Old man rant: Does Royce Lewis not know how to run?

[Snapolit1]

I've heard people scoff as this kind of stuff . . . ."Yeah, gee I wish I was under that kind pressure . . . making $2.5 million a year. . . ."

Actually you don't. The pressure and stress these guys are under must eat most of them up. Every time a young pitcher has 3 bad starts in a row or goes 0 for 20, you have to be in serious turmoil that you have lost it and are on the way out. When I have a bad day or week at work it's nobody's business, and not being picked apart on the radio or the newspaper. Some of these guys are one more bad day or week away from being gone. I can't hardly imagine that level of pressure. And, as they say, even the best baseball hitters fail 7 out of 10 at bats. The pressure to perform at this level and to do it consistently . . . immense and has to wear on you. Hence, all the drugs and heavy boozing we see.

[packs]

I wonder if that's a product of their adolescence or a product of their emerging into adulthood. If you're 11 years old and you've got scouts and recruiters bugging you after every game or putting it into your head that you're an MLB superstar in the making, I'm sure it makes it hard to enjoy being a kid. And I wonder if the early pressure is what exacerbates the later pressure they feel.

[Snapolit1]

For most of these guys it all comes really easy. They are the best player in their little league . . . best player in high school . . . .hit .400 and also pitch in college. . .and then all of a sudden you start seeing guys who are amazing.

Last night in the Mets-Pirates game there was a moment where Luis Severino struck out James Woods of the Pirates on some crazy breaking ball. Wood walked away with this confused look on his face like "oh shit. . . .this is not going to be so easy."



QUOTE=packs;2447175]I wonder if that's a product of their adolescence or a product of their emerging into adulthood. If you're 11 years old and you've got scouts and recruiters bugging you after every game or putting it into your head that you're an MLB superstar in the making, I'm sure it makes it hard to enjoy being a kid. And I wonder if the early pressure is what exacerbates the later pressure they feel.[/QUOTE]

[packs]

I think that's what I'm getting at. The coming easy as a kid versus the struggles as an adult.

For myself, if someone is putting the idea in my head that I'm an MLB superstar when I'm 11 years old, and then I'm 25 and still in AA, I'm probably going to have an identity crisis.