Competing as an Under-Sized Youth Athlete

In Mookie Betts’ (LA Dodgers shortstop) latest interview of his On Base ‘podcast’ he talks to Dansby Swanson (Chicago Cubs shortstop). While the hour is entertaining, the four-minute snippet beginning at 17:20 is wonderful for all the under-sized youth athletes out there.

In Dansby’s words he was ‘not very good’ in high school. He went on to clarify that he had to find ways to compete without the physical traits to compete with the throw/hit hard crowd.

He did that by learning the ‘intricacies’ of the game. My translation was that he became smarter than the other kids on the field. Knowing the game at the fundamental level allows him to anticipate and play a game that few others see until it’s too late.

“When I got into high school I was good at [competing by understanding strategy], but my physical talent level wasn’t that high. But my mental and emotional talent was high. So as I started to grow…and get stronger, I became a better player.”

This hits me hard because I, too, was under-sized in high school. I was the last person cut on my high school team in favor of a kid who was 9-inches and about 50lbs of muscle bigger. I stayed in the game for another year and then quit. I’ve always regretted that. I’m no Dansby Swanson, but I wasn’t bad. When I grew 6-inches in my first year in college I often wished I had another six or seven years of competing as a team, hanging with the guys, and turning on middle-in fastballs.

If it’s something you love, don’t give up because of physical short-comings. Stay competitive by getting smarter about the game.

Learn resiliance. Learn to lead. Learn what your competitors will do before they think of doing it.

In the end, you’ll physically catch up. It may not be all thew way, but in addition to the things you’ve learned along the way it’ll be more than enough to overcome the athletes who are currently winning because they’re bigger, faster, stronger.

Don’t quit. Just keep going and keep learning.