By Jonathan Massey –
If you’ve been with us for some time, you’ve probably heard my story at least once. For those who are unfamiliar or have forgotten, let me quickly recap for you.
I first came to the Texas Baseball Ranch® before it was even established as the “Texas Baseball Ranch®.” I had just completed my freshman year of high school, and I was topping out at a whopping 68mph. (I often say that the only reason I made my high school team was because we weren’t very good and because I was left-handed.) After many ups and downs, numerous trials and errors, and more failures than I care to admit, I eventually broke through the 90-mph barrier at the age of 23. Why do I bring this up? Because I believe my story is a lot like your story, and I want to share with you what I believe to be the biggest factor in helping me achieve my dream of throwing 90 mph.
It was the spring of 2013, and I had just transferred to Sam Houston State University after being cut by my third college program. I was 22 years old and throwing roughly 79-82 mph from the mound. However, I still had aspirations of playing professional baseball (and, of course, throwing 90 mph.) I knew my odds were slim, but I was going to chase that dream no matter what. During one of my trips back home, I grabbed dinner with my dad. This was not unusual, as I was at a point in my life where I would only call him to ask for money or if I needed something. The dinner was unremarkable; we talked about the usual stuff: how school was going, how baseball was going, and whatever general life questions he had. On the way home, however, things took a serious turn. The question started out as innocent, or at least in my mind, it was… My dad asked me, “So, what are your plans for after baseball?”. I kind of just shrugged him off and said, “I don’t know, Dad. That sounds like a future Jonathan’s problem.”
I’d hoped that this was the end of it, but I was wrong.
“What do you mean you don’t know? How can you not know? You’re 22 years old!” he semi-shouted at me.
“Well, Dad, right now, I’m focused on professional baseball. That’s all there is for me.” I said (probably a little heated myself).
My dad, sensing the frustration in my tone, replied, “Jonathan, baseball ends for everybody at some point. For some, it’s 18, and for others, it’s 40.”
At this point, I’d had enough. In hindsight, I know my dad was just trying to help me out, but at the moment, I let all my frustration unleash on him. I said, “Dad, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to be successful.”
“How do you know?” he asked.
“Because I will be. I can’t NOT be. I won’t stop until I am. It may be baseball, or it may be something else, but I will be successful. Right now, I am 100% focused on baseball, and if the time comes when I no longer want to pursue it, I’ll figure out my next move then.”
Looking back on this conversation that happened over 10 years ago, I find it kind of crazy that, at 22 years old, I felt I could pivot so easily from baseball to anything, at any time, and be successful. I also believe this moment offers clear insight into why I eventually broke through the 90-mph barrier. I had a mindset of “I am going to work at something until it happens”; it didn’t matter if it took eight weeks, eight months, or eight years. In my mind, I was already a 90-mph thrower, and it was only a matter of time until it happened.
Now, I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t have that mindset when I started at the Ranch at 15 years old. It was definitely something that Coach Wolforth’s daily mindsets created in me over many years. It is something that I’ll be forever grateful for, as it was a crucial part of me breaking the 90-mph barrier. This mindset doesn’t only apply to baseball, either. It is something that I utilize every day of my life and has made me into the person I am today.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
– Thomas Jefferson
“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both usually right.”
– Confucius
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Important TBR Updates
- Coach Wolforth will be hosting a special 90 minute webinar – “The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy” next Thursday, April 17th at 7pm CST. If you’d like to sign up for the webinar, please email info@TexasBaseballRanch.com and we will forward you the link to register.
- The dates for our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp for this summer include:
May 24-26 (Sat-Mon)
June 6-8 (Fri-Sun)
June 20-22 (Fri-Sun)
July 4-6 (Fri-Sun)
July 18-20 (Fri-Sun)
Aug. 1-3 (Fri-Sun)
Aug. 30-Sept 1 (Sat-Mon)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but are still on the fence? To help, we have a detailed information package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package and start making plans for the summer, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- Interested in our “Summer Intensive Development Program”? Join us for 2-11 weeks this summer. For more information on this one of a kind Summer Training experience and for a registration form visit https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/tbr-summer-program/.
- Would you like to participate in the Ranch Summer Program but can’t find 2+ weeks in your schedule? We have an option for you! Attend one of our 3-Day EPBC’s and add the summer program week after. It’s seven days of training and is a great option for those players with an extremely busy summer schedule. Give us a call and we can provide you with more details – (936) 588-6762.
- Check out this video on our YouTube Channel: “Discover What MOST Players Get Wrong with Their Pitching”. Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqmniKJHGXk and share your opinion in the comments.
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