We are all wired differently.
Every ballplayer is wired differently that helps them play at their optimal level. Some need to keep it simple while others need and crave the latest edge.
Intrinsically we are either aggressive or patient. Some of us see what we want and we go get it – no matter the cost. Others sit back and analyze and pick apart the pros and cons and then finally make our mind.
As a ballplayer player – what is better? Aggressive or patient?
In recent years, we have heard that On Base Percentage is more important than Batting Average. We have seen dramatic shifts in Major League organizations that favor the patient on base percentage ballplayer over the ultra-aggressive swing the bat ballplayer.
So which side is better?
The answer is quite simple – be the ballplayer that suits the kind of person you are.
If you are inclined to be aggressive – then stay aggressive. That is who you are. It is only when we start to second guess our aggressiveness that our most vital and important asset is lost.
If you are a patient ballplayer – then stay patient. If you like to settle into an at-bat and see and track and work counts then continue to be that kind of ballplayer.
It is not a perfect science, but I believe that the person who sticks truer to their roots will usually find more success. You can look at two babies or toddlers and within ten seconds we can usually determine the aggressive one and the patient one. It is in our DNA and to try and change our DNA because statistics say we are right or wrong is incorrect.
We have to stay true to ourselves as a ballplayer.
I have seen too many times when a young aggressive ballplayer starts to struggle a little and organizations, coaches and media types demand a change in their DNA.
“He needs to be more patient at the plate. He needs to see more pitches.”
But it was his aggressiveness that got him to this point. Should we take away his greatest strength because it might also be a perceived weakness?
On the other side of the coin, we scream at television sets when a player takes a strike three and we yell “Swing the bat”. In part, it was this ballplayers patience at the plate that led him into that 3-2 count.
That is the grey area that every ballplayer must figure out for themselves.
Are you an aggressive ballplayer? Or a Patient Ballplayer?
My advice – stick to your roots. Stay true to you and the type of person you.