I still can’t believe I’m saying the words “Spring Training” already. It feels like yesterday I was watching one of the craziest World Series ever and putting together my offseason plans. This offseason flew by, but I couldn’t be more fired up to be down in Jupiter, FL right now getting ready for the 2017 season.
As the weeks and days dwindled down before I left for Spring Training I had to start putting together all the little things I knew I would need to survive. For me a big thing was figuring out how the heck I’d squeeze everything into a suitcase and a baseball bag.
One little nugget about me is I really enjoy baseball gear; I have a ton of gloves, bats, and shoes. My agent, Brian Lumley, is a stud and is always hooking me up with stuff both in-season and in the offseason. My best friend Tate Matheny (and NLB brand ambassador) is also a big gear guy, so it’s safe to say he has given me a decent amount of stuff this offseason. So, the number one thing on my checklist was figuring out what gear would make the cut.
Obviously, you want to bring the bats and gloves that feel the best and that you will use in a game but you also want to have some trade bait. Everyone will have a ton of gear at Spring Training and guys are always willing to trade, so I gotta make sure I’ll have some things in my back pocket to make a block buster gear trade.
The number two thing on the checklist for me was the collar shirt repertoire. In the Cardinals organization, we are required to dress like a professional every day. Typically, you’ll see a lot of players in golf shirts and golf shorts as they get to the stadium every morning. I guess this is like the gear, I had to figure out which shirts would make the cut.
Number three on the list is going to have to be my down time checklist. I like to pack a few books for the long roadies throughout the year. Now that I am a couple years removed from completing my college degree, I have to keep up on smart things in life, so I read. The PS4 was an automatic for making the trip. I like to game it up when I can and I’ll also watch Netflix and a lot of college baseball on it as well.
Finally, the laptop obviously hopped in my backpack so I can inform all of you on my amazing stories throughout the season.
Hopefully after reading this blog, you get a little taste of who I am and what I’ll be bringing with me for my 2017 journey. The MILB is different for every player and the best nugget I’ve ever received is that every man has a different road. Spring Training is finally here, and I have no idea what 2017 will bring me; what I do know is that I’ve prepared and worked hard to put myself in the best position possible.
Hope you enjoyed the read, stay tuned for more blogs throughout the 2017 season from players across the MILB!
J-Hawk
