Digital Social Hour - Inside MJ Meléndez's Sneaker & Sports Card Empire | MJ Meléndez DSH #1119

Episode Date: January 18, 2025

Step into the world of MLB star MJ Meléndez as he shares the story behind his sneaker obsession and growing sports card empire! 👟💎 From exclusive sneaker collections to rare sports cards, MJ re...veals his journey, favorite pulls, and how his passion for collecting keeps him connected to the game. 🏆   But that's not all—MJ opens up about life in the majors, the mental toughness it takes to succeed, and his unforgettable playoff moment against Gerrit Cole in Yankee Stadium. ⚾🔥 Plus, hear about his off-field hobbies like salsa dancing (yes, salsa dancing!) and how they help sharpen his athletic skills. 🕺   This episode is packed with valuable insights, untold stories, and a behind-the-scenes look at MJ’s unique personality. Don't miss out—watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets! 📺 Hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more eye-opening stories on the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly! 🚀   Join the conversation and discover what it takes to balance an MLB career, entrepreneurial hustle, and personal passions. 🌟 Watch now!   #mjmelendez #cardshowpickups #sportscardpickups #baseballmindset #mentalgameofbaseball   CHAPTERS: 00:00 - How do you think you’ll do tonight 01:24 - How are you feeling after the season 02:58 - Did you predict the World Series 03:33 - Can you prepare for playoff intensity 06:24 - Is hitting a baseball the hardest thing to do in sports 10:03 - Best State for Baseball 11:07 - Your Friendship with Blake 12:51 - Sports Cards Collecting 17:33 - Your Journey to the MLB 21:10 - Role of Mental Coaches in Sports 22:58 - Dealing with Fan Reactions 23:10 - What’s Next for MJ 24:15 - Will MJ Do a Salsa Dance if He Wins   APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: jenna@digitalsocialhour.com   GUEST: MJ Meléndez https://www.instagram.com/mjmelendez7   SPONSORS: SPECIALIZED RECRUITING GROUP: https://www.srgpros.com/   LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Looking for the ultimate online casino experience? Step into the BetMGM Casino app, where every deal, spin and goal brings Las Vegas excitement into the palm of your hand. Take your seat at Premium Blackjack Pro, where strategy meets top-tier gameplay. Hit the ice with Gretzky Goal Lucky Tap, inspired by the great one himself. Or play the dazzling MGM Grand Emerald Nights, a slot experience that captures the magic of MGM. With so many games, it's time to make your move. Download the app and visit BetMGM Ontario today to experience the next level of gaming. Visit betmgm.com for terms and conditions, 19 plus to wager, Ontario only.
Starting point is 00:00:39 Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact CONNECTS ONTARIO at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. drop to the final shot, you're always taken care of with the sportsbook Born in Vegas. That's a feeling you can only get with BetMGM, and no matter your team, your favorite skater, or your style, there's something every NHL fan is going to love about BetMGM. Download the app today and discover why BetMGM is your hockey home for the season. Raise your game to the next level this year with BetMGM, a sportsbook worth a celly, and an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions.
Starting point is 00:01:30 Must be 19 years of age or older to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Who's the toughest pitcher you've played against personally?
Starting point is 00:01:53 Oh, that's a good one. It's a question that I probably need to think about more because I get asked all the time and I don't always have like a specific one guy. Yeah, because there is that mental game that people don't watch on TV between the batter and the pitcher. Like I said, when you're failing more than you're succeeding as a competitor and as an athlete,
Starting point is 00:02:09 you want to be able to succeed more than you fail. So just being able to stay locked in and stay positive, you know, I think is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general, learning from those mistakes and trying to take the positive things from that. All right guys, MJ Melendez here today. All right, guys, M.J. Melendez here today. We're at Celebrity Poker Tour. How do you think you're going to do tonight, man? I'm feeling pretty confident.
Starting point is 00:02:31 I mean, I think poker is a game of confidence. I think you need to kind of know, you know, yourself more than, you know, anything else and just know how you can go against other competition. Other people are going to have their strategy. So kind of, you know, you need your own. So I'm excited for it. I love it. You play on the flights in between games?
Starting point is 00:02:50 Yeah, we do. We do like a little bit of dealer's choice, but poker is one of the popular ones that me and my teammates play. And I learned poker in the minor leagues, playing against teammates. So it's pretty cool. All right, do the stakes get pretty high up there?
Starting point is 00:03:04 Decent. There's the time to time. It depends. Like it's pretty much, you know, do the stakes get pretty high up there? Decent, there's the time of the time, it depends. It's pretty much whatever you have on you. So obviously you can bluff for a lot more, you can bet for a lot more and hope to get called or just fold people out. Absolutely, coming off a season, right? How you feeling? Good, man.
Starting point is 00:03:18 Was able to take some time off. Here just started getting back to work like a week and a half, two weeks ago. Started working out again and stuff. So was able to take a couple weeks off getting back to work like week and a half, two weeks ago, started working out again and stuff. So was able to take a couple of weeks off and, you know, back to the grind. Nice. Were you at peace with how it ended? Like walk me through the mental mindset of that.
Starting point is 00:03:33 Yeah, definitely. I mean, obviously, you know, we made the playoffs. So that was, that was really huge for us. Something that, you know, we had, I think the team hadn't done since 2015. So it had been a while and, while. And just being in winning environments, I think is something that's like super important. Something that the organizations want to create
Starting point is 00:03:52 and something that we've done. And obviously, took a few years to get back there, but just being back was an amazing feeling. I love it. Hitting that home run against Garry Cole, was that one of your most memorable home runs ever? Yeah, definitely. Just that game, all those games in the playoffs are super important.
Starting point is 00:04:08 And to be able to do that at the highest stage, and one of the probably the most important games in my life to date was really, really cool. And just doing that, and I did it in Yankee Stadium, which was cool. And so to kind of hear the crowd go was was something that I'll never forget. Yeah imagine just running those bases it's pure silence right? Oh yeah definitely because it's just it was super loud and they were winning at that at that point in the game and I think it was ended up we were up by one after I hit it yeah so it was a it was really cool just you know going around here in the silence
Starting point is 00:04:42 and I mean you can hear the KZ fans that were over on our side kind of cheering but everything else was silent around it. When the World Series was announced to two teams, did you predict it correctly? I wouldn't say that I really was going for either team. Obviously the Yankees being in it, they're the team that knocked us out of the playoffs. So, you know, just kind of watching it. I wouldn't say I was really rooting for either, but definitely great baseball and stuff that, you know, I was watching, can learn from, and hopefully, you know, our team is in the World Series
Starting point is 00:05:16 in the next couple of years, and hopefully multiple times throughout these next couple of years. So just being able to learn from that was pretty cool. Yeah, was that playoff intensity something you could prepare for? Or is it one of those things you got to be in the moment and experience? Yeah, I think, I think it's just something that you have to like experience yourself.
Starting point is 00:05:31 I mean, I was told, uh, you know, just kind of coming up, well, you know, we always talked about the teams in the past and our organization that had made the playoffs and you know, what it took to get there and what it was like, but it's really, you don't really know until you experience it. And I think that's something that we had a really young team. So kind of now that we're, a lot of us were able to experience that it is definitely going to benefit us moving forward. I love that. What's the average age on the team? Do you know? Oof. I don't know. It was a little bit older this year than the previous year, but it's
Starting point is 00:06:00 we're, I'd say we're pretty fairly young team. We had picked up a couple veteran players, a lot of veteran pitchers that has definitely, you know, helped us and kind of helped us learn throughout the season on and off the field, I feel like. And we just had a really good camaraderie and great chemistry as a team. Nice. When I had Trevor Bauer on last week,
Starting point is 00:06:18 he was saying baseball is getting younger. It is. He said when he came in the league as a pitcher, like he didn't start for like a few years. No, 100%. It's definitely getting younger. You're seeing a lot of younger guys getting called up from the minor leagues. A lot of guys just getting more opportunities to go out there and prove themselves. And it's really cool to see.
Starting point is 00:06:36 Obviously, me being a young guy, it's something that I love to see in the game. And just obviously just trying to grow the game as much as possible and you know trying to grow that for all the fans and I think sometimes. Looking for the ultimate online casino experience? Step into the BetMGM Casino app where every deal, spin and goal brings Las Vegas excitement into the palm of your hand. Take your seat at Premium Blackjack Pro where strategy meets top-tier gameplay. Hit the ice with Gretzky Goal Lucky Tap, inspired by the great one himself, or play the dazzling MGM Grand Emerald Knights, a slot experience that captures the magic of MGM. With so many games, it's time to make your move. Download the app and visit BetMGM Ontario today to experience the next
Starting point is 00:07:22 level of gaming. Visit betmgm.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at BetMGM,
Starting point is 00:07:44 the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for. When you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette with our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature BetMGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambience of Las Vegas home to you than with BetMGM Casino. Download the BetMGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager Ontario only.
Starting point is 00:08:28 Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Shout out to today's sponsor, Specialized Recruiting Group. operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. not actively looking, but who may be open to the right opportunity. It could be the difference between a good hire and a great hire. Specialized Recruiting Group is ready to find the talent you need.
Starting point is 00:09:10 Go to srgprose.com, see how our recruitment specialist with a deep understanding of experience and expertise you need can find the right fit for your business. After all, you deserve to see the best candidates possible, both active and passive. Whether you're looking for a contract or a direct hire, Specialized Recruiting Group is ready
Starting point is 00:09:30 to find the talent you need. So go to srgprose.com right now to get started. That's srgprose.com. Specialized Recruiting Group, a tailored approach to hiring. You know, just a good mix of like younger and older guys playing on the same team together, can kind of create a great, you know, fan base and great games for people to hiring. You know, just a good mix of like younger and older guys playing on the same team together, can kind of create a great, you know, fan base
Starting point is 00:09:47 and great games for people to watch. Yeah, you caught some good timing on that, coming in the league at the right time, right? No doubt, no doubt about it. I mean, I can imagine if I was, you know, 10 years old or whatever and had to come back, you know, coming up through the minor leagues and to the major leagues at a, you know,
Starting point is 00:10:03 long time ago, 10 years ago, it would definitely be a little bit different. Yeah. Now they say hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things you could do in sports. Do you agree with that? I definitely, yeah. I mean, I'm gonna be biased, of course,
Starting point is 00:10:12 cause that's my sport, but I definitely agree with it. It's so hard to do. And some guys make it look a little bit easier than others. Some players can make it look pretty easily, but no, it's definitely one of the hardest things to do in sports just because baseball's coming up to a hundred miles an hour right at you. And sometimes it's always gonna move
Starting point is 00:10:35 in a different direction. They throw curve balls, changeups, sliders, fastballs, all this different kind of stuff. So I think it's one of the hardest things, if not the hardest thing to do in sports. Yeah, so Trevor broke it down for me cause I'm pretty mathematical. So he said a pitch, like a fastball pitch
Starting point is 00:10:49 takes 0.4 seconds on average to hit the plate. And the swing takes 0.15 seconds. So you have a quarter of a second to react to the pitch. Exactly. Isn't that crazy? It's insane. And like, you have to swing it, like we're supposed to swing at strikes.
Starting point is 00:11:00 We're not supposed to swing at balls. And the pitcher's job is to be deceptive. So as a hitter, you're having to make a decision super, super quick, and then even after you make that decision, you still have to get a swing off. And even when you swing, you have to make contact, and even when you go to try to make contact, you want to hit it on the barrel.
Starting point is 00:11:18 And then even when you hit it on the barrel, you want to find open space where you're not hitting it right at somebody. So it takes a lot to have success, but I think that's what makes the sport so beautiful because you can, you fail seven out of 10 times as a hitter and you're hitting 300 and you do that for your career, your hall of famer.
Starting point is 00:11:38 You're the goat. Exactly. I mean, 300 is like, how many players are hitting that? Yeah, not a lot, not a lot. Especially not these days with pitchers out there. There's a lot of more pitchers throwing 100 miles an hour than there were a couple of years ago. That's crazy, man.
Starting point is 00:11:50 How fast do you think you could throw a ball? Oh. Have you ever measured it? Yeah, well from the outfield, but I don't know. I don't know exactly what it was, but I feel like if I really, really tried, I don't know. And off of pitchers' mound is definitely different. I would say I could give myself like 94, maybe 95. As don't know. And off a pitcher's mound is definitely different. I would say I could give myself like 94, maybe 95.
Starting point is 00:12:08 That's a non-pitcher? I think so. I think I can get up there. I feel like I have a pretty good arm. But it's, yeah, the guys that throw a hundred, it's crazy. I don't know how they do that. A hundred is up there.
Starting point is 00:12:18 That's crazy. Like you probably can't even see it coming at you at that point. No, sometimes I don't see it. That's why I say I miss. Those are the tough ones. Who's the toughest pitcher you've played against personally? Oh, that's a good one.
Starting point is 00:12:30 There's a lot of tough pitchers. I mean, I feel like a lot of guys go with, you know, pitchers that are, you know, super popular, like Shohei Otani. He's really nasty and obviously he's, you know, one of the best players in the game. Yeah. Jacob deGrom is a, you know, pitcher who, you know, when he's healthy, he's one of the best players in the game. Jacob DeGrom is a pitcher who, when he's healthy,
Starting point is 00:12:46 he's one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. So there's definitely a few guys on that list. And it's a question that I probably need to think about more because I get asked all the time and I don't always have a specific one guy. Yeah, it's fascinating though, because there is that mental game that people don't watch on TV
Starting point is 00:13:02 between the batter and the pitcher. Oh, it's definitely, it's a huge mental sport. Obviously, you know, we talked about the physical, you know, difficulties of, you know, hitting a baseball. But like I said, when you're failing more than you're succeeding, and technically, it's still successful if you're doing that. It's definitely tough because as a competitor, and as an athlete, you want to be able to succeed more than you fail. And in baseball as a hitter, it's just, that's pretty much impossible. So just being able to stay locked in and stay positive is something that, you know, I think
Starting point is 00:13:34 is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general, because as an athlete, you're going to fail no matter what the sport is. And you know, just learning from those mistakes and trying to take the positive things from that. Absolutely. I know you grew up in Florida. I saw you say on another show that you believe Florida is the best state for baseball. Yeah. Yeah that's also I'm gonna be biased towards that but I will say there are there's there are other states that are really good at producing baseball talent and that's stuff like, states like California, Texas,
Starting point is 00:14:06 New York. So, I mean, I feel like those are like the top, and obviously Florida, Georgia as well. Probably those states are the top at producing baseball, but I'm always gonna just be biased towards Miami, of course. Have to be, yeah. So you a Marlins fan growing up?
Starting point is 00:14:20 No, I didn't really have a team growing up, honestly. I liked players more than I liked specific teams and just really kind of learning from different players. So that was really my thing. I didn't really have a specific team. Yeah, who were your players you really admired? I'd say Pudge Rodriguez. He's a catcher that growing up
Starting point is 00:14:38 was one of my favorite players. I liked Alex Rodriguez actually with the Yankees as well. And Yadier Molina was also another catcher that you know played for Cardinals and he was one of my favorites growing up to watch as well. I love it and you've been friends with Blake for a while. I saw a video of you guys like seven years old on YouTube. Crazy. Dude, dude it was crazy. Yeah so we kind of met through the whole sneaker community. Both of us are definitely really big into sneakers.
Starting point is 00:15:05 And we were at a, I remember we did a video too at a sneaker, I think it was a sneaker con. And I don't remember how many years ago that was. But I felt like forever ago. But yeah, we love sneakers. And then we just been really good friends ever since. Even, you know, throughout the minor leagues, just kind of having that friendship.
Starting point is 00:15:24 I remember when I was in the minor leagues in Wilmington, Delaware, he was living in New York at the time, going to college up there. And one of my off days, I drove up to New York and we just hung out, kicked it. They went a little bit of shopping too, probably some sneaker shopping, of course. And now Blake's been an amazing guy, amazing friend to me.
Starting point is 00:15:42 And just to see the success that he's having and what he's doing, it's super incredible. Yeah, shout out to Blake for sure. So how many sneakers you got though? Lost track. Yeah, I haven't really counted. I probably should count, but I definitely have a lot. I have, you know the sneaker containers,
Starting point is 00:16:00 I have those in my room. So kind of stacked up like two next to my bed on one side, two on the other, those are filled up. Then I like another wall, next to my TV filled up with some, and then a bunch of my closet and garage. Damn, so you like collect them, you don't wear them? I do, I wear them, but it's hard to wear all of them.
Starting point is 00:16:18 Some of them are crazy. I would get like some crazy colorways that are just really tough to wear. I feel like I wear the same sneakers more than, you know, I wear all the other ones. I definitely have like a little rotation I go through, but I try to like bring out some cool sneakers every now and then special occasions.
Starting point is 00:16:34 Oh yeah. You collect sports cards too? I do. I do. I got into that, I would say a couple of years ago, but I really, really got into it probably like a year ago. And obviously started with baseball. It started with me really wanting to collect my own cards. years ago but I really really got into it probably like a year ago and obviously started with baseball it started with me really wanting to collect my own cards yeah and then I started getting into more baseball just you know guys I played with played against two but trying to collect guys I played with like Bobby
Starting point is 00:16:57 Witt jr. and then I started getting into football and basketball and so it's just like a little rabbit hole that you go down. Those basketball ones are expensive. Dude, there's some expensive cards out there. And I think it's just kind of like the thrill of, trying to get a card, especially when opening packs. Some guys like opening packs, some guys like just buying the card straight up.
Starting point is 00:17:21 I'm definitely a pack guy because you never know what you can get. Yeah, it's like a mystery. Yeah. I blew so much money on packs. I think I lost money on every single one I opened, honestly. That's how, that's how it usually goes. I mean, if we're, if everybody was making money on packs, well, if there was always a rare card in every single pack,
Starting point is 00:17:37 I don't think it would be as, as valuable, but it's definitely like the thrill of trying to get a really, you know, unique or rare card is super fun for me. 100%. What's the rarest one you pulled out of a pack? Okay, so there are some rare ones I pulled out of actual packs and then I've also done, like gone on some streams on whatnot
Starting point is 00:17:56 and gotten some pretty crazy cards. I'm trying to think of like my rarest card, but I definitely have a couple. I have a couple of good football ones, a couple of good Christian McCaffrey one of ones. One of one, damn. Yeah, I have a Ricky one of one of Christian McCaffrey. That's worth a lot.
Starting point is 00:18:14 Yeah, it's a pretty cool card. I like that one a lot. And then I have a lot of quarterback, obviously Patrick Mahomes. I have a pretty cool Patrick Mahomes collection. Some CJ Stroud, some Anthony Richardson's that are pretty unique. So, and then I pulled a pretty cool 1B the other day too. So that's a, that was probably my best basketball pull, I would think, that I've actually pulled in a pack.
Starting point is 00:18:40 Was it an auto or was it a? No, it was a, it was like a tie-dye colorway out of select To 25 well, so that was cool. Yeah. Yeah, one of these gonna be gonna be Hall of Famer if you guys think I think so He definitely has a potential he has everything he's got the size Yeah, I don't know we hadn't seen a player really like him. I don't think ever. So it's definitely unique and I mean obviously selfishly me having like a card of his that's pretty expensive and rare, I hope he becomes really really good.
Starting point is 00:19:11 100%. Yeah, there's the business side of cards. No doubt, no doubt. And it's stuff because obviously some people do it for business, some people do it to collect for fun, some people do a little bit of both. So if you're doing it for business, you don't want to fall in love with the cards
Starting point is 00:19:26 because then they're hard to move. But for me, I'm like, I just like the cards. And you know, I like to trade them more than I like to sell them. But I mean, like if somebody has a good offer for a card that I have and they really want it, then yeah, I mean, I'll definitely entertain it. But I definitely, you know, just like collecting
Starting point is 00:19:42 and it's pretty fun for me. Did you collect Pokemon grown up? No, not really not really I I do have a couple at home But I don't know if they're really worth a whole lot I have to look through them, but I don't think I have any of the crazy crazy Oh, that you see not none of those like Charizard. Oh my gosh. I wish I had Charizard I had Venusaur and I threw it all out really yeah, or no I gave him away which because you didn't know back I didn't know yeah, I gave them away in high school which yeah that was probably
Starting point is 00:20:08 five six figures of cards yeah no no doubt also they were in shit condition to be honest because I was actually playing them but yeah but still I mean nonetheless they still had the card at least it'd be worth a little bit something but yeah who knew though as kids exactly you never know that's the thing you never know like when it comes to anything like that obviously you know like whether it's cards or like that, obviously, you know, like Whether it's cards or like even like sneakers or like it's just like an investment It's like a stock almost you never know one of them can just a blow up Yeah, and you know, those are the ones that you know, if you're lucky end up having it
Starting point is 00:20:36 If not, then you're like, oh man, if I had it at one point gave it away or sold it for cheaper It's like ah, it's like our parents with the baseball cards. Mm-hmm. Exactly, exactly. You see nowadays people are coming out, especially older adults that had baseball cards or basketball cards or whatever growing up and they just collected them and now they're worth thousands and thousands of dollars. It's like, who would have knew?
Starting point is 00:20:59 Who would have known? Because there was that junk wax era. Mm-hmm. For five years they printed millions of cards. Exactly. And the ones that are now in like super good condition, like I'm sure a lot of those just got thrown out or like just withered away literally. So the people who kept those are definitely, you know, in really good shape. Yeah, for sure. How long were you in the minors for? I was in the minor league. So I got drafted in 2017 and spent that first like half season in minor leagues, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 obviously was COVID.
Starting point is 00:21:32 So we didn't really have a minor league season, but a few of us in the organization were, you know, selected to go basically be in Kansas City and be practicing every day in case something happened to one of the major league players where they got hurt or they would have gotten sick with COVID, really anything. So just kind of being there.
Starting point is 00:21:50 So that was pretty cool to be a part of that group. And then 2021 was my last season in the minor leagues. In 2022 is when I made my debut. Wow, for almost five years. Yeah. Damn, that must've been tough. Yeah, it's a grind. It's a grind, but definitely thankful and grateful
Starting point is 00:22:06 that I was able to make my way to the major leagues because in baseball, a lot of guys don't get that opportunity and don't get that chance. And that's something that a lot of people that may not understand baseball, it's hard to comprehend because people think, oh, you just get drafted, you just go straight to the major leagues.
Starting point is 00:22:21 Like if it was the NFL or NBA, I know they have a G League,, but, um, in baseball, it's a lot tougher. Um, it's a very low percent, uh, of players that even after they get drafted, uh, to even make the major leagues really say there's tough. Yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah, it's definitely, it's definitely tough. And a lot of people, you know, it's, it's hard to understand baseball can be confusing.
Starting point is 00:22:42 For sure. So many rounds, right. In the draft. There's yeah. So there used to be 40, but now there's only 20. Oh my God. That's still a lot. Yeah. Like 20 rounds. Yeah. So, but you're always competing and obviously, so there's, you know,
Starting point is 00:22:52 26 guys on the major league team and, um, there's hundreds in the organization. So it takes a lot to go right. And your favor to be able to, you know, make that team. So, um, and there's players that, you know, in the minor league over years that to go right in your favor to be able to make that team. And there's players that in the minor league over years that are definitely worthy of being in the major leagues, but maybe they just don't get the right opportunity because maybe the guy in front of them has been in the league for a lot of years,
Starting point is 00:23:18 or did really well, or potential Hall of Fame type of player. So these guys may be blocked by that, even though they are really good. And so it takes a lot to go right. So it's obviously you have to play well, but so a lot of things have to be in your favor. Yeah, the politics, the business side of things, right?
Starting point is 00:23:34 Yeah, of course. It's gotta all be in your favor because you could be more skilled, but that doesn't matter. Yeah, yeah. So just, you know, it's all about timing and you know, timing just has to be right. And you know, thank God for me, it was the right time
Starting point is 00:23:45 and got an opportunity and thankfully and thankful to my organization, I haven't looked back. I love it. Well timing, plus you still have to deliver too. Some people get called up and they flop and then they get caught within a month. No, definitely, definitely. It's a tough game.
Starting point is 00:23:59 That's like the ups and downs. So just like kind of being mentally tough through all that stuff. And you go through a little bit of a slump, you gotta to be able to, you know, kind of snap out of it really quick. And that's the hard part. And sometimes that takes a little bit of, you know, learning and going through it to learn because, you know, somebody can try to prepare you for that, but unless you go through it, you're never going to really understand. 100% because it's a long season. So I'm sure you're going through some high highs and some low lows. No doubt about it. Yeah,
Starting point is 00:24:21 definitely very long season playing pretty much every single day and But you know, I think that's also the beauty of it. It's not like, you know football, you know It's it's cool because you're playing, you know once a week and everybody's watching but at the same time if you have a bad game You gotta wait a week. We gotta wait less than 24 hours so so That's you know, that's what I love about, you know the game and I think that's what I love about the game. And I think that's what really is beneficial to us as players. It's like, hey, if you're struggling, you have the next day to go out there and make up for it and have a better game.
Starting point is 00:24:54 Yeah, and all the teams have mental coaches now, right? Yeah, yeah. Pretty much, I would think every single one does. We do, for sure. And like I said, it's such a tough game mentally. So you kind of need those, those people to, you know, bounce those ideas off your brains or those thoughts, you know, and try to get you in the right spot
Starting point is 00:25:13 and the right head space to be able to have success on the field. Yeah, that stuff doesn't leave you, man. I had a missed free throw in high school in the championship game and I still have dreams about it. It really doesn't leave you. It's crazy, dude. It's crazy.
Starting point is 00:25:24 Like the, it's just the littlest things that, I mean, it's not, about it. It really doesn't leave you. It's crazy, dude. It's crazy. It's just the littlest things that, I mean, they're not all little things, but sometimes the little things can just pile up and definitely get to you. So you guys gotta be able to separate those things to be able to have that success. Yeah, well, you deal with that, then you deal with the fan reaction.
Starting point is 00:25:41 So then you multiply that, and then it's just all taken out on you, the players. No doubt about it. Yeah. But I mean, obviously, fans, I think our fans are some of the best in baseball. So thankfully for me, I've always had positive experiences. The fans in Kansas City are one of the best.
Starting point is 00:25:59 I definitely have to say that. Yeah, but there's definitely going to be times where where you're gonna get hate messages or stuff like that. Nowadays, people that are like, we get the craziest DMs. People are DMing you? Yeah, like, oh, you didn't get a hit and you messed up my bet or something. They're like, I don't know what you want me to do. Trust me, I wish I could get a hit every single time.
Starting point is 00:26:23 Messed up the parlay, man. I'm like, trust me, I wish I could get a hit every single time. Messed up the parlay, man. I'm like, trust me, I wish I could get, you know, hit a home run every single game or, you know, get a hit every single game. But I mean, it just doesn't work like that. Mathematically, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty impossible. I mean, if there's ever a player that can do that, then.
Starting point is 00:26:38 They're the GOAT. Yeah, they may not be human. No, it wouldn't be. They probably wouldn't be human. So, no, but it's, you know, we get, you know, get crazy messages and stuff sometimes, but you just gotta be able to tune that stuff out and just focus on, you know,
Starting point is 00:26:50 what you're there to do every single day. And that's to try to win a baseball game. Absolutely. Well, MJ, it's been fun, man. What are you up to next and where can we keep up with you? Yeah, so right now just, you know, training in this off season, obviously, you know, able to spend some of my free time here,
Starting point is 00:27:06 doing things like this, being part of cool events. Got a couple of weddings to go to, got some teammates getting married. Nice. But just grinding. Got started on my training a little bit earlier this off season, got started on my hitting. So just working out all those things to be able to,
Starting point is 00:27:26 you know, find some consistency. And also like on the side, I like to do some like salsa dancing. So I post that on my Instagram sometimes, but that's like a little hobby of mine that I do outside of baseball. And I feel like, you know, it definitely can benefit, you know, the footwork you're doing that,
Starting point is 00:27:41 you know, can help to, you know, when I'm in the baseball games playing outfield, like, you know, have some good footwork out there, so Kobe Bryant did tap dancing Yeah, I mean I definitely feel like that stuff like you're an athlete so being able to you know move your body in different ways And you know try to be you know being athletic and agile and all those different things and having coordination definitely benefits I love that so if you win tonight. Will you do a salsa dance? Yeah, if I won, yeah Let's go, you heard it here guys definitely benefits. I love that. So if you win tonight, will you do a salsa dance? Yeah, if I win, yeah, I'll do a salsa dance. Let's go, you heard it here guys.
Starting point is 00:28:07 All right, thanks for coming on brother. All right, no problem man. Appreciate it. See you guys. Get ready for Las Vegas style action at BedMGM, the king of online casinos. Enjoy casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous
Starting point is 00:28:28 for. When you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette with our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games and signature Bet MGM service, there is no better way to bring the excitement and ambience of Las Vegas home to you than with BetMGM Casino. Download the BetMGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for terms and conditions.
Starting point is 00:28:57 19 plus to Wager Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BED-MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.