In the game of baseball, just like anything in life, preparation is most important in achieving results. There will always be guys who think that they are faster, stronger, or younger than you. But as long as you are willing to work harder and prepare for any situation, success will follow.

As a coach, I loved working with a guy like Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar was very focused and absorbed information like a sponge. As a young player you could sense his eagerness to learn from the experiences of the veteran players and coaches. Nomar was one of the hardest working players I have ever worked with, and it made him very successful.

Wade Boggs was same way: he worked hard and was a student of the game. Wade was also a creature of habit and his routines allowed him to be successful. He would take groundballs at the same time day in and day out. This methodical approach was called superstitious, but it allowed Wade to get the right preparation on a regular basis to go out and compete at such a high level for such a long time.

Mo Vaughn was a guy who worked very hard to improve the weaker aspects of his game. When Mo first came up to the big leagues, he had a reputation for poor fielding. Mo worked on his fielding everyday and, while he never won a gold glove, he certainly wasn’t a liability at first base.

Different guys find success in different ways. Some guys are very rigid in their preparation like John Valentin who had the attitude that certain techniques had been successful in getting him to the major leagues and there was no sense in changing. Others find things that work for them for a time and change routines as necessary. Manny Ramirez who can adjust his routines and focus from day to day and pitch to pitch. The point is to always make sure you are prepared because it builds confidence in your abilities.