The Approach
Everyone in baseball knows the five physical tools. They’re clear, they’re namable, they can be worked on individually. The mental side has never had that clarity. The 5 Tool Mental Player is my attempt to give it.
The Framework
Past
Present
Future
The Five Tools
Past
01
The willingness to see it straight — the last pitch, the last game, the last season — and let it go.
Without humility, mistakes calcify, wins blind. Players carry things pitch to pitch and week to week. Humility is the first tool because everything downstream depends on being able to tell yourself the truth, and then working from a clean slate.
Present
02
The fire. The willingness to go get it, right now, in this moment.
Every coach wants a competitor. But compete is a foundational tool, not the whole toolkit. Don’t let the fire burn the house down.
Present
03
Steady in the storm. The ability to stay in the moment regardless of what the moment throws at you.
Anchored is where all roads meet, and is what keeps compete from tipping into chaos. It’s the difference between a player who feeds off pressure and one who unravels under it. It’s the clarity of identity while shedding pride and ego. It’s how to be a truly dangerous performer.
Present
04
The daily standards that turn compete into a career.
Discipline is what lets a player turn compete off when the game ends. It’s the tool that keeps competitor’s healthy — physically, mentally, and in their relationships.
Future
05
Ready before the moment arrives. The work no one sees.
Preparation is the tool that lets everything else show up. A prepared player doesn’t have to force a performance — the work has already been done. There is a process, don’t ignore it.
The 3 Guideposts
Guidepost 1
Respect
For the game, for the people in it with you, and for yourself. Respect is the floor everything else stands on.
Guidepost 2
Don't Be Blind
The best players go looking for their blind spots. If you already think you're good enough, you're limiting your ceiling.
Guidepost 3
Don't Fear
Play toward, not away. Fear disguises itself as caution, but it slows down maturation and quietly stunts a career.
From Jed
Growing up in Texas and not being highly recruited out of high school, I know there were internal skills I developed that I couldn’t fully articulate — until now.
I had to figure out why I was able to compete at a high level after tearing my Achilles in junior college and battling back from leukemia in the minor leagues. The internal isn’t always easy to explain.
Every coach wants a competitor, but you don’t have to simply accept the bad with the good. There are ways to keep high-level competition and create a healthier situation. That’s what the 5 Tool Mental Player is built to do.
Where To Start
Do you believe culture and character can raise performance?
Do you believe better systems, processes and standards make a real difference?
Do you believe mindset is important to reaching peak performance?
How does your team get over the past — pitch to pitch, week to week?
How does your team get locked into the present?
How does your team get prepared for what’s next?
Next Step