When new Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi was hired by Los Angeles, he was quoted saying that he wanted to analyze the San Francisco Giants to find out what has made the bitter rivals of the Dodgers so successful in the last five years.
“I think any time a team has that kind of success, you really have to study them hard and see what lessons there are to learn.”, said Zaidi regarding the Giants.
Dodgers, Nationals focus on Club’s Mental Health
One thing that probably stood out was the impeccable team chemistry the San Francisco Giants had, and how the team almost never made headlines regarding conflict of personality in the clubhouse. Not only that, but the Giants World Series teams were teams that persevered at low points throughout their championship seasons.
In 2012, the Giants lost their MVP candidate outfielder Melky Cabrera to a 50-game performance enhancing drug suspension. In their recent 2014 World Championship run, they lost Matt Cain to elbow surgery, and seemed to have been out of picture as the Dodgers surged ahead to clinch the NL West. Yet, somehow, they climbed all the way back to a third World Series championship in five years.
Maybe that’s one reason why this year, new director of player development Gabe Kapler has introduced a new winter training program that focuses on the mind and not so much the body, in which select minor league players took part in this week.
Via Jon Weisman of Dodgers Insider, Kepler discussed how he wanted to focus on the mental part of being an athlete, and not so much the physical part. “We wanted our players to stay on their off-season programs … and not ramp up in the middle of winter to impress physically. Rather, we wanted them to be open-minded and flexible and nimble of thought.”
There’s no guarantee this program will develop the young Dodger players into better teammates and will build chemistry, but it’s definitely a good start towards getting Dodger players to focus on the mental and social aspects of the game, which should ultimately transition into a more cohesive clubhouse, and a team that can collectively overcome adversity.
The Washington Nationals are also taking a hack at non baseball items this winter. Washington general manager Doug Harris recently announced the hiring of Rick Ankiel as a life skills coach. Many may remember the ups and downs of Ankiel’s career, and that’s the primary reason why the Nationals want to bring him in.
“He’s not a psychiatrist. He’s not a psychologist. Dealing with the everyday issues in professional baseball, the high and lows aren’t easy. Any family troubles off the field, he can be a confidante. He’ll command respect.”, Washington assistant GM Doug Harris told the Washington Post.
We may not be able to tell immediately how these programs will translate to the performance on the field, but it will be interesting to see down the road how these organizations perform the next 2-5 years, and if other teams will take suit.
After all, baseball is just as much a mental game as it is a physical game.
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