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What steps can I take to play professional baseball?
I like to play baseball and I also like to play football but my dream has always been to play baseball. #baseball
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Kyle’s Answer
Hi, one thing thats becoming more prevalent is data and metrics. What you might want to do is see what aspects of baseball are being measured and try to excel in those areas like swing and miss rates for pitchers , WAR (wins above replacement) for position players and how good your swing is, swing mechanics since scouts look at these metrics when deciding how/who to draft out of high school, college
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James’s Answer
It's a tough reminder but the first thing to do is to have a backup plan. You need to remember that there are only 1000 MLB players in the entire world. The odds are not in your favor. And even if you do happen to make it, the average career is less than 6 years - which leads to many many more years needing a second career.
That said, if it's your passion and it's something you are truly exceptionally skilled at, then you need to put in the work. Watch the backstory on any successful player and you see the singular focus on improvement. Every moment - every moment not ensuring #1 - is spent practicing, learning, being exposed to the game, having people in the game get exposed to you. You will need to sacrifice virtually everything else in your life in order to get yourself a shot.
That said, if it's your passion and it's something you are truly exceptionally skilled at, then you need to put in the work. Watch the backstory on any successful player and you see the singular focus on improvement. Every moment - every moment not ensuring #1 - is spent practicing, learning, being exposed to the game, having people in the game get exposed to you. You will need to sacrifice virtually everything else in your life in order to get yourself a shot.
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Kristina’s Answer
I agree with James on what you need to do to become as skilled as possible! In terms of getting noticed: once you get into high school, you will want to start thinking about getting recruited to colleges. Look for local teams/clubs that have a strong track record of developing players and providing showcase events where you get exposure to coaches. Don't neglect your studies - some of the top baseball programs in the country (Vanderbilt, Stanford, UVA...) are also top academic schools and they will expect top grades. Good luck!
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Santiago’s Answer
Great to hear you would like to become a professional baseball player. I recommend to start playing in the early ages. It's not easy to become a professional baseball player and you will have to put in a lot of work and make sacrifices. However, if baseball is your passion you will definitely enjoy the path.