One of the most underrated separators in baseball is this β¬οΈ
Some teams are full of guys who say they want to win, but secretly hate seeing the person next to them succeed.
And honestly, that shows up in life too.
It is beyond disheartening when you look back on old relationships and realize how transactional, shallow, and fake some of them really were.
There are very few people who genuinely cheer for your success. A lot of people, deep down, would rather see you struggle because your success forces them to look in the mirror. It is self projection, but that does not mean it is easy to not take personally.
My own baseball career took off during my final two seasons when I stopped making everything about myself. I stopped being selfish. I started genuinely wanting the people around me to win.
That changed everything.
I have always prided myself on being someone people can trust. A confidant. A place where people can say what they need to say, knowing it dies in that conversation.
But when you become that person, you also hear the truth.
You hear how much some teammates resent each other. You hear how much they despise someone elseβs success. Then the next day you watch them dap each other up in the locker room like everything is real.
That kind of fake love destroys teams.
And as a coach, this might be one of the hardest things to identify. But it is often the difference between a team falling flat on its face and a team overachieving when it matters most.
Talent matters. Culture matters more.
Be the person who genuinely wants success for the people around you.
It is wild how much more you achieve when you stop viewing everyone elseβs win as your loss. Life is not a zero sum game.
And when you find someone in your life who actually cares about you beyond status, convenience, or what you can do for them, hold them close.
People like that are rare.
You will regret taking them for granted.