentioned was that sometimes there was worry. And what are some of the ways you’ve been able to keep that in check and stay focused on your mission and not be suffocated by the pressure, expectations or worry you’ve had as a top prospect?
bobby witt jr.:
after going through some of the mental practices and everything and I think it was probably my sophomore year of high school that really flipped the switch in me and lit a fire in me saying people are dating bullseye on my chest and that was something else. I don’t want people to think of me in a bad way like, “this whole kid does this, he does this.” why is this? so I really focus on the team and that’s when it all fell into place. whenever I wasn’t caring about myself and what I was going to do, I was caring more about what I was going to do for the team.
bobby witt jr.:
and once i knew i had that in me then the team just left. and my four years of high school was the best experience i have ever had and then playing in the summer with the usa team. uu. just knowing that every time you have these teammates at your back is when all that worry and doubt, and all of that goes away. you can go out and play your game. and I think my sophomore year of high school really clicked for me and that’s when I was able to remove all that negativity that was going through my mind, what if I was better off here? what if i did this? really just go out and have fun and play my game because i cant care what college coaches say, what mlb scouts say about me, what other kids say about me. I just have to go out there and be me.
brian cain:
bobby, you mentioned that you grew up and sometime around your sophomore year, your high school, you already identified the number one prospect in the country as a sophomore in high school and you have this goal on your chest. , and you were able to use that to your advantage to focus on being a great teammate. And what was it like for you when you made that change to say, “My number one goal is to be a great teammate.” Did that relieve some of the pressure you felt you had up until that point?
bobby witt jr.:
definitely. I felt like there was just that rock on your back that has all the pressure on it. it just goes away and then every time you focus on winning and instead of winning for yourself, winning for the team and that’s when it really comes out. it’s just amazing to do that little switch it can do for you and . and every time I focus on the team and try to win, that’s when I also play my best.
bobby witt jr.:
so it was a win-win situation. once, I was able to realize that that’s what I need to do and just helping the team to the best of my ability and winning championships is also the most fun thing in sports. so I always wanted to do that and that helped me in general.
brian cain:
It’s amazing. i had a chance to talk to alan mcdougal, your high school baseball coach at colleyville heritage in preparation for this podcast and i said, “alan, tell me about jr. which he probably doesn’t know and he would never mention on the podcast because of how humble he is.” and he said “ask him about his introduction song when he was a freshman and what was the name of that song”. Do you remember what that song was?
bobby witt jr.:
Don’t go after the waterfalls. is that?
brian cain:
well it was also mentioned in the sports illustrated article about tim mcgraw, so humble and kind.
bobby witt jr.:
yes. the other one was the one that the seniors picked for me and that one was just it came out during that time like my grandma passed away during that time and that just toned me down. and then that always humble and kind tim mcgraw song, that has been my motto throughout my years of playing high school and then summer showcase and even now. and that really makes me feel that if other people can do that, then this game will be much better. I’m not saying it’s bad right now, but what I try to do is stay humble and kind because you never know what other people are going through in their life, what’s going on in your life back home.
bobby witt jr.:
so if you try to keep that kindness and humility within you then other people will build on that and then there will be a great culture and that’s pretty much what we built at colleyville heritage and that’s what all the royals the organization is also treated quite a bit. and that is why I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of that organization.
brian cain:
And you fancy having that humility and that kindness and that focus on serving your teammates and being a great teammate that takes a little bit of the pressure off you and maybe even creates an advantage for you when you go out? play because you’re not playing with so much pressure that you have to be perfect?
bobby witt jr.:
oh yes, definitely. All of these things that we’re talking about here relate to just going out there and trying to do things not only for yourself, but for others as well. and if you can do that and be the first team player you’ll see guys succeed like derek jeter he wanted to win championships and look what he did he won championships and he was the best on and off the field and that’s also want be a role model and stay humble and kind as much as possible in everything. this is how I hope to live my life and the rest of my life throughout my entire baseball career.
brian cain:
and then talking to alan, one of the things he mentioned was that you guys were doing this race in the state tournament. he said two things that caught her attention. i think it was a game at dallas baptist, you guys were playing and he was standing there talking and a bunch of scouts and people who were there to see you and some of the other great players on his team. you look down at the batting cage and here comes you and a bunch of your teammates running and there’s a guy wearing a jersey with a bag of balls and a bat and everybody else isn’t running empty handed or just with that bat. and that player was you carrying the ball, he is carrying the tee and doing that.
brian cain:
where does that humility come from and that willingness to want to seek to serve. Where does it come from? Is it something instilled in you by your parents or in your show or is it just a decision you made?
bobby witt jr.:
definitely with my family that just instilled in me. I have three older sisters and if I act out of control, I had my mom, my dad, three older sisters are pushing me like this. so he always had to be the best he could with them. alone with my dad, always wanting me to work hard and put others first. And just having that mindset growing up at a young age helped me be that because I really didn’t even think about it. the first thing that came to mind, all the balls are out. I have to go pick them up, I have to bring them.
bobby witt jr.:
so actually it’s a routine and a habit for me now that I’ve done it most of my life at home and it doesn’t really faze me to do it. and I think it helps me as a whole and to be able to be that team player that I try to be, it helps the team feed off of that and then hopefully they see that and do the same thing.
brian cain:
Is that something you think you’ll take to professional baseball? because I know a lot of times when players go from high school and college baseball to the professional ranks, it becomes almost an individual sport for them. How are you going to combat that as you continue to transcend your professional career?
bobby witt jr.:
oh yes, definitely. I just want to keep the same me and always be myself and do the things that I’ve done to help me get to this point. and as I was saying before, just the royal organization, that’s how they are. they treat all the players like first rounders and go out. and just the staff, the people who recruit, the guys who sign from dominicano, venezuela, they’re all team players. There’s not one guy that’s like, “oh, I’m just going to do this for myself and then that’s kind of like… it’s just an amazing combination for me to just work with that.” and I am really very grateful for what they have done for me and how they liked it…
bobby witt jr.:
I’ve been around a lot of college players and I was the only player in high school, and they just took me in their arms and helped me through my first season and my first spring training, which was amazing and helped me to get my feet wet through that and just get going. And now, I only play baseball. I don’t worry about other things and now it’s really back to trying to win for the team.
brian cain:
Would you tell our listeners, and there will be a lot of baseball players listening to this, and would you talk about some of the techniques you learned, either during our time together at colleyville heritage high school or things you’ve learned on your own now? with royalty or your father and just being around the amazing baseball career you’ve had so far, and the people you’ve been with. What are the things that you have learned that you feel are mental game strategies that I use that help me be the player and teammate that I am?
bobby witt jr.:
definitely. at first, just to say have a good routine, whether it’s in the dugout or getting to the circle on deck or getting in the box. And that’s what you taught me and I only had that first opportunity in my freshman year. That’s when my routine started and I’ve kept that same routine from freshman year to now. and going over there to look at my bat i find a little focal point i take a deep breath and i just say something whatever is going on in my head like it’s the moment or it just gives me confidence and i would say that that was a huge thing for me in my first year of pro baseball is to have that everyday routine because everyday is pretty much the same day just playing on different teams and playing in different ballparks or whatever.
bobby witt jr.:
but just sticking to that good routine will also take the pressure off you and put you in the right frame of mind to prep for the game, prep for a practice, or give up in the weight room. and also have that mentality of really when something goes wrong, just rinse it off. that’s how you said that if something goes wrong, you can’t take what happens on the field and bring it to your turn at bat. you have to keep them as two different things. you’re playing offense, you’re playing defense. two different things.
bobby witt jr.:
and if you can do that, that will also help you not lose at-bats because you made the mistake on the field or struck out three times in the game, but got to make the winning play at shortstop or wherever you play because those baseball gods the ball will find you no matter what happened in that game and that’s something that was also instilled in me just not to get into that big rollercoaster effect with being too high up and when things are going great for you or go too low. like you want to keep that uniform path, but always trying to continuously improve every day. just those things and there are so many more that I can go on and on about, but those are really the three key things that have helped me get to where I am today.
brian cain:
so if you’re going to continue talking about some of the other strategies, I think we’ll start maybe by having you summarize for the listeners, what are some of those other techniques and things that you use, bob?
bobby witt jr.:
I used to call the success hotline and I know during high school we did it because coach mcdougal wanted us to go. so we formed circles and went out and only one person was picked up every day. and I know there are guys that say, “that’s why we have to do this,” but it’s really helped me a lot in life and today I was talking about how you can be very, very good at wanting that you can have in order of what you want to do, you can do it. and once we want to be really, really, really good, that’s when it all falls into place. that’s when you accept the success hotline, accept the 30-day mental performance challenge that I started not too long ago, and just do these little things that people will think, “why, do this?”
bobby witt jr.:
it really helps. it’s not just for show people think it’s an eye wash but in reality if you really go for it it will help you and only take the parts you need for yourself because there is no one who is really the same. so just doing that has helped me a lot. and really just looking at things that other people are doing with breathing techniques and meditation and stuff. i know coach mcdougal, he was doing that and he said that would help him through his days and just being a coach with the stress that it put on him. he said that he really eased everything and that’s what i started doing too.
bobby witt jr.:
Right before I go to bed, I’ll do a little breathing technique that I put on myself and kept throughout the trip and it really helped me sleep and have more energy. if you think these little things will never benefit you, but once you really do them and accept them, they really do.
brian cain:
And talk a little bit more about breathing because I think when people watch baseball and it’s specific, and they’ve already mentioned it as part of their hitting routine, they’d look at a focal point on their bat and take a deep breath. and now you also mentioned how that helps you fall asleep at night and relax and unwind, which I know is a challenge not only for athletes, but for people in general who have high-performance, high-stress environments. corporate america, parenting education. and breathing can help you to slow down your heart rate, to be present, to connect with the now. talk a little about the benefits of breathing for you, if you want, junior.
bobby witt jr.:
First of all, I got a chance to hit in the high school home run derby and that’s probably what helped me. there are 40,000 fans. everyone is standing. I’m batting second against one of my best friends in the back and [bobby byers 00:16:45] is next to me. aaron judge, mike trout. I’m walking up to home plate and everyone’s looking at me like, “what’s this kid going to do?” and that’s where that breath that saved me right there because right before we got there, I don’t know if there’s a video of it out there or whatever, but I just took a deep breath and right there my mind cleared. . I felt like my legs were going to fall out from under me before that breath.
bobby witt jr.:
but then i do that and then i just turn my mind like, “okay. you’re back here in the box. it’s like you’re hitting bp in the cage. here we go.” and right there he showed me how much the entire result of a home run can really change, right there, so everyone can trade in a season too, whether you’re very excited, right? re in the ninth inning of a game. you’re nervous and everything. just take a deep breath and [inaudible 00:17:36] make the play. as it is in practice. if you do things like in practice and when no one is looking, do things right and then they will help you.
brian cain:
I heard you say, I’ve read this in my favorite heads-up baseball book, that I’m sure you’ve read about how you treat a bullpen in spring training like you would in game 7 of the world series. so you can treat game seven of the world series like a bullpen and spring training. it’s something that you really take pride in, which is that really deep focus and deep work in practice, and practicing is a very serious thing as part of your career.
bobby witt jr.:
oh yes, definitely. in practice I try to be as close to perfect as possible because if you get as close to perfect as I was saying before no one is perfect then you can get as close to a game as you can in practice. and that’s what coach mcdougal also put on our team during bp playing it all live. we’d play the last pitch like it was all live like it was game seven of a state championship, whatever, or whatever the seventh inning is.
bobby witt jr.:
so we’d do that and we’d be making dive plays only during bp and that’s during practice. some guys will come out and look and say, “why do you dip into bp?” I thought “I’m going to do that in the game, why not do it here now?” they’re like, “it’s going to have an effect on your body.” maybe in the long run, but right now I’m trying to prepare myself for the moment and for the game to come.
bobby witt jr.:
and that really helped me try to play everything as game-like as possible and then take those professional balls… that’s the best way to get better ground balls, get those live reads during the bp, see the ball off the bat. , trying to read hands and everything, and that helped me a lot just trying to take things in practice and make it as game-like as possible and swings and everything. and then that will really slow down the game for you as you get older.
brian cain:
bob, if we go back, you talked about the home run derby. And for some of our listeners, I want you to know that this is not your typical going to a field, having a home run derby with your friends. this was on the day of the major league baseball star home run derby in the same park at the same time, right? like when they went to cut the commercials and there’s no one on tv watching the home run derby, that’s when you were hitting, right?
bobby witt jr.:
yes, it was. And it was something I will never forget. my friend hit, I think, six or seven home runs. he was running second and he hit scores and then he walked away and literally stood next to me i think bregman and then aaron judge as he approached me. I looked around because he had a ball I think about 480 feet further and it was the furthest ball that night. that’s what brought all the fans to their feet. and then I’m going up and they’re still standing. I’m like, “oh, okay. here we go.” and then I just breathed like I was saying and it was about time.
brian cain:
And obviously, you’re walking to home plate, right? and that’s part of your routine and you get home plate in this situation as I’m sure many times in your career in crucial game winning situations or maybe your first at bat in professional baseball and you get up there and you you feel your heart racing or a little out of control in what we would call a kind of yellow or red light and you go to your release to turn green again. Would you explain in your own words what signal lights are and what it means to be at a green traffic light, a yellow traffic light or a red traffic light?
bobby witt jr.:
I’d say at first the red light is just nervousness, whether it’s your first at-bat of the high school season. I would always have something no matter what, whether we were up 20 to nothing and playing a game. I would go up to the plate and still have something here and there, but the red light is right where you don’t want to be when you’re hitting and then just trying to transition as much as you can. in that green light. and once you’re in that green light mode, then it’s, “sorry, pitcher.” it’s over for you.”
bobby witt jr.:
You have to have that mindset of trust, but keep it in your head when you go up there. and that was something for me that was missing, it just kept going whenever I was depressed during my first professional year and I’m like eight-plus stunted or whatever, coming out just going, “oh, this is the same game that i’ve been playing. turn up and relax, take it easy. just have that good mindset, that green light mindset like you say and go out there and try to… you can’t be thinking, “oh i gotta put my foot down on the floor. oh, I have to do this with my hands.”
bobby witt jr.:
When you step up to the plate, it’s you against the pitcher and you have to compete. don’t really think about getting all the other stuff out of your head. I think if you have a clear mind to go to the plate, that’s your green light. that’s the green light mode and that’s what I’d say it’s for me too.
brian cain:
attention athletes, coaches and parents of athletes. mental performance is the key to unlocking unshakeable confidence, building unshakable mental toughness, and gaining an almost unfair advantage over the competition. So why do so many athletes leave their mental performance training to chance, and why do so many coaches ignore it completely? look, if you’re an athlete and you know you can perform at a higher level than you currently have, but you’re not sure what’s missing or if you’re a coach and parent who’s tired of seeing your athletes fall short of their potential because they lack confidence or mental toughness, and you’re looking for a step-by-step program they can use to master the mental game, you’ve come to exactly the right place.
brian cain:
I’m Brian Cain, a world-renowned Mental Performance Coach and I’ve had the privilege of working with Olympians, World MMA Champions, Major League Baseball, Cy-Young Award winners, and Heisman Trophy winners to bridge the gap. from where they were to where they wanted to be in mental performance. And now with my 30-Day Mental Performance Mastery Program for Athletes, you can get the same training that has helped these world champions close the gap from where they were to where they wanted to be and needed to be to win. head over to briancain.com and click on athletes to get started today.
brian cain:
Bobby, one of the things you were talking about earlier is the grind, the grind of hitting and looking at the focal point of your bat and breathing. but if you regress, take us through the entire at-bat process. when does an at bat start for you and let’s say you end with a strikeout or you end with a home run, when does that at bat end for you? take us through all those details if you want.
bobby witt jr.:
I would say just from learning and playing professionally and hearing from other guys who had the experience that the at-bat begins when the pitcher is in the bullpen before the game warm-up. you could pick something up with this fastball or where was he looking for his arm or what is his fastball doing if he’s running, cutting. you can pick that up if you could see in the bullpen. and then always observing if you are the player of nine holes or the first. watch that pitcher just to see what he’s doing, if he shows any tendencies or anything and then every time he gets on the mound for his warm-up pitches, that’s also the start of the at-bat. and then you’re seeing what he’s doing, you’re slowing down time and just as you walk into the box, that’s when you have to focus on what’s in there at that moment.
bobby witt jr.:
and you have to go up there and, as I said before, compete. Compete to try to beat the launcher. try to put a barrel on the ball. that’s pretty much the goal right now of what i’m hitting is to put a barrel on the ball. and I’d say the at-bat ends whether you’re walking back to the dugout or you’re on the first, second, third home run, whatever, that at-bat ends there and you have to take it out at-bat if it was good or bad and then start over when you’re on the bench. take that and just watch the game.
bobby witt jr.:
If you watch the game, you’ll learn a lot about pitchers, position players and everything. and that’s what my dad instilled in me as well, just watching baseball because you’ll learn something every day. and one of the royal trainers had been around for over 40 or 50 years. he pulls out a notebook and he always writes down 10 new things every day and he’s still learning just being around pro baseball players and that says how you’re going to learn something new every day in the game of baseball if you just watch.
brian cain:
what was one of the biggest challenges you had going from high school to professional baseball? and now you’re out there and instead of being a senior in high school where you’re one of the older guys on the field and more physically developed now, you’re the new guy again. and despite who you were and a huge prospect, you’re still coming in and playing with other top players from all over the world. and you’re playing against some grown men who are 24, 25 years old who have been there. they have seven more years in the weight room than you. So when you started making that jump into professional baseball, what were some of the key things that stood out to you or some of the key things that you learned in that kind of first season of professional baseball?
bobby witt jr.:
First of all, I surrounded myself with the good teammates I had. As long as you can build that family, that relationship with them and know that they always have your back and you have theirs, that takes some of the pressure off there and that takes some of the enthusiasm out of playing. and that really calms you down and sets you back a little bit. It’s always one step back, two steps forward. this is how i put things. and really, if you have good teammates and especially the Latino players, I was playing, the culture change, that was a big change for me too, playing with guys in the infield who don’t speak your language, but those guys always win you over their respect and they have your back, they have your back no matter what.
bobby witt jr.:
Those guys are high-energy guys and those are the guys I love to play with. and really, I just create that good culture with your teammates, coaches, and that’s what the royals do, I keep going on and on about them, but it’s really what they do for us, the players and everything. really, that’s what connects everyone and he really wants to win for the team. not only for the team, but also for the coaches, but for the staff, but for the entire organization makes you want to win.
bobby witt jr.:
and I feel like once I got used to that and I knew that the organization has my back and everybody’s got my back, then that’s what kept me going and feeling like it’s the same game that I’ve been playing since I was four or five years. you have different teammates now. you’re playing in a different stadium and you’re up against different guys. so i just focus on that. he had been preaching, always trying to compete, always trying to compete and improve. always trying to compete and win for the team.
bobby witt jr.:
It also seems like one of the things that is a common theme that runs through what you say about competing as well is how to control the things that you can control. How important has the control-what-you-can-control mentality been to you and your journey so far in baseball?
brian cain:
That’s huge, especially in professional baseball because once you get into the minor leagues, everything, you want to move up and make it to the big leagues. and you can’t look at the guys in front of you or behind you. “oh, this guy is hitting much better than me. Are they going to upload them or are you going to upload them for him? he is sitting. should I change?”
brian cain:
There is a plan for everyone and you just have to trust it. like you say control controllables and once you do them and they focus on you in that moment and doing what’s right and what’s best for the team I think it’s all going to shoot off and it just comes in as big things for you and the team too.
brian cain:
Obviously you have a lot going on in your life and a lot of people are pushing you for who you are and they want media requests, they want photos, they want autographs and everything. and you’ve been dealing with it for a long time, it probably started when you were a freshman or sophomore in high school I think. but how do you deal with everything that is happening in your life? how do you work to be present and live in the moment and not get caught up in all the distractions?
bobby witt jr.:
Whenever it is, I just think about it, I just… like you say, I just live in the present moment. and that’s also another thing that I do in life because you look at the past and what’s done like my high school career and everything, that’s over. I can build on success, learn from what I did wrong and all, but I can’t go back and change anything. it’s all done, so I just have to build from that and move on, move on. and then what’s going to happen in three days, you never know. something crazy could happen.
bobby witt jr.:
When I was in spring training, I never knew that this virus and everything else was going to shut everything down, so I had to go on that day and leave it all on the field because some of those guys did. one day he would just go into practice or any game, he just wouldn’t go in full throttle and then boom this happens. your baseball career or whatever, the sports career is over. Do you really want that to be your last memory of something like “oh, I could have done more” and then play with you for the rest of your life? no.
bobby witt jr.:
so that’s what gets me in that present moment because now this thing that’s going on right now, it’s really changed me too, I just live even more in the moment and try to enjoy life to the fullest and live it, and try to make all the good out of the bad and just learn and keep smiling and having fun no matter what.
brian cain:
yes. I wanted to ask you about the current situation with the corona season and how to deal with the covid-19 pandemic. and obviously, 2019, you get recruited from high school. They send you to some kind of extended spring training orientation to play professional baseball in arizona and then you go out for 2020, february, march. it’s his first full spring training and then all of a sudden it comes to an end with the coronavirus. How has this been for you, Bobby?
bobby witt jr.:
yes. this off season, i put in a lot of work and just with my friends and everything. so I was very excited. I was ecstatic about the first big training because I grew up going to spring training and watching it. and now I can participate and this is the first. so I was more than ready for that. and then this just turns it off. it’s almost like, “okay here we go. this is new and back home. I’m coming home in April/May where I’m supposed to be playing wherever. I’m supposed to be playing and this is not right.” /p>
bobby witt jr.:
What I’m saying is how you talk about everything. think only of the good. now what? Whats Next? so I have to live in the present moment and try to do what I can. what I’ve been doing is really working on the little things and really trying to improve my overall mental skills as well. like i was saying doing that for 30 days mental performance challenge. I am starting that. I’m on day five now and I’m just trying to get better mentally because during these times, people can really fall apart. and just trying to get better every day like i’ve been saying. I just go out and do what I do.
brian cain:
so you’re going through the 30 days to mental performance mastery athletes program that i recently introduced on april 7th. people might be thinking, “well, why is he going through that? [inaudible 00:32:01] brian cain since she was a freshman in high school five years ago. the guy is the second pick in the major league baseball draft. he has the third-largest signing bonus in major league baseball history.” why would you want to continue learning the mind game and go through that 30 day athlete program? what is the purpose of you doing that?
bobby witt jr.:
you look at mike trout, the greatest baseball player. he’s getting better every day in baseball and probably in his mental performance and everything, and that’s what I want to do. I just set a tone for something that I can keep getting better at and that’s how I want to live my life is always trying to get better at everything and just trying to sharpen the iron I already have built.
brian cain:
do you do that? do you have a daily routine right now in corona season? I mean, you don’t seem like the type that would be watching Netflix until 3:00 a.m. m. and then I would sleep until 3:00 p.m. m. talk about your daily life right now as a professional baseball player during this pandemic?
bobby witt jr.:
yeah, that’s definitely getting into that good routine because you really could, like you said, stay up really late, sleep all day and just repeat. just take that as a groundhog day, but i want to do things and get better like i’ve been saying. so I really put it in my head. I should write it down and everything but I just make a mental list and I have the way of life app and I have three things I want to do every day. and once I do those things, I can start my day with other things.
bobby witt jr.:
so I really have this mental schedule in my head to know that I need to do this, this, this, this and once I do that I could do the things that maybe aren’t that important, always trying to keep my room clean, make my bed, listen to the success hotline, do something baseball-related, whether it’s sneaking into the net, playing catch, taking ground balls, watching videos, watching baseball. I’m just doing something baseball related just to stay in that shape and then I’ll get on with my training. and I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.
bobby witt jr.:
I’ll get ready and start running. so that’s another routine I have. so i just built from that. I will continue to build on the routine I have now and try to make it better and more consistent for each day and more time scheduled.
brian cain:
And you talked earlier about some kind of meditation and something you use. what about visualization or mental images, junior? Is it something you do constantly where you always close your eyes and see yourself playing and doing the things you want to do?
bobby witt jr.:
oh yes, definitely. every time I go to bed, that’s all I try to do. I’m trying to see myself, whether it’s playing in kauffman stadium and hitting the game-winning home run in the world series or just playing in a minor league stadium and helping the team do whatever it takes to win a game. it’s not really mental images, but just having a highlight reel of my performances when I do well. just having that during this time, it helps me gain and maintain that confidence that I have and just be like, “oh look. here’s me hitting a home run here. there I am doing this work”. And that just puts a smile on my face and I just say, “He’s coming back.” the game is going to come back and with that alone, it’s almost like helping your confidence stay.”
brian cain:
When you talk about having that highlight reel, is it an actual video that you watch or is it a video in your mind?
bobby witt jr.:
yes. it’s a real video i have on my phone. when I said video, that’s probably, I think it was 480 videos of me hitting and more playing the field and some of me throwing as well. so I have a bunch of videos that I would watch and just watch and remember and it would take me right back to that, but trying to build on that and always have that confidence in a highlight reel, because I know a lot of guys that play higher up in the leagues Older guys see it before every game and they just get that “here we go” and stay relaxed and have that confidence and then that would take them in the right direction.
brian cain:
yes, I think it’s a tremendous tool that every athlete should create, even if it’s not a view. obviously today you probably have a lot of video of yourself and some players maybe grow up they don’t have the video themselves. so they see someone they want to play with. I always come back to an example of one of the only players in baseball who has ever been selected multiple times in the first round is a pitcher named Tyler Beede. a pitcher who was with the vanderbilts he was a first round pick at lawrence academy in massachusetts he ended up being a first round pick again i think of the san francisco giants blue jays out of high school and then i think of the giants of san francisco from vanderbilt.
brian cain:
I worked with Beede in 2013 with the US Collegiate National Team. uu. one of the things i used to do is watch a video of pedro martinez carving. and i say, “beede, you look at pedro martinez”. It was only 2013, right? so it’s seven years ago. he just didn’t have all the images of himself that he would have liked to have. I’m sure he does now. but man, having that featured video of yourself is a must for building confidence, improving preparation, and making sure you maintain that very good image of yourself.
brian cain:
bob, one of the things i know you texted me about before and i hope i don’t let the cat out of the bag here but you’re a reader too man. I mean, one of the coaches in his organization recommended a book to him. i think it might have been your manager, mike matheny talking about reading. is it something you’ve always done or is it something you learned now that your formal education in high school is over, you’re doing more self-education with reading. He talks about it because I think all leaders are readers.
bobby witt jr.:
That’s been a huge deal because in high school, honestly, I didn’t like to read at all. I didn’t like to do any of that. and whether it’s reading or listening to audiobooks, I think since I’ve finished high school, I think I’ve finished three books now and that’s probably more than I…sorry, teachers. that’s more than I probably read during high school. but just get that and keep that mind always working. work your mind, and that always helps too.
bobby witt jr.:
There are books out there that will really change your life and some of the ones I’ve read have really helped me not only as a baseball player, but as the young man that I am, trying to be the best boyfriend. I can be, be the best friend I can be and just be the best coach I can be to help others who are asking for help.
brian cain:
what is one of the best books you have read? which gives bobby, jr. seal of approval that other people should be reading or listening to?
bobby witt jr.:
I’d say the first one I really crossed off my list was the… I don’t remember which one it was. it’s derek jeter’s book, it just shows his life, his upbringing, everything. how he left life and that is the role model of my game after. and just kind of whoever. I know there are thousands of books about all the athletes out there about their biographies or autobiographies, whatever. if you want to be like them then you should probably read about them and see what they did as a high school student like me and how he worked his way up through the minor leagues and what he did once he established himself as a major player suspenders. and that’s what really helped me.
bobby witt jr.:
then another book is intrepid by eric blehm. I think it was the navy and label team and how they managed and did their thing. just those guys are… congratulations on them. I can’t say I could do anything they’ve done and they go through the mental grind and just the grind as a whole. and just reading and hearing about what they did and the brutal things they had to go through just to get to where they were. it’s really a revelation and just to show that I’m just playing baseball and then I strike out and my head goes like this. well this guy lost an arm and he’s fine.
bobby witt jr.:
so what can i do to change and not let it get to me how he changed to not let it get to him? so those books just kind of surprised me and really lifted me up and uplifted me. that was just one chance to play for team usa. uu. was also another thing I would say. just a little chance to show some respect to those guys who are overseas fighting for our country and doing what they do, right where it says on my chest, it gives me goosebumps just talking about it. there is no better feeling. And I’ll just say, if you get the chance to do that, if you can, try it out and always respect those guys for real.
brian cain:
It’s amazing. and i know you’re reading that book right now, fearless and with a lot of mindset and positive things that we can take and use as competitors of the navy seal culture and the navy seal mindset. and you mentioned a word before, i want to go back to a word that you picked up in a jocko willink video and that word is a good one. would you talk a little bit about how you used good for the course of your career and in your life?
bobby witt jr.:
started in high school. we had seen the jocko willink videos and only some bad, good things happened. What are you gonna do about it? the coronavirus passes, well. what are you going to do to improve yourself? what are you going to do to help your family? what are you going to do to avoid falling into that roller coaster effect? Kind of like what I was saying before, what are you going to do to be better as a whole and just take those things? some of those things are bad, but you can find something good in them somehow, but I think having that mindset is just, “oh, you make a mistake, fine. hit me another see what happens.”
bobby witt jr.:
It’s almost like a confidence booster and it’s not like you’re making fun of it or anything, but it helps you bounce back. if you’re down right now, but once you say okay, it just cheers you up again.
brian cain:
yes. and it gives you something to go to and I think that’s one of the biggest things that I’ve gotten out of this podcast and hearing you talk is bobby you got some tools man. you have some tools that you can use when the going gets tough, when the pressure hits, when you feel like your heart is going to burst out of your chest and you’re walking home plate in front of 40,000 and you’ve got a who’s who of major league baseball or at the plate watching you bat. you have some tools to use when you’re new to a professional organization and team, and everyone sees you as the guy in the organization who has made the biggest investment.
brian cain:
You have some tools to handle the pressure that comes your way. when you look around a clubhouse and look at other guys in professional baseball and I know you haven’t been a player there for six months. and not even a full academic year. but you look around and say, “man, I can’t believe some of these guys here. they have no concept of brain training and stuff you’ve been doing since you were a freshman in high school. Does it surprise you sometimes that guys at that level don’t have that kind of training yet?
bobby witt jr.:
yes. I would say definitely just because of the success I’ve had using it and how much better the guys can be at using it. I think everyone, whether you play sports or just be a student at school, helps you study, do your homework and whatever. I feel like it only makes you see things differently as a whole if you really accept it and not just think that, “oh, it’s something like that”. maybe do this or that.” really, if you do your best all the time with what you do and if you’re doing it right with your mindset, then your mindset towards everything will be great.
bobby witt jr.:
and i’ve been watching the michael jordan show, the last dance and you look at his mindset and the way like why can’t everyone be like michael jordan? why can’t everyone have that mindset? because it’s just that he bought that. he was totally focused on his mentality of being the best that ever lived and look how it ended. he is the goat.
brian cain:
Funny you mentioned the last dance. i didn’t know this show would come out or exist until i heard dr. gilbert talked about it on the success hotline, so i started watching it. As I watch it, I am reminded of something Gilbert always said. he said, “yes bobby witt, jr. and michael jordan meet on a basketball court”, and you may not be the best example. Let’s just say I end up on a basketball court with Michael Jordan. who is the better athlete? And that’s why I had to get you out of the question. who is a better athlete jordan is better than me. you could be comfortable. he said, “who is taller? Jordan. who is faster jordan Who has better basketball skills? jordan, jordan, jordan all day. he says, “you may not be able to match their physical traits, but you can match their mental traits.” and the answer to that is yes, because the mental is more trainable. how tall are you now, bob?
bobby witt jr.:
about 6’1″, 6’2″
brian cain:
6’1″, 6’2″. if you could be 6’6″ you would probably take it, right? but I don’t know how we got to be 6’6″. we can’t control that thing. but the only thing you can control is do you have the mamba mentality? do you have the mentality of michael jordan? as you watch the last dance let me ask you this because i know a lot of listeners will be watching it or starting to watch it. what are you taking from that that you’re going to apply in your game or in your way of thinking, your toolbox? what are you learning that you are going to take and use?
bobby witt jr.:
how he not only led by example on the court, but helped those guys off the court. and he wasn’t the type to just say, something like, “I will.” he got on the boys. he was getting closer to scottie pippen. he was getting close to these guys who are absolute studs and he wasn’t afraid to show that. what he said, each game left everything on the field. and if it was practice that he is leaving on the court, so he never wanted his last appearance on the court to be bad.
bobby witt jr.:
he would always leave the field and empty his tank every time and that’s what shows me how he did it for so long and why I can do that by playing baseball and trying to put my mind where his is to be successful that’s the next challenge in my life and that’s what I’ve been working on. that’s why I’m working on it now during this coronavirus time where I can’t play on a baseball field with my teammates or anything. That’s why I’m now trying to light that fire to try to be the best I can be off the field and now on the field when the time comes.
brian cain:
and i think jordan, one of the things i learned, i didn’t know about him during the last dance was when he started with the chicago bulls, the chicago bulls were one of the worst teams in the nba and they were drawn to chicago sting, the soccer team that played in the same city. by the end of their first year, they were selling games, right? and jordan, when he came into the bulls as a draft and jordan, i think he was the third pick in the draft, i think when hakeem olajuwon, sam boyd, i don’t remember the second guy’s name because it wasn’t michael jordan.
brian cain:
The mindset he had going into that first year and said, “I was going after the team leader. He was after the alpha male. and if that was in the weight room, if it was on the field, if it was in conditioning, if he was just on the court or when we played, and he didn’t do it with his words. he did it with his actions. And I think one of the most impressive things about you, junior, is that you do the same thing. you do it with your actions, not your words.
brian cain:
You’re a guy who’s going to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. and you’ll probably never talk about the talk. i mean, the frame i got from alan mcdougal in the sports illustrated article about you where you were on the cover of sports illustrated was, he said, “bobby witt’s big league in every aspect of his life, except never It’s been a great league anyway.” and I think that’s a lost art and I think that’s something that I want to thank you for, for modeling and showing young people that this is how they’re supposed to do it.
brian cain:
so if you were to leave a message with a high school athlete who is out there right now, who wants to achieve success in their life and career, but is still laying the groundwork and forming something like that right mindset in the right habits that you’ve obviously established, what would you say to that young athlete to try and give them some strategy that they can use to move forward and be more successful?
bobby witt jr.:
really the first thing that comes to mind is how you want to be remembered and how you were saying and thank you for all those words you said about me and everything and that’s how I wanted to be remembered. . I want to be the guy who not only respects the game on the field, but respects the people off the field because one day, a long time ago, I was that kid who wanted the autograph or wanted to say hello to this guy or wanted to see this guy or just watch this guy play.
bobby witt jr.:
going back to michael jordan. you go and you see it and you watch it a game. he doesn’t want that game to be, “are you going to watch it?” you can only watch one game. he doesn’t want that game where you show up to watch him play, that bat game or watch him not do his best. so every game is how i get on and that’s how i think don’t let that game happen where someone comes and sees you and that’s how they remember you. just always make sure you do your best on the pitch all the time and respect the game, respect others, because you never know when you’ll be with them again in life.
bobby witt jr.:
and then really how do you want to be remembered and put it on the field and not let that game happen where you don’t put it on the field and that person who has an impact on your life sees you? don’t go all out.
brian cain:
makes a lot of sense and how you want to be remembered is something you do every day. and i create something i will never forget when people ask me about bobby witt, jr. it was at the end of spring training or at the end of your first i think full season of pro baseball you got drafted in 2019 you go and you play in arizona and we have the opportunity to get together to play golf where i think together we probably set a record for course for the most shots from people in the golf cart during the course.
brian cain:
you’re getting ready to drive back to texas and out of arizona and i wake up and there’s a picture on my cell phone of you texting me from your truck and it said one word, okay. Could you tell us that story because I think it just sums up how you took everything from the mental game of baseball and put it into your life on a daily basis?
bobby witt jr.:
yes. so the day before she was going to go back to [inaudible 00:50:13]. It was a month of just training, just recovering, getting ready for the off-season, and just going golfing. I think it was a day before or two days before that and one of my friends came into my room and knocked on my door and got a key to my room and woke me up and said, “hey man.” your tires are gone. I’m like, “what?” It’s like 2:30, 3:00 a.m. in the morning and I go downstairs and buy a new truck. after the season was over, and that was my first big road trip. i drove to arizona and had it there. and the day before we leave, I go out and my tires are gone. my car is on concrete blocks, just sitting there. I’m like, “oh my god. what’s going on?”
bobby witt jr.:
So it went on, I woke up the next morning. I went back to sleep the police, whatever, came, filled out the paperwork. they never found the guys who did it. so I wake up the next morning and I see there and that’s when I’m like, “what am I going to do about it?” Am I going to have him ruin my day or am I going to end the last day of [inaudible 00:51:16] getting ready for the off-season and getting on a good note and just laughing? of this memory.
bobby witt jr.:
As soon as I walk into the clubhouse, everyone sees it because it’s right in front of our team hotel. The vans go by, all the boys. some of the latin guys are like, “your truck, bobby.” they’ve been laughing at me. it was amazing it wasn’t amazing but it was fun. I just go to the field and everyone looks at me and we all start laughing. I was just like, “well, what am I going to do about it?” Am I going to get mad about it and have it ruin my day? no i will just try to handle it and fix it and move on and this will be a moment i will remember practically for the rest of my life and i will only look back. I look at it now and laugh at it. I’m not trying to make it difficult and make it bother me at all. so it was a fun ending to my 2019 season.
brian cain:
yeah, and I just remembered your text from your truck and it says you’re going out and your truck is on cinder blocks. the wheels are gone, good. and I cracked a smile and said, “man, I don’t know how I would have handled that, but it’s probably not the first thing that would have come to mind.” and probably some other four-letter words, that don’t start with g and end with d, ok. but it was amazing that you sent that. It was funny that you said that and I think that sums up how you take the mind game and apply it to all aspects of your life. bobby to close this podcast man alan mcdougal who was your high school baseball coach and i was like hey tell me again about bobby things he wouldn’t say about himself and things we might not know ,” but he would know because he’s been with you for four years in high school.
brian cain:
and said, “junior has a constant desire to be the best. and he could get out of bed and be better than most, but that’s not his goal. he knows that ordinary people get ordinary results and he wants to be unusual in what he does on a daily basis to set uncommon records and get uncommon results in the game of baseball, but more importantly, in all aspects of the life of him”. he also says, “while junior is the most talented kid i’ve ever had the opportunity to coach, he’s also the most selfless person i’ve ever coached. he really understands that the way to the top is to help others.”
brian cain:
He says, “I was constantly amazed, every day, at the good heart he had for others as I watched him interact with kids, teammates, opponents, friends, family, and fans.” he is a professional in every sense of the word. For four years, I was able to tell the members of Colleyville Heritage High School’s Panther Baseball Program to just look at the number 17. Follow his example and you’ll be headed down the right path. This was for the players and myself, and I was honored to be able to give my son, Jackson, the same advice to just watch his leadership.”
brian cain:
bobby, it was nice meeting you. It was a pleasure having you on the podcast. Thanks for being with us. And listeners, be sure to follow the career of Bobby Witt, Jr. On Instagram. it’s bwitter15. is that so?
bobby witt jr.:
yes, sir.
brian cain:
it’s b-w-i-t-t-e-r 15 on instagram. bobby, thanks for coming on the podcast, man. looking forward to seeing your race.
bobby witt jr.:
yes, sir. thanks for having me I had a great time. and for everything you have done for me and everyone, always have fun and stay humble and kind.
brian cain:
thanks for listening to brian cain’s mental performance mastery podcast on the ironclad content network. if you liked this show be sure to leave us a rating and review and don’t forget to follow me on instagram and twitter @briancainpeak.