About Our Staff:
- Ricky Meinhold - Pitching Coordinator TOR Blue Jays MLB
- Charlie Barnes - Former MLB Pitcher & Current KBO Star
- Mike Castellani - Former Pro Pitcher & Prep School Head Coach
Question Covered in this Post:
- Is there a moment in your career as either a coach or player that stands out as being the most impactful or transformational? Please tell that story, share the lesson you learned from it, and state why this was so important to your personal growth.
Answers:
Ricky Meinhold:
Throughout my career, both as a player and coach, I have been constantly surrounded by people who have genuinely cared about seeing me grow. Two years after my playing career ended, I was offered a position with the St. Louis Cardinals. In my first couple days on the job, I was asked to meet the AAA manager in Charlotte, NC (live in SC at the time, so about an 1.5 trip up there). I obviously said, yes. Not knowing what this trip was going to entail, I went up there with an open mind and a chance to learn and take something from someone who had the Birds on the Bat tattooed on his heart with loads of experience. Stayed up there for a couple hours meeting - gave me the best advice:
- "Ricky, when you are in the room and partaking in a conversation - speak your mind. If you do not agree with something, let the group know. If you are passionate about something, let the group know. Listen first, but speak! Then the second we walk out of a meeting or the clubhouse to serve our players, we are the SAME message."
That spoke loud to me. Be passionate about what you believe in, but at the end of the day, it's not about you, it's about us and the organization, and the players we serve. Fast forward, 3-4 years into my Cardinal career, I walk into our Jupiter complex and our long-time field coordinator yells my name down the hall - tells me to sit down and shut the door. He then tells me something that blew my mind and supported what I was told 3-4 years prior when I hadn't worked a month with the team yet:
- "Ricky, you are going to be able to do whatever you want in this game, keep your voice up. Speak up when asked about things, you know what you are doing and you are going to be great!"
Those two people, I am forever indebted to. One is current SD Padres manager, Mike Shildt and the other, was his mentor, long-time St. Louis Cardinals field coordinator for 30+ years, Mark DeJohn. Not only were they great stewards of the organization, but they cared deeply about every detail and most significantly, they believed in people. The message started from the top - they believed in me, to do great things, and to serve people in this game for the betterment of their careers. I have taken that and tried to pay it forward to the people I am fortunate enough to lead. The impact was profound.
Mike Castellani:
The biggest mental unlock I learned as a player was to embrace and desire the most difficult path. I learned this lesson in my first pro start, which very easily could have been my last. I remember walking out to the Bullpen, nervous as all hell thinking, "What if I can't get out of the 1st inning? I will be cut for sure." In that moment I had a choice to fight for what I wanted or hope that it all would magically work out.
Sitting on the bench in the top of the 1st waiting to take the field, I took a moment and reminded myself how much I loved playing this game, how proud I was of myself for being in this moment & most importantly I reminded myself that nobody was coming to save me. If I want this, I have to go get it.
Fast forward a few hours and I somehow had pitched a CG 1-hit shutout & kickstarted my pro career.
Those mental lessons that I learned, at the most vulnerable moment of my baseball journey, will last a lifetime. Instead of hoping for the perfect conditions for success, I embraced the desire to be tested. I wanted the most challenging hitters to face me in the biggest spots, I wanted the worst weather and the harshest fans. I wanted all those challenges so that I had no excuses to make because, ultimately, nobody was coming to save me.
I think this is a valuable lesson for both players and coaches to preach. Your team doesn't want to face the worst team in the playoffs, they want to play all the top seeds so that nobody has any doubt about who is the best.
Seeking challenges with a "We Want It" mentality makes you a tougher player. When you are out there with the game on the line or your career on the line, being able to block out the excuses and truly enjoy the battle for what it is (an opportunity to prove yourself) clears your mind and locks you in.
Advice: Don't look for the shortcuts & the easy road. Seek & crave the Difficult. The Difficult makes you tough.
Or just watch my favorite motivational video if you need an extra reason to compete like hell today:
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Charlie Barnes:
There have been countless moments in my career that have taught me lessons and transformed my career but the top for me would be a start in Yankee Stadium. It was my 5th career appearance in the Big Leagues and it did not go well. Instead of focusing on what I could control and trusting my stuff I let the moment get too big. I was pitching not to get hit vs throwing every pitch with the intent to get the hitter out. This led to me constantly being behind in the count, not making quality pitches and allowing them to jump out to a big lead early. That moment taught me that if you want to succeed on the biggest stage, you must truly believe in yourself. Trust the work and preparation you did throughout the week and then just go compete with confidence during the games. Fearing what might happen vs. attacking what you want, makes a HUGE difference in your ability to compete and get the job done.
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