One Pitch at a Time: Defining Toughness in Baseball

The toughest players make you raise your game. They make others around them better. If you were to visit locker rooms across the country you would hear coaches telling their players they need to be tough. They need to show toughness, both mentally and physically. But what do they really mean? What makes a player tough? If you watch games on television or in person today, it is hard to cut through all of the flash to recognize a tough player. Crazy hair, 2-foot-long beards, and oversize jerseys present players as more concerned with their appearance than their play. Throw in the ridiculous bat flips, players jawing at each other, and other forms of big leaguing and it becomes even harder to understand if players truly know what it means to be tough. I often wonder if these players realize how they come across - not only to other players and coaches, but to recruiting coordinators. Over and over, I hear how important it is for a player to get recruited - by a college, a university, or a professional team. Everyone is focused on getting recruited. It seems that if being recruited is a top priority, being a tough player should be a top priority, as well. So, how do players become tough? In today’s game filled with flash, how do you cut through that and be or build a tough player? It starts with how you define toughness. Toughness in baseball comes in many forms and is displayed in many ways. I wrote this book to help players, coaches, and parents better understand how toughness is defined in baseball. It’s a definition that holds true no matter what level you are playing at or aspire to play at. I believe toughness is not something you are born with but a skill you can develop over time. Become a tough player or build a tough team by adopting the following guidelines that define toughness in baseball.