Before J.D. Martinez started crushing home runs for the Red Sox at a remarkable pace, he was a talented prospect with a lot to offer but not enough guidance.
Last week, I sat down with Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Ben Reiter on my Project X show. Ben just recently released his first book "Astroball", which is about the Houston Astros' journey from the bottom of the heap to winning the World Series last year; as Reiter famously predicted they would do in 2014.
For the most part, the Astros scouting and development prowess allowed them to rebuild and retool their historically bad team. But they made one big mistake by releasing J.D. Martinez just as he was turning his career around.
Ben explains exactly how this situation went down in the video below:
It's fair to say the Astros didn't give J.D. a fair shot. Last offseason; despite being one of the most talented free agents available, he was likely underpaid considering his accomplishments this season. He's been sold short his entire career, and now he's proving his critics wrong in Boston.
The point of this story is that J.D. never gave up on himself.
He underachieved early on his career, but he stepped up and did whatever he could to improve. He sought out hitting guru's and played winter ball in one of the world's most dangerous cities in order to reach his peak potential.
We all face setbacks in our lives. Things don't always go according to plan. But no matter what happens to you, the most important thing is what you do with what happens to you and how you make your weaknesses your strengths.
People often make career choices. This often can lead to success. But life choices will lead you to becoming significant.
The difference between being successful and significant (if you haven't read this blog before) is often revealed by the way someone views their job.
Significant people don't have a shot clock in their office. They don't know how many hours they work per week. They do whatever it takes and continuously strive to be better than ever before.
Who can you reach out to who can get you where you want to be?
What can you do to make the leap from successful to significant; like Steiner Sports exclusive athlete J.D. Martinez?
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Shop the Steiner Sports exclusive J.D. Martinez autograph and memorabilia collection: https://stnr.co/2MSIACV
Watch my full interview with Ben Reiter: https://stnr.co/2MPpsWh
Read Ben's story about J.D.'s career resurgence: https://stnr.co/2OUBFuj
Song of the Day: "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons
