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I signed to UCLA my junior year of high school and was told I was going to start Day 1. Opening Day at UCLA? I was sitting the bench. 😭 I had 2 choices: 1. Complain, pout, and blame the coaches OR 2. Find the holes on the team and become valuable. So for 3 weeks, I sat the bench. I showed up early. Stayed late. Cheered for my teammates. Dragged the field every 3rd inning. Meanwhile, I studied the team. The middle infielders were doing well. Third base wasn’t. So I told the coaches: “I can play third.” Then I noticed something else: Offensively, we were either hitting home runs or getting out. I saw the gap. If I could become a tough out, get on base, and bring energy to the team… I could create value. Then we played Miami. The starting third baseman was hitting .115. They gave me a shot. I went 2 for 3 with a walk. Played solid defense. Brought energy. I never sat the bench again. Eventually, I became team captain… and we were ranked #1 in the country. One thing baseball taught me: Opportunities don’t always go to the most talented player. Sometimes they go to the player who becomes the most valuable.