Behind The Seams Volume 2 | Page 11

QUALITIES OF A GREAT TEAMMATE

A great teammate gives relentless effort: Remember, your coach should not have to coach effort! You cannot control many things that will happen during your baseball season, but you can control how hard you play. The only way to get better is to give your maximum effort. This not only makes you better, it pushes your teammates to get better as well.

A great teammate is unselfish: Put the team first. Your job is to do what it takes to help the team be successful. This isn’t always easy, but great teammates find a way to put the success of the team above their own success.

A great teammate is honest: All great teams and relationships are built on honesty. Your coach and teammates need to know that they can trust you during the ups and downs of a season.

A great teammate is humble: Baseball is a team sport. You may be the star of your team or you may be a role player, either way, remember that the team comes first. Put your individual accomplishments aside and give praise to your teammates. Teams succeed when no one cares who gets the credit.

A great teammate holds themselves and their teammates accountable: You should have high standards for yourself and your teammates. If a teammate is not fulfilling duty to the team you can’t be afraid to confront them and get them back on track. You might need to help them buy in to a particular strategy or help them accept their role on the team. Don’t accept a negative attitude from teammates, be the player that reaches out to them to help your team as a whole.