18 | INNOVISION MAGAZINE Adam Rosales standing with the 3rd base coach. ADAM ROSALES Adam Rosales, an eleven-year Major League Baseball (MLB) veteran infielder, enthusiastically shared his experience and advice to the College of Business’ Sport Management Department. His journey to MLB showcases his hard work, drive, and effectiveness in imploring coaches’ advice and assistance to achieve his goals, including becoming a professional baseball player. Rosales has played for teams such as the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Cleveland Indians. Rosales started his presentation by stating the incredible statistics of making it into MLB. He said, “out of 500,000 players, ten percent play college ball, and one percent make it to MLB.” He wasn’t the best player in college, but he had discipline by being the first player at practice to warm-up and by practicing on his days off. In his junior year of college, Rosales was excelling in baseball and was sure that he would get drafted, “but it was crickets, and no one called,” causing him to wonder why he was working so hard. He didn’t quit. Rosales “busted his tail” and was finally drafted in his senior year, which was one of the most exciting days of his life, he stated, aside from the birth of his two children. While in pro ball, Rosales kept excelling through a series of ups and downs as he pressured himself to make it to the major league. It was at this time that Rosales ran into a former teammate who was working in an office position. The previous teammate was shocked that Rosales made it into pro baseball, helping Rosales realize that it was his own mindset that had led him to his place in the big leagues. “Not only did I get to play one day on Wrigley Field,” Rosales said, reminiscing, “I also got to enjoy fourteen years of professional baseball and eleven years in the major leagues.” He noted the best game he ever played was in 2009 on Mother’s Day when he hit a homerun on a 3-1 count, and when he played in Dallas Braden’s perfect game, in which Braden allowed no hits, no errors, and no runs over nine innings. It is this mindset that Rosales works to instill in young players as the founder of the Mindful Player website. The project is an online mental skills training program used to “make sports more enjoyable and alleviate the pressure that players and parents feel” when starting out. “I get to inspire kids all around the world and share my story,” Rosales said, “I was also asked to manage a rookie league in my current city.” Rosales’ own experiences are the tools he utilizes to help inspire and relate to his young players. He has a lot of compassion and respect for them as he gives them hitting lessons and is in awe of how much pressure twelve-year old players put on themselves. SPORT MANAGEMENT FEATURED SPEAKER
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