Tyler Mack- Baseball Career & Aspirations (May 2021)

Issue Five- May 2021:

By Mercedes Barreto

Tyler Mack shares his aspirations for a career playing baseball, sharing a true and more intimate insight into what the world is like for an athlete before reaching an ultimate and total fame status in the big leagues, and what this pre-success phase looks like for such athletes, in his own responses to the questions that reveal this interesting content.

Why is success imperative to you in regards to baseball? What defines success for you in the sport in your opinion? Why?

“Success is important to me. This is true because ever since I was much younger, I received hate from my peers. That pushed me harder. So success proves to them that I’m working harder to get to the next level.”

Has Covid had an impact on your routine via baseball activities and/or training? Positive or negative impact?

“Covid has definitely impacted my baseball lifestyle. We have to wear masks for games and practices, and Covid limits the things that we can do.”

Where do you see or would like to see yourself in a given span of time? In a few years, why and how?

“I see myself going to a big D1 college. I’ll just keep working until everything pays off in the end.”

What got you started playing baseball? Why? What was and is your initiative?

“It’s funny how I got started playing. I was in the fifth grade when they handed out a flyer for the little league team and I was thinking to myself, “Maybe I should just join for the fun of it”. Little did I know it would become my whole life.”

What would be the ideal team, setting, and place to play baseball, if you could pick one single place to play on your desired level of the sport? How so?

“My ideal team would be my travel team now, ‘Canes Baseball’. The setting would be on a nice hot day and to play against the harder competition.”

What is a message or aspiration you feel should be shared with the world, regarding your future in baseball?

“One piece of advice I can give to younger kids who are trying to grow in the baseball community is to always remember, “There is always somebody out there working harder than you”. Average people are always satisfied with their workout, and people that want to get to the next level always think that they never do enough.”

What are your greatest aspirations in baseball, and why?

“My biggest aspiration in baseball is just to be the best out there. I’ve always gotten hate my whole life when it comes to baseball, and I want to prove the haters wrong.”

Why do you believe you will make it to the big leagues, if so?

“I feel like there is always that possibility. But I rather focus on the short-term goal which is getting into a D1 college and be successful with that first.”

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Describe a day of training and the routine. How does this apply or how is this relevant to other individuals who might just say that baseball is easy?

“My usual day, especially on days before a game, is to first wake up, secondly have a nice big breakfast to fuel me for the rest of the day. Then, I do my schoolwork, since I’m fully online. After, and when I get a chance, I stretch 2 times daily, in order to prevent injury when I play. After school, I get ready and, finally, head out to the field. People might say it’s easy, yet those are the same exact people who don’t put the necessary work into baseball that is actually needed in order to get to that next level.”

Why should more people watch and play baseball?

“More people should watch baseball on TV and on the field because it’s a great environment. More people should play baseball because it gives you tons of reasons to exercise and it’s a great experience.”

Could you add anything more here you feel necessary?

“Ever since I started playing baseball, I always wanted to ‘pitch’, because I would be in the center of the game. It had become my favorite thing to do in the whole entire sport. Baseball is the one thing that gets me out of bed every day. I’ve made so many friendships that will surely last a lifetime. There are so many memories which I never thought I would get to experience!”

Questions For The Photographer-

Do you recognize the potential for baseball in Tyler Mack’s athletic performance as a gift or a craft that took years of dedication and hard work? How does this theme portray itself in your photography, if so?
“Tyler has been working on his skills as a baseball player, particularly his pitching since he was very young. He does exercise, he works out, and practices just about 7 days a week, and somehow even fits in pitching lessons, all this while maintaining honor grades in school. I would not call it a gift as much as I would call it dedication. I take photos of him playing every chance I get and look forward to the next phase in his development.”

If Tyler Mack makes it big in baseball someday soon, will you be more than proud to share your pictures with the world, knowing you were the first one to make such a discovery?
“When Tyler makes it big, I will be so proud to have been there all along the way. I take a lot of photos of him at games and sometimes even posed sessions, and I can’t wait to share them with the world when he makes it and even now in this article. He deserves a lot of credit for his dedication.”

(Photography Courtesy of Joe Mack’s Event Photography)