Matt Antonelli, second baseman for the San Diego Padres currently rehabbing his broken wrist, has been doing some video blogs on YouTube. Most aren’t about baseball, but his latest one resonated with me very well. He talks about the “one thing” that people are asking about that makes them throw harder, hit more home runs, run faster, or generally be a better player. Matt’s message is simple: There is no one thing that makes you an elite baseball player, and asking that question is counterproductive.

It’s all about hard work, he says, and “usually, it comes down to who works harder.”

On hard work:

“Some guys take ten ground balls and think they work hard that day, and some take one thousand ground balls and feel like they haven’t worked enough. Try to work harder than everyone else on your team… I think that will work.”

On consistency:

“Consistency… it’s a bunch of ‘one things’ throughout your entire life. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not Alex Rodriguez, but I’m trying to get there… there was no one thing that got me drafted.”

Just an excellent video, and it’s our message too at Driveline Baseball. Semi-private training involves showing up every day and being there for your workout partners. Join us today.