I love to hit. I always have. Even now, more than twenty years after my 3,000th hit, I love to take a ball pitched to the outside part of the plate and lace it down the third baseline. And as easy as hitting sometimes appeared to be for me, I always get a laugh when people say I was a natural hitter. There is no such thing as a natural hitter. Sure, nature does play a part, but there is more nurture involved than there is nature.
No one understands this better than Don Mattingly. I was fortunate enough to meet Don when he was just coming up as a young player, and am happy to still consider him a friend. He has graciously credited me with being a positive influence on him, both as a hitter and as a model for how to comport yourself on and off the field. For that, I am honored.
Don and I have talked about hitting for hours. From those conversations I have come to know both the level and depth of Don’s understanding of how to hit, and how to teach hitting. Don knows there is no magic bullet to being a good hitter. He knows that different situations in a game demand different approaches to hitting. For that very reason, you never saw Don Mattingly get himself out, or give away an at bat. Don understood that as personal as hitting is, sometimes it was more important to give yourself up to move a runner over than it was to selfishly try and be a hero. That’s why he was a great hitter.
Don hated making an out, and he worked tirelessly to do everything possible to avoid making outs. Read his words carefully. Hear what he has to say. Practice what he preaches. He’s accomplished everything in the batter’s box that any player could ever hope to accomplish. Now it’s your turn. Work hard and good luck.
—Rod Carew
www.Rodcarew29.com