Personal Stats

Some guys that I play baseball with do not like it when you keep track of personal stats. I tend to disagree because if you do not have any goals, then how can you accomplish anything? Baseball is about team unity and reaching goals as a team. However, without some of the best players, then you are not going anywhere as a team.

Last week, I played in the MSBL Fall Classic in Southern Florida. My team was the Triad Jagwires. We are a mix of players from North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Unfortunately, we went 0 and 5 for the tournament. I batted lead off and got 10 hits in 16 at bats which is a .625 batting average. My personal goal for the week was to get 10 hits. I reached my goal, but it wasn't enough. The majority of the other players did not hit well. Our pitching wasn't very solid either. Only one game was close.

I hit a home run. It was an inside the park home run although I think I hit it about 370 feet to the left center field gap. It hit the warning track and the fence on one hop. Funny thing is that I also played in the MSBL World Series a couple of weeks prior and I also hit an inside the park home run in that tournament. I played with the infamous Arkansas Diamonds. This was one of the best teams that I ever played on. I do not have the final stats, but I think I stole at least 15 bases during that tournament.

My point is that my way to help the team is to have pre-defined goals. If I don't have personal goals, then how do I know how I can help the team? If you want to be sure and not achieve anything, then do not set any personal goals. You will just drift through life without knowing where you are going.

Baseball players have big egos, myself included. However, if I did not believe that I could get 10 hits or steal 15 bases, then why should I even go to these tournaments. I go because achievement of my personal goals is how I become a team player.