AFM: Was it always your dream to be a baseball player?
SM: Growing up, I was always an athlete, but I actually wanted to be a professional football player first. I realized around my junior year of high school that I could take baseball to the next level and immediately set my sights on the big leagues. I committed to Texas A&M and never looked back.
AFM: What aspect of your career brings you the greatest joy? What is the biggest challenge?
SM: The biggest joy of being a professional baseball player is competing with my teammates. I like winning; I like being on the big stage—it’s truly amazing being able to play this game for a living, especially in front of family, friends and the great Diamondbacks’ fans. The biggest challenge is having to do it every single day. We play 162 games per year. Spring training is another two months and in the off season. You’re still grinding every day and working hard to get better. Especially in the last year, it’s been really tough to be sidelined and not out there with my teammates. There are good days and bad days, but the best is yet to come and I’m very grateful to the Diamondbacks organization and to our fans for sticking behind me and believing in me. I look forward to getting healthy and back out there–I think that we’re going to do a lot of great things in this city.
AFM: What are your goals for the coming baseball season?
SM: My biggest goal is to get healthy and to come back feeling strong. I expect to return around the All-Star break. The main thing right now is to be smart and not to rush myself, but I can’t wait to get back on the field and to help my teammates win baseball games.
AFM: How do you mentally overcome injury?
SM: When I got hurt, it really opened my eyes. This is a beautiful game, but you don’t have things handed to you and it’s not always rainbows and sunshine. It is really tough to mentally block out everything negative and to grind it out every single day doing all of the little things needed to get back to being healthy. Physical therapy, working out, commitment—it’s all a process. The hardest part is being committed and sticking to it every day.
AFM: What words of advice do you have for young players who dream of making it big?
SM: Stay committed. Put your best effort forward, and bring it every single day. It’s tough to make it to the big leagues and not many do, but you have to build that work ethic and really focus on the daily grind. I also encourage young athletes to play multiple sports. Growing up, I played football and ran track on top of baseball. Take advantage of your youth and make memories. Have fun with it all.
AFM: The Valley goes nuts for spring training. What do you like most about it?
SM: Spring training is always exciting because you’re getting back out there. The energy is magnetic, and there is no feeling like having your teammates back in the clubhouse together. All of the rivalries pick up—there is a strong sense of camaraderie, those guys are your brothers and it’s a strong family atmosphere. On top of that, it’s always great to see faces in the crowd and to connect with our amazing fans at spring training.
AFM: What is your favorite thing about spending so much time in Arizona?
SM: Living here is amazing. It’s summer year-round, the weather is incredible, and that view never gets old. I am a member at Arizona Country Club and love to play golf—we have so many courses in the area. Overall, I think that Phoenix is a lively city with tons of great restaurants, and I’ve been blessed to make it my new home.
