Thinking properly

While in the field, always have the thought process of, "What should I do if the ball is hit to me on the ground or in the air." If you are always thinking this, you will always know where to throw the ball.

Hustle

It doesn´t take any talent to hustle. Run on and off the field. Run out all ground balls and pop-ups. Hustle will set a player apart.

Think a step ahead

As you progress in skill level you will understand more how baseball is a mental game. Those who are most prepared and can think a step ahead of the opponent will be the most successful.

General hitting mindset

Your general approach to hitting should be simple. Try to hit the ball hard! Sometimes measuring the amount of hits one receives is deceiving. You can be hitting the ball well and using proper mechanics, but not have anything in the hit column. Or, you can have a bunch of hits, but you may not be doing much mechanically right. This will eventually catch up to you. Let the number of times you strike the ball solidly be your measuring stick.

Know the outs

Always know how many outs there are. Even Major Leaguers forget, but this mental lapse is not excusable. Benny Agbayani of the New York Mets and Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies are two Big Leaguers with embarassing incidences. Both took the game ball and gave it to a fan thinking there were three outs, when there were only two. Beyond embarassing, you could cost your team the game! Concentrate!!!

Being afraid of the ball

Getting over fear of the baseball is important at the beginner level. IncrediBalls can be used for drills to help eliminate the fear during hitting drills.

While fielding, the head must remain down on a ground ball. It is when the head comes up that the player is actually most vulnerable to a bad hop in the face. If the player sees the bad hop, instincts will naturally get the face out of the way.

Sportsmanship

"Ragging" in baseball is all too common. Baseball is a humbling sport. What goes around often comes around. My recommendation? Bite your lip.

Dealing with failure

Baseball is a game of failures. Even the best hitters make outs 3 out of 10 times! Realizing this is an important part of being a baseball player.