{"id":516780,"date":"2026-03-03T21:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/516780\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T21:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:35:08","slug":"the-invisible-showdown-inside-baseballs-growing-focus-on-the-mental-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/516780\/","title":{"rendered":"The Invisible Showdown: Inside baseball\u2019s growing focus on the mental game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baseball has always been framed as pitcher versus hitter beneath the bright lights of a full stadium. But often, the decisive showdown happens somewhere less visible and far more difficult to quantify.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody knows mechanics now. Everybody knows what a good swing looks like,\u201d said Mariners mental performance coach Adam Bernero. \u201cThe edge isn\u2019t in spin rate. The edge is mindset. It\u2019s who can fully express themselves with freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernero pitched for five MLB teams across parts of seven seasons, largely without the mental performance resources now embedded across the sport. In his current role with Seattle, his work centers on helping players manage pressure and uncertainty by understanding their own identities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdentity is a big one,\u201d said Bernero. \u201cOnce guys are really comfortable in who they are, things tend to free up. If they\u2019re trying to impress everybody else, they can\u2019t be free in their bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bernero can often be seen playing catch with players and hanging out near the cage. These routine and simple interactions can lead to meaningful breakthroughs.<\/p>\n

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Logan Gilbert is one of many players who has worked closely with Bernero. His rise into one of the game\u2019s top pitchers has coincided with an evolution in his mental process. He came to this realization after some initial struggles as a rookie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of used to just bang my head against the wall \u2014 mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. And then if you\u2019re still struggling, you start realizing maybe that isn\u2019t the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bernero, each relationship is different and comes with its own dynamics. There isn\u2019t always an immediate conversation after a bad game. Instead, Bernero spends time observing players, learning their tendencies, and recognizing when behavior or emotion falls outside of their normal patterns.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe helps you understand yourself really well,\u201d said Gilbert. \u201cAnd then there are different things like breath work and mindfulness, walking, solitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Gilbert utilizes the tools he\u2019s learned from Bernero over the years, he still doesn\u2019t consider himself a finished product.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nuanced and complicated. The better you get, the more questions you have. It\u2019s kind of peeling back layers on things that needed to be worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The approach isn\u2019t unique to Seattle. Former major league outfielder James Jones understands the pressures and struggles that players face because he lived it. After injuries curtailed his playing career, Jones moved into mental performance work with the Rangers, helping players prepare not only for competition on the field, but for the expectations and scrutiny that come with reaching the major leagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really about understanding their personality, understanding how they tick,\u201d said Jones. \u201cIt\u2019s more of an art form than anything. Instead of just giving advice, our biggest thing is coming alongside the journey with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones points to the Rangers\u2019 preseason leadership camp, where prospects are introduced to on-field expectations and the realities of life in the major leagues. It\u2019s part of an effort to ensure that when players arrive, the moment feels familiar rather than overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 experience as a former player might build some initial credibility and trust in a clubhouse, but relationships ultimately sustain the work.<\/p>\n

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Check out where your favorite draft day targets are going in drafts. <\/p>\n

Brewers reliever Hoby Milner understands the mental side of the game through the daily uncertainty of relief pitching. For him, not knowing when he\u2019ll pitch actually works to his advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, I don\u2019t like knowing the days I throw,\u201d said Milner. \u201cAs a starter in the minor leagues, I would stress so much knowing, like, \u2018The game rides on me today.\u2019 When you know what\u2019s going on, you can start spiraling some negative thoughts that way. When you don\u2019t know, it\u2019s easier to go with the flow. You\u2019re always prepared, but you never know. It\u2019s just, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re in.\u2019 Okay, cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milner has been open about the mental challenges of the game and still navigates moments of self-doubt even as he\u2019s found steady success over the past four seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally I go home after a bad outing and start talking to my wife about what I want to do after baseball. And she\u2019s like, \u2018Shut up, you\u2019ll be fine.\u2019 The next day I break it down \u2014 was it pitch selection, execution, stuff? \u2014 and try to get excited about making that adjustment next game.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Milner looks back at the winding road that brought him to the Cubs this offseason, he focuses on the value of controlling the things that he can control and not worrying about external factors.<\/p>\n

In 2026, the pressures extend far beyond the field. Intense scrutiny comes with the territory of being an MLB player, including the perils of social media. It\u2019s a challenge to block out the noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat these guys have to go through with outside pressures is just extraordinary,\u201d said Bernero. \u201cI think if most fans saw what players get on their Instagram or Twitter feeds every day, they\u2019d be shocked. And beyond that, just expectations \u2014 the season\u2019s longer, and there\u2019s not really much of an offseason anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even for the best of us, social media is at times unavoidable. From Jones\u2019 work with the Rangers, they try to find ways to help players think about coming at social media from a different perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially right now, social media can either be a trap or it can be an actual platform they use,\u201d said Jones. \u201cOnce we shift the identity around social media \u2014 where they use it to actually impact the communities they\u2019re going back to \u2014 we put a purpose to it rather than it just being a place to scroll.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baseball is defined by failure. Those failures are inevitable, and with it comes the pressure. The pressure to win, to earn the next contract, to keep a roster spot. The goal for Bernero is to help players understand themselves well enough to move through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess for me is joy and freedom,\u201d Bernero said. \u201cA lot of guys go through their careers without having any fun because they\u2019re trying to be perfect. How can you enjoy the game you\u2019ve played your whole life?\u201d<\/p>\n

With every pitch and every at-bat, the work continues. A quieter showdown unfolding beyond the traditional scouting report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Baseball has always been framed as pitcher versus hitter beneath the bright lights of a full stadium. But…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-516780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=516780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=516780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=516780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=516780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}