I don’t do stuff to be a star. I do it because I feel it’s important for kids, African American kids, to see an African American face that plays baseball.
Beast Mode doesnt make excuses. It doesnt complain. Whatever youre doing, go out there and get it done. Keep pushing. If I have a bad game, I think about what I have to do to return to form. Figure it out, go to sleep, and wake up a new man.
One of the things I’ve done is tell myself I can’t let bad things that happen to me on the field, off the field, whatever, affect me.
If I could do it over, I’d want to come up to the big leagues like Mike Trout. He’s exciting and I like watching him.
I’m pretty sure that China is way bigger than the Dominican.
I’ve pretty much grown up to hide my emotions for the most part.
I didn’t know if I could make it to the big leagues without going through Triple-A.
I never want to sit out. I want to play baseball games.
If I’m in the car after a bad game, I may think about ways I need to improve. But the second I reach home, the game’s over. Work doesn’t come inside with me. Same thing in reverse – I don’t bring my personal life into the ballpark. Learning to keep it all separate has made life easier.
I don’t think some athletes understand how big it is to be an athlete, what they can do with just a simple gesture of shaking a kid’s hand. It can make a fan’s day. It can make a fan’s life.
When you think positive, good things happen.