Marsee-Official

The Unparalleled Performance Podcast is hosted by Josh Rebandt and features guests who are ambitious and passionate about success. In this episode, Josh interviews former player Jacob Marcy, who played baseball at Central Michigan University and was drafted by the San Diego Padres. They discuss Jacob's background in high school sports and his decision to play baseball in college. Jacob also talks about the challenges he faced due to injuries and the impact of COVID on his playing time. Despite setbacks, Jacob remains resilient and focused on his goals. This is the Unparalleled Performance Podcast. I am your host, Josh Rebandt. Each week we will feature guests who are ambitious and passionate about being more than the status quo because we all know that being average is the enemy to success. We will cover topics that will help you become more disciplined and committed to your goals in life, leadership, and fitness. Now on to this week's episode. And remember, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Enjoy the show. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Unparalleled Performance Podcast. This is episode number 24. And if you haven't subscribed to the podcast, if you would, just go ahead and subscribe. You'll never miss an episode again. And it's great to have new listeners and returning listeners. Appreciate every one of you guys. And this week I have a former player of mine, Jacob Marcy. He played at Central Michigan University. And I say former player of mine, I only got to coach him for about three weeks. But I feel like I've known him for a lot longer than that because we've actually spent time on the opposite sides of the field. He played in the Northwood League for a summer and we competed against each other. And then the following summer, he ended up joining our squad for a few weeks before he ended up getting drafted by the Padres, San Diego Padres, in the sixth round in 2022. And has had quite a, put together a pretty good minor league resume so far and making a push as he tries to climb up the ladder to the big leagues. But Jacob Marcy is here on the podcast and dude, it's great, great to have you and catch up with you a little bit. Yeah, thanks for having me. It's really cool to see what you're doing with this and excited to get a chance to talk to you. Appreciate it. Yeah, yeah. So if you want to just touch, you're from Allen Park, Michigan. I know you played three sports in high school. I just kind of want to start there, just kind of give people a little bit of background on your multi-sport days and high school days and then kind of how you selected Central Michigan and playing for Coach Bischel there. Yeah, so I played football, basketball, baseball in high school and I did that every year. And I don't know, I feel like part of it was just to keep myself in shape, but I feel like I really loved having a break from every season and just getting to play other things and getting to spend more time with my friends doing those. So I think that helped me in the long term, definitely for sure. And then going to Central, I had a couple of different offers, but just being able, when I went up to the campus, it just kind of felt like home. And I really liked what Coach B was doing up there at the time. He wanted you guys to have fun. And I think that's the way I like to play the game is have fun, but also play it the right way and play hard. And that's something that really stuck out to me. So I was really excited for that. Awesome. Awesome. Love it. Were you considering playing any other sports in college? Were you getting any offers from football and basketball? Or did you know you just wanted to play baseball regardless? It was kind of just, I knew I wanted to play baseball regardless. I got some random letter in the mail from a small school for football, which is kind of funny. But other than that, I never really pursued anything too serious. I was always just, baseball is what I wanted to do. Cool. Cool. And I know you have an older, younger, and a younger brother. And I know just even in some chats on the bus and whatnot, I know you really value family and relationships and things like that. And you got a chance to play with your older brother, I think, high school football before he graduated. Can you talk about that experience and what maybe either A, that meant to you, or B, maybe helped you out in terms of your growth as an athlete? Yeah, I got to play with him a little bit in baseball too, but mainly football. And honestly, it was just really cool. I think we had some stuff going on through family and stuff. So it was like a down time. So just being able to spend that time with him and play together was really cool. And really an experience that I honestly always talk about that was one of my favorite things I've ever done in high school. I wasn't necessarily playing that much. He was, but it was just cool to get to learn from him and spend more time with him. And I think honestly, it helped our relationship in the long run grow even more. And me and him got way closer just because of that. So I think that was really cool and something I'll always cherish for sure. Awesome. Yeah. And how much younger is your younger brother? He's in eighth grade. So he's like nine years younger than me and then 11 years younger than my older brother. So yeah, he's a baby. Yeah, that's funny. So my family, my oldest brother, he's about 10 years older than I am. And then I have a sister that's about a year, probably two years younger than he is, a year and a half-ish. And then I have another brother that's two years older than I am. So there's a little bit of gap between the two oldest and then the two youngest. But growing up, my oldest brother, he was playing varsity baseball and I was the bat boy for his team. I was like first or second grade and I'd write out the lineup every day. And I think my coaching days kind of started then because I would write out the lineup and post it to his locker and all of his teammates would come to see if they made my lineup for the day. Awesome. Yeah, that was the cool thing about being with my brother is just getting to learn from him. And honestly, I feel like it helped me get closer with his friends, too. So now when I see them around, it's just like, I don't know, I just know them and have a good relationship with all of them. So honestly, it was really cool. Yeah, that's awesome. Awesome. So you missed your senior year of high school baseball and you, in theory, missed your freshman year of baseball as well with COVID. And you missed a big development gap in terms of like playing games. And then even your summer ball season that year with the Resorters in our pod up in Traverse City, you only played, I think, two or three games. And then we got shut down for a few weeks and then you ended up not coming back for that second round of the pod, if I'm not mistaken. I don't think you made it back. But can you walk me through, like, I think that's got to be hard, one, as an athlete, you're missing a lot of development period for yourself, but also, two, like just mentally staying, wanting to stay with it and not give up just because you've missed now basically two full years and you've had a big gap. Can you walk through? I mean, it's kind of I would consider it a setback just because of the lack of games that you were able to play. Yeah, I'll start with the mental side first. I feel like it was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through is just I feel like the hard thing about the ACL surgery is even when you feel like you're good to go, you're not you're not ready. Like and that's what's hard, too, is because at times I felt like I could do everything and I still was like, no, you're not ready to do this stuff. So I think that was super hard. And honestly, I mean, I've had like little injuries, but nothing that like set me back like that, especially from baseball. So that was the first time I ever had to deal with like not being with it. But to help me, honestly, I like surrounding myself with family and I've always been close with my family, but I think I grew even closer, especially like my cousins. And then I actually helped coach my little brother's baseball team that summer. So that was that was really cool to be able to do that and just share that time with him and my dad. And then going into when I got to school, I was like, yeah, they cleared me everything at home. And I was like, no, like the injury risk is going to be super high if we start it back. So then just kind of getting shut down again, I just felt like I couldn't really do anything to help show the player I was to help show what impact I can make. So that was that was a really challenging time for me, too. But honestly, I think it kind of helped me because I got to just learn from the older guys and just lean on them and grow and grow a relationship with them, too. So that all definitely helped. And then when I got to the season, the first time I ever played again was the first game of the year. And then obviously COVID happened like two weeks into that. So, yeah, it just like kept coming. Then summer ball happened and I was like super excited to get back at it. And then I got COVID and then it was just like it was a rollercoaster. No doubt, no doubt. Yeah. When did, so the fall at Central, when did you when did they end up clearing you that way you could start practicing and full go swinging, full intent, all that kind of stuff? Yeah, I could I could swing, but the thing was like running the bases. So they'd let me towards the end of the fall, they would let me hit. But then once I got to like I could jog to first. But after that, I would have to come out and use a pinch runner. So, I mean, I got they got to see me hit, but they never really got to see me like field or anything like that. They were just kind of like honestly, I kind of got lucky at the time that they had a need in the outfield. That was the only reason I had a chance to play a little bit at all. And honestly, it was a great learning experience being able to learn and see what I need to do better. Obviously, like I was super scared at first because of the fact that I hadn't played in so long that I was just like nervous to be playing again. So I had a slow start there. But just honestly getting that whole redshirt year back in a way because of COVID, I think helped me grow a lot because that's something I definitely needed. And as much as it sucked at the time, it gave me a whole year with all my friends that were all seniors there again, which was super cool as well. Yeah, I was going to ask you how you felt like you cracked the lineup, but you answered it because it's not normal, one, for a guy, a freshman to come in and crack the lineup right away. But two, they didn't get a chance to evaluate you at all from your high school spring season and your senior year. And then they don't get a chance to evaluate you much in the fall. And in total, obviously, like you said, you're able to swing a little bit and whatnot. But it's not like there's a full evaluation process there. So being able to earn that starting spot, I think you started 10 games or so maybe out of the 12 or 15 that you guys got in. I just was kind of looking at your bio a little bit. But is that the main thing you felt like that there was a need or what else for you? And I know you're a humble guy, but what else do you feel like kind of separates you or separated you that year that maybe helped you crack that lineup? Yeah, I think I was just in a way trying to take advantage of like, yeah, I knew I could only take live A.B.s, but I wanted to take advantage of every live A.B. I could and show them what I could do and honestly just help myself grow in a way, too. I wanted to I took advantage of the challenge of getting to face those pitchers every day and just trying to make the most of every opportunity with that. And then I was like, I couldn't I couldn't go field or anything like that. So I was getting with the coaches, trying to find ways I could do extra work in ways and stuff, too. So I think I couldn't necessarily do stuff on my own. So I had to go to the coaches in a way. So I think that they saw the extra work more than most people were. As I got older, I just ended up doing that work on my own where it's not necessarily seen. So I guess I gained some respect probably in a way for doing that. But yeah, part of it was definitely just a need. It was me and another freshman who just kind of rotated in and out with each other. So, yeah. Yeah, well, if there's any younger players listening to this, I think it's a great kind of messaging for them. Just take initiative like when you like when you need to get something done, take it upon your shoulders to go seek out help or go seek out coaches or whatever the case may be to really help, A, improve your game. But B, through doing that, people are going to recognize that you have a love for the game and you have a passion for it and that you want to get better. And like you said, I think that there's a respect that's definitely built from that. So kind of heading into your so looking at your college career from like your, I guess, redshirt freshman year to your sophomore season following that, your numbers and improved quite a bit. And then same thing in the minor leagues as well. Like your your rookie year in minor league baseball to this year that you just completed, your numbers have increased a lot from your offensive productivity. So what do you feel like has helped you in those second years? Obviously, experience and things like that. But like what adjustments have you either made mentally and mentally might come with experience and just learning how to, you know, how pitchers are attacking you and understanding that level of play. But what what adjustments or things have you done that have made that pretty significant jump each year? Yeah, honestly, I mean, exactly what you said is experience and learning how people are going to attack you, just learning the game. And obviously, every year you're going to get stronger, you're going to get faster. And obviously, those are like big things as well. And minor tweaks and swing here and there. But honestly, I think just getting comfortable. I think that redshirt freshman year at Central is my first time ever really getting the chance to play again. So I think obviously as much as I was like excited to go play and stuff, obviously I had nerves still and I didn't know what to expect. So I was at times trying to do too much instead of just having fun. And I think just learning to have fun and take advantage of every moment and just living in the moment rather than just like, oh, I got to do this so we can we can win instead of just like, OK, I'm going to try to get on base or make the most of the setback to help the team win and just having fun with it. I think that was a big thing as well. And then going into this year, I think just getting comfortable. I mean, the pitchers were just you're seeing I mean, you go from seeing a good pitcher a couple of times a weekend, you're going to see every every best pitcher every day, every inning in the in the minor leagues. So I was that was something I had to get used to and just adjust to. And honestly, when I when I got comfortable and I got confident in myself again, like realize, oh, I can do this. Like, I think that's what helps a lot, too. So I think just having confidence in myself is what is what helped a lot. Yeah, yeah. I think this is massive. I think one thing that people sometimes struggle with, like obviously handling failure is is a big part of it. But I think sometimes people have a hard time handling success as well. And like either a it gets to people's heads or be like they just it it doesn't click mentally of like how they can still be the same person when more attention is kind of being thrown onto them. So they're trying not to get a big head, but they just can't handle that success. How do you like you for those people that aren't listening, you were the Arizona League MVP, which is a league comprised of basically the best prospects in minor league baseball from each organization. Each organization selects a few guys from their organization to go play in a league for about a month in Arizona at the end of the minor league season. And you are in the MVP award. So obviously, there's attention that's being brought to you. How do you feel like like what keys or traits would you say have helped you be able to handle that maybe extra attention or, you know, things that people are now maybe talking more about you and who you are? Yeah, honestly, I'm always I feel like I always have a chip on my shoulder. No matter what I'm like doing or if I'm doing well or doing bad, I always have a chip on my shoulder and want to do more. And so I think that definitely helps me a lot. And like I could hear I could be doing really well and I hear someone say like the smallest comment and I like think about it and I'm like, Okay, you just gave me like extra motivation. I'm like, one of those types of people. But at the same time, I feel like I just I just love to play and love to have fun playing like I don't want to sit there and like make it a job as much as like, in a way it is a job, you know. So I think I just every every day I go play, I just like try to have the most fun. And it was really funny because one of the kids I was playing with, we were in like the all star game for that. And he was like, you're the same guy, like no matter what environment you're in. And I was like, dude, this is a game with them that I just want to have fun and just want to like, play. I don't want to like, sit here and add all this pressure on me because it's a bigger stage or anything like that. That doesn't matter to me. I just I want to go have fun playing. And I think that's something that I've gotten really good at doing is just enjoying those moments. And I think that's helped me a lot. Yeah, I wish we would have had you for our playoff run in 2022. Just like that veteran type mindset. We the vet locker room with you and a couple of the other older guys that summer. But yeah, I just I think having that mindset where each game is treated as the same. Obviously, there's more attention that's being put on to a higher pressure game. But the reason I say that is watching you compete against us in the playoffs in 21. Like, you could see that you were the same exact person in those. Like, we got ahead in the Series 1-0. Game two, you were the same guy when your team was down. Game three, it was a back and forth game. But like, I you are one of the best key players on that roster for Kokomo. And so like, just watching you and like, seeing how you kind of operate and whatnot, like you could tell that you were just treating everything like it was a regular season game. And I think that's one thing that helps create the ability to have success is because you're not putting more pressure on that moment, just because it's an Arizona League or Arizona Fall League Championship game or, you know, things like it's just another game. And I think a lot of times, you know, we magnify one game and it shouldn't be that way, because I think that that can help us not handle the success that we've had. Does that make sense? Yeah, for sure. And I think that's something I definitely learned from Coach Bischoff at CMU too, is he's like, yeah, these are playoff games, but we're treating every game the same. Like when we're in season, like you have to get to the playoffs. You have to win those games to get there. So at the end of the day, those games are played nine innings. Like we have to win those games. So those at-bats matter. So that was something I kind of, I always knew in the back of my head, but obviously when I was younger, I'm going to put more pressure on those games where I realized like there's no need to, like this is the same game we've been playing. It's just, it's just more meaning. And honestly, those games are more fun to play in anyways. And like there's a saying, like the pressure, pressure is a privilege. And I honestly, I think like when pressure happens, like I kind of just love it because I realized how to like slow my heartbeat down and just like, like enjoy that moment rather than just like, oh, this is a huge opportunity. I have to take advantage where it's like, no, I'm going to, or like, if not, like it's okay. Like at the end of the day, it's just a game, even though I want to win, you know? Yep. Yep. Is that something that's come natural to you in your just kind of day-to-day year-to-year life? Like being able to control your heart rate, control your mind, like things like that, is that natural? Or have you done any extra training on that side of it? I think it's just, I mean, I've been around a lot of people that have talked about that stuff. And actually that COVID summer, we were in the pods, like our coach did a good job of getting us like together and talking about pressure situations, especially with like having older guys talk about experience. And the big thing, honestly, I've just learned about is like just breathing, like just being able to like control your breathing, like three seconds in, hold it for three seconds, three seconds out, and just kind of like repeat. And it's something that I like doing and just like makes you not make the situation more than it is and just be able to like enjoy it rather than being so nervous that you're shaken up there. Because there's definitely been times where I have been that way and you just feel like you can't be yourself when you're like that. So just, I think that helps a lot. Yeah. How do you, how have you made adjustments with that? Like three seconds is a long time now with the pitch clock. Like, have you had any experiences where you felt your heart rate getting up and you didn't have enough time to recalibrate yourself? Have you had any experiences like that? Yeah, I feel like there's definitely times where I have been in a rush. I try to like go up to the at bat, like having done that. So that by the time I'm in the box, I'm not like so nervous necessarily or like flustered. So I try to do that more so before I get in the box. But there's definitely been times where I have been upset with the umpire and like it's still in my head when I go to play. So I like call time or like try to just reset or like, honestly, just like we talked about like, and I've been younger or like in college where like, there's like, you always find like a cue to get your mind back, like reset real quick, where like, you don't necessarily have to do like three seconds in or whatever. So like, there could be necessarily like a spot on your bat. Like, so like, sometimes I like take a spot on my bat and I look at it, just take a deep breath. And I'm like, okay, I'm ready to go. Like, just lock back into what the pitcher like has and what he's trying to do to you and think about that rather than what just happened. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I love that. I think having kind of one on both ends of the spectrum, one where you have more time to be able to take that extra breath, like when you're on deck or in the hole, or maybe at bat and you don't have as much time, but having that preparation built in to know something that you can look at that'll help calm you, I think can make a big difference for sure. So I'm going to turn the script a little bit here to kind of like mentorship a little bit or leadership type thing. So you have an older brother and you have a younger brother. So you had somebody that you looked up to, just knowing you and, you know, just knowing that you enjoyed playing with your high school, your brother in high school and things like that. And then you also have your younger brother, who's now, I would imagine looking up to you based on the success you've had. So you're kind of, you've been in the middle and you've been able to experience both sides of that. How do you feel like that's helped you in the locker room setting where you're learning from the older guys, but then you can see some of the younger guys. And I've seen you do this in person too, even in Traverse City with some of the younger guys around the team and just trying to help them out, either say something to them or learn something. How do you feel like your upbringing, being the middle child has helped you in a locker room setting? Yeah, I mean, I feel like just naturally I've always wanted to learn and grow. And I mean, you can learn something from anyone, like no matter what. So I feel like that's always helped me. And then just with the younger brother, I feel like I've always tried to help people out and just kind of just how my parents have kind of raised me is just be there for others. And I feel like that's always just kind of what I've tried to do. And I mean, sometimes it's like, you know, it's not what a person's going to want to hear. And I've definitely had talked with a couple of kids that are at Traverse City that at the time they like didn't want to hear what I had to say to them. Then it finally clicked like, oh, like he's not trying to be mean. He's just he's just trying to help me and just like come about it the right way. I just feel like it's all helped, especially nowadays, too, where it's like I'm always there's always things I can improve on and there's always people that are going to be better than me and just trying to learn from them, too. And then with the younger guys coming in, it's like they're new to this. So like help them so they don't feel out of place and stuff like that, too. So I'm just trying to make everyone feel like they are a team and like family. I think that's something that's been really important to me. You know, I'm going to dig a little bit deeper. What what has given you the confidence to speak up? Because I have I like you said, I've heard you speak up and, you know, tell some guys some things that they needed to hear in the moment. But again, I think you you're a guy that does it the right way, but not everybody is feels free or feels like they have maybe enough clout or whatever to speak up. And I think that's probably the first reason why people don't speak up is because they maybe aren't as confident in themselves that people want to listen to them. But what's given you the confidence through the years to be able to stand up and say something and say, hey, this is this needs to be done this way or that kind of thing? Honestly, I feel like it doesn't really even have anything to do with like talent or like ability or anything like that. Like, I don't think like I was like, oh, I'm doing good. So I should like help other people out. It's just always been like I play the game like the right way and like I work hard and stuff. So I feel like people have respected that where it's like and I've been a good person to them where it's like, OK, though, the respect if I say this the right way to them just so I can help them, because it's never been like in a way to make someone like less of a person or an individual to others. It's always been like, oh, I want to help you out so that we can we can come together and win as a team. I get that's always been like the main goal for me. So I feel like that's just kind of just like getting the respect of your teammates and being a good person to them where like when it comes to that time, you're able to have those conversations with them to help them out. Yeah, I was hoping you would say that because I think people oftentimes think that they have to be the most talented player to be able to stand up and say something where it's really just earning the respect of the people around you to have that freedom to be able to say those things. And it's really a lot easier. Like usually people handle things in a pretty good manner, maybe not in the moment. But I've had discussions with players where like, you know, I've had to pull some guys out of games and whatever. And in the moment, they aren't they aren't excited about it. But the next day they come, you know, like usually I don't have those conversations post game that night because there's obviously a lot of emotions rolling around and whatnot. So it's usually a next day conversation. And usually the next day, most guys are like, yeah, I screwed up like I had a lot of time to process this. And yeah, you know, taking me out of the game or whatever was the right thing to do. So I think confrontation is an important part of being a leader. But I think you can gain that respect just by the way that you carry yourselves and how you treat people because they know that it's coming from a good place. So yeah, 100%. That's exactly the way to go about it, too. Because there's been times where even I got pulled out like a game or like a coach has said something to me in the middle of the game. And I'm like, obviously, I don't want to hear what he has to say at the time because I would say at the time, I'm not going to be in agreement because I just want to be out there playing. Or I feel like I did it the right way at a time where like when you have time to reflect on what you've done, then you're like, okay, like, I understand what they're coming from. Even back to the leadership thing, people have definitely said stuff to me at the time where maybe I necessarily didn't like it or I had the respect where I was like, okay, yeah, I understand. So it's just like everyone tells each other things that they necessarily don't want to hear to help them grow. So it's just how you become a team. Yep, absolutely. I love it. I want to touch on your draft story just a little bit real quick. First, obviously, like we talked about a little while ago, just the missing a couple years, your high school spring season, basically your whole freshman year and freshman summer. When did you feel like getting drafted was maybe going to become a reality for you? And did you always feel like that was like mentally, like you said, you've had a chip, you know, like you like to play with a chip on your shoulder and you want to be the best. So obviously, that dream was there. But when did it maybe actually start feeling real that this thing might happen? And then if you could just walk through a little bit of the draft day story and just I know you're in Cooperstown and out there, your younger brother was playing a tournament and whatnot. So if you just walk through that scenario. Yeah, obviously, that was always like the goal and dream. And even I got asked like a question during the fall league by someone and I was like, obviously, this is where I've always like dreamed about being. But like, if you had told me that this would be going on, I would have like hoped about it. And like, like, I obviously dreamed about it. But like, obviously, I wouldn't have necessarily like pictured myself always being there. Because at times, it was like no chance. Like, even going back to like my knee, I was like, oh, did I give up or do I keep going? Like at times, you're always going to have those doubts. But I feel like the first time was probably that summer after sophomore year going into my junior year, like just that Northwood season with like how everything kind of went. And then there's that dream showcase. So just being able to be a part of that was super cool. And just seeing how I stacked up against that top talent at the time, I think that like gave me confidence. But then I honestly had not till probably like the junior year winters when I really like, oh, this, this could be a real thing, like not like in the future, but like, like in the next couple months, like after the season, I think that was like, whoa, like a shock to me. But I think I did a good job of I just wanted to enjoy that moment and not think about that stuff. So like, yeah, I got an advisor at the time. And I was like, hey, I don't want to know any of this stuff. Please just tell my parents, like just talk to them. Like, don't communicate with me. I don't want to hear about it. Because I just wanted to like enjoy that time with my friends. And I'm really glad that I did that because I got to enjoy every moment. And then the first time I think I realized even like I had friends that knew people that had said stuff to me like, oh, like, you're not going to be here next year. And my mind was like, I'm always going to be here. Like, I'm not going to not be here. And then finally, like, I talked to like my mom one day on the phone. And she was like, Jay, like, this is like a real possibility. And like kind of hit me that that's what could happen. And then going to draft day, that's like kind of a crazy story. Because people like I tell people I was in front of the Hall of Fame. And I feel like sometimes people just think like, oh, you went there. Like, that's super weird. But like, like, my brother was at a tournament there. And like, it was like their time to tour Cooperstown, the Hall of Fame. So we were there. And I could have been in there. But I was like, there wasn't good, like, cell connection in there. So my dad was walking around with my little brother. And I was just sitting on a bench across the street with my mom. And then finally, like, we started getting like some phone calls. So I was like, Dad, you need to get out here. Like, you need to come out here. So my family came around. And it was just a super special moment being able to share that with them. Yeah, that was an emotional moment, but really cool. Yeah, did you play in Cooperstown as a kid growing up, too? Yeah, I did. That was like one of the coolest tournaments I ever played in growing up. Just being able to, like, live with your teammates. And just all those games are super fun. I mean, everyone enjoys hitting homers. So just being able to do that there, too, it was all a cool opportunity. Yeah, when I was 10 years old, so I don't know how they still do it. But when I was 10, they had the Cooperstown tournament for a week before the 11 and 12 and under teams. Like, it was only one week that they had 10-year-old teams. And then the rest of the summer, it was 12 and under. So we went, like, middle of June. It was like right after school got out. We went to Cooperstown. And you said it's fun hitting home runs. We didn't have many home runs at 10 years old on those fields. But yeah, it was just, you felt like a big leaguer there. And you play some night games. And it's a really cool experience for a kid to get an opportunity to play out there. Yeah, there's not much like that. Obviously, I played in a lot of tournaments growing up. And that was obviously one of the coolest experiences I've ever done, just with everything, the way they go about it, and just being able to live with your teammates. Like you said, under like games, just everything. It's super cool. Yeah, yeah. Um, what other interests do you have off the field that help keep you balanced? Like, I think one thing that people oftentimes think, especially about a pro athlete or a college athlete, is that they are all in all the time. And that it's just gas pedal down. You can't live that way. There's no way that you could have a long career doing things that way. Yes, when you're in it, you're all in. Like you're, you know, like day-to-day grind. But even then, you still have to even pull it back a little bit on some days, where either you're going to give your body a chance to recover. You get those off days in the minor leagues once a week, and being able to kick back and let your body recover. And I think that there's a lot of importance of having, like, work-life balance or, you know, that kind of thing. What other interests do you do to keep that balance? Yeah, obviously, I feel like I didn't always used to be this way, where, like, I can take, not take the game, like, off the field. I feel like when I was younger, I definitely struggled with this, even, like, in my early years of college. But then I kind of, like, with being away from home, I feel like it kind of helped too, where, like, it's like, okay, my family's only here for, like, this weekend. So, like, I'm not going to be all upset because I did bad today. Like, so I feel like because I enjoy those relationships with my family and friends, that I've always liked to spend time with them off the field. And that's been something that's super important to me. And then I just like, I like to be outside, just doing stuff. I don't necessarily want to sit around. So anything that I can be, like, active doing, just spending time with the people, like, that I love and care about, like, that's all been super important to me. And then, like, the past couple years, like, even when I've been playing Pro Bowl, I've been in, like, classes and stuff, trying to finish my degree. So that's all the stuff I've been working on, just off the field, so that I'm not just always focused on baseball. And then, obviously, with me being far from home too, it's like, you got to maintain those relationships. So I'm just talking to my family whenever I can, or my friends, or anything like that. So that's all the stuff I try to do. Have you tapped into anything? Like, have you started cooking a lot? Or are you a foodie at all? What other, like, and if you want to just take kind of into an off day of, like, let's say your family's not in town. What are those things that you might tap into, besides maybe going on a hike or being outside? Yeah, so our off days in the Fall League were usually on Sunday. So usually I'd, like, wake up and, like, make myself breakfast or something, and then do laundry or whatever I had to do. Just, like, get ready for, like, the week. And then me and my roommate would sit there and watch football for a long time. And then we usually, like, go out to eat and watch more football at night and stuff like that. But just, yeah, I mean, I got into cooking a little bit. But it's a little hard, just with the schedule we have. So I'm not really able to do that. But there was a time where I never was a reader at all. And I was like, OK, I'm going to try to read. So I, like, read a book. And that was something I got in. So just been trying a bunch of different things, just to find things to do outside of that. I started, my girlfriend started making me go on walks with her. So that's, like, something I just started doing on my own, just so that I could, I don't know, just, I just really, like, enjoying that time to myself, even if I'm alone, and just listening to music and stuff like that. Yeah, I never walked either. I never went for walks. And then my wife and I, we got married. And we just started taking walks. It was just, I guess, the thing you do when you get older. So, and part of me, I was like, I don't want to take a walk. Like, I feel like it's, like, worth it. So I'm like, I'm going to go outside. I'm going to go for a run. Like, I'm going to, I'm going to push myself. Like, just taking a walk, like, what's that? So, but I've really come to love. And I've actually, like, it's so much more beneficial. Like, I used to, and this kind of ties into the all in or nothing type mindset. That's how I used to be as well. Like, you got to be all in. Like, you got to, you know, for me, like, fitness and nutrition and those kinds of things are, like, I take them pretty seriously. But I feel like I've been able to balance that stuff in my life so much more. Like, I used to be, my nutrition's got to be on point. I got to run X amount of miles. I got to spend this many times in the gym. You know, all that kind of stuff. But now it's like, I've noticed how much more, like, recovery I get from walking than I do running. So I don't run nearly as much. Like, I do a little bit just to stay, just kind of keep some cardio shape. But, like, taking walks have become an instrumental. I do it every day. Like, usually at least 30 minutes, whether it's on the treadmill or outside, or we go for, if it's nice out as a family on the sidewalk after dinner, whatever. You know, I think that's become a big part. But in talking about all or nothing, like, I'd like to get your take on that. Like, for instance, like I said, sometimes I think people want to go all in on one thing, and we can use fitness as an example. So let's say somebody dives full in on nutrition and gym, and they do it for, like, two weeks. They're not going to see any difference being all in in two weeks. But if you do nothing, you're not going to see any difference either. And I think that the most important part is the consistency aspect. If you, you don't have to be all in for two weeks and try to see a change, because you probably won't. You might feel a little bit better or things like that. But if you are just consistent, I think consistency is probably the best definition for being all in, is just having that. And it's like being a big, or like a professional athlete. Like, you're going to want to be consistent in the off season. You can't take all that time off, but you can't also put everything into every day during the off season either, because you have to have, give your body a chance to recover. So can you talk about your thoughts on kind of all in or nothing? And kind of the idea of consistency? Yeah. I feel like, just like you said before, where like walking, why would I walk? I need to run, like stuff like that. I definitely had times like that, even on myself, like where it's like working out, like I should lift as much weight as I can or like just like super heavy rather than like, okay, I can still work out and it'd be like lightweight and get what I need to get out of it. So, I mean, that's definitely something that I've learned too. And just a portion of that. But yeah, I feel like big thing is like, you might take like little leaps if you do it for two weeks, like you said, but I feel like it's that thing where it's like, the season's like seven months or whatever it is, eight months. And you just gotta keep getting better every day if you're like, if you do something for two weeks and it works really well and then you realize it doesn't, like rather than doing something that you can get better at each day so that you can be playing your best baseball at the end of the season because that's the most important time. And I think that's just like a thing that I realized this year too, even it's just like the small jumps are way better than like, oh, I did really good in these two weeks and had this big jump rather than, because at some point that falls would be way more than the small jumps fall is, if that makes sense. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I think too, like it's easy if we put ourselves all in, it's probably even more easy to tip the scale back to discouragement because if we go all in for two weeks or like you said, you have two weeks of success, then when you don't, if you feel like everything you've been doing isn't, then it stops working or you get discouraged because maybe you haven't seen a difference in your body composition or whatever after two weeks or the scale hasn't gone down or the scale hasn't gone up or whatever the case is. Like it can provide more room for more discouragement which then causes a lot of people to get back out of it and then you're back to the nothing stage. So like there's gotta be that middle ground and especially for a baseball player and playing so many games over the course of the season, you gotta be on a consistent, even keel type mindset. Do you think playing in the Northwoods League and having access to a gym and things like that has helped prepare you for the minor leagues? Because you were a guy that like, whenever we would go to the gym, like you would be doing something. It wasn't always a blow it out type session where you're doing heavy lifts and things like that. But you were just a guy that took care of your body every day. And even I noticed that in the summer prior when we'd play you guys in Kokomo, you would always be there, usually around the same time we were probably because a lot of our guys were your buddies. But can you talk about that consistency part of maybe how you learned that playing in the Northwoods League a couple of years prior? Yeah, I mean, the Northwoods, obviously I never played in any other really summer league, but just from like talking to my friends, like the Northwoods is as close as it gets. Like you're playing every single day and you have to learn how to lift and take care of your body before playing those games, even when you're playing. Because a lot of people just from college, you're not really used to lifting on game days. And honestly, when you tell people you're lifting on game days, it kind of like shocks them. And then that summer is like, kind of like your off season mode in a way too. So you always have to take care of your body and get prepped for the next season in a way for school. So I feel like I always, and I learned honestly from the guys you had on your team that were my friends because they're super into lifting. And Proctor was really good at that stuff, just knowing exactly what to do and try and do things. And I learned a lot from them. Like, yeah, we're gonna do this on these days, but we're also gonna be like light on these days and mobility on these days. And I learned a lot from them, like in that aspect of, okay, yeah, we're gonna be doing something to help, but it's not always gonna be like lifting. Like there's days where you're just gonna stretch and like maybe do light movements that are gonna be just as beneficial as those days where you're doing heavy lifting or stuff like that. And that's definitely something that I had to grow and learn over time. But just from trying new things and obviously everyone's different, but it's definitely something that I think is super important is like, yeah, you gotta be... And sometimes it's better to have off days and I've learned that too, but just finding what's right for your body is super important and it doesn't always have to be the heavy lifting every day. Yep, yep, for sure, for sure. Last question I got for you. So you've been a part of a lot of different teams and dugouts and things like that. I know at Central you guys had great culture and freedom to kind of be yourself. Like what parameters do you feel like are really important in a dugout or a locker room to be able to enable guys to be able to play free and be themselves? Like there's still gotta be some sort of structure, but like what are maybe some of those underlying components that make you feel free? Like when you think about a dugout you've been in where you're like, man, I can just be myself here. I'm Jacob Marcy, I can play the game the way that I want to play it. Obviously playing it hard, doing things the right way versus maybe, I don't know if you've experienced it, but maybe been in a situation where you've been in a dugout where maybe you don't feel like you can be yourself as much. And maybe it's because the older guys aren't as welcoming to the younger guys or things like that. But what are some of those underlying parameters that maybe make a difference in helping you play free? Yeah, I feel like just having that closeness or just bond kind of off the field. And I mean, it doesn't necessarily have to be every guy, but with every guy on the team. But like when it all starts, I feel like kind of in the clubhouse too, where you have those relationships and have those moments. And I feel like teams I've been on have had ways of getting the team together, maybe outside the field, just to like all be with each other or just stuff like that. That all helps you when you get onto the field, where you're like, OK, maybe you know that person's story and you're like, I'm going to play for them, like not just for myself. And just having that bond where you want to do it for each other rather than just yourself, I feel like is super important. And it helps you have fun when you do have success because you're getting happy about your teammate having success rather than just yourself having success. So I think just having those relationships and that family type atmosphere is super important. It just allows you to have fun and play for each other rather than just for yourself. And that's something I think that makes the game even more fun. Yeah, for sure. Real quick, if you can touch it, I think with the Padres, your first offseason, didn't you guys do something like that where you guys, some of you guys took a trip somewhere? Am I on the right? Yeah, we did this Navy SEAL training and it was like, I don't know, I think maybe like 12 of us or whatever that did it. And we did these tough challenges and it was basically not giving up so that you're not letting down your partner or whatever. And then when people were struggling, we had to do these laps and this one kid was kind of struggling. Everyone was kind of struggling, but this one kid was struggling more than us. And we all swam back and got him and swam with him. Just small things like that where you can see, oh, we did that and that helped us through the season where we all were playing together and we were picking each other up in the offseason and leaning on each other then. And then I feel like we all, they did a good job of, that guy did, of instructing us, like, hey, why do you play? Or who do you play for? And we kind of all heard each other's story and then we're like, oh, this is way more than just like, they love the game and stuff like that. So I think just knowing your teammates and knowing what they're going through and stuff like that, I think that all helped us a lot too. Yeah, I think that type of stuff just creates more organic and real conversation. Like you said, you get to know the guys and then it also creates memories too. Like when you're in the dugout with those guys the next year and something happens that makes you guys think about, something that happened back in November, December. And I was like, dude, that was like, that was a spinning image of what we saw. Maybe it's something that you guys can laugh about. And then just those organic, natural conversations, or maybe a little bit forced. Like you guys went there as a group and you have to do certain things and sometimes forcing those things, but then it creates those organic, natural opportunities to talk and to kind of create that environment. So yeah, I think that's pretty awesome. Yeah, I understand. Especially like those experiences that happen off the field are sometimes way more memorable than those that happen on the field too, that you can like point at, because obviously you're going to remember all the baseball stuff, but being able to remember the stuff that's off the field is super important too. Yeah, for sure, for sure. Well, good stuff, man. I appreciate your time and it's been awesome following you. And I was bummed when you were in Grand Rapids earlier in the year and I didn't get a chance. I think we had just left for, I think we were heading up to Northern Michigan or something, but hopefully I'll be able to catch a game at some point and catch up. So, but thanks again, man. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Thanks for joining us on this week's episode of the Unparalleled Performance Podcast. And if you enjoyed it, please share with those around you. We'll see you next week and go dominate your day.