An M.L.B. Rookie Works on His Timing

The pandemic put the start of Lewis’s first full major league campaign in limbo. Now, with baseball’s owners and its players’ union at loggerheads over returning to the field, it is unclear when Lewis will be able to resume a budding career believed to have All-Star potential.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Instead of playing for the Mariners, I’m in a suburb outside Atlanta, living alone in a townhouse about 15 minutes from my parents. Sometimes I’m even training at my high school, which is across the street from their home. When spring training ended, I stayed in Arizona at first, in a house with a few teammates. Like everyone else, nobody was sure what was next, but then it became obvious things weren’t changing any time soon. So, here I am.

The mental side of baseball, and life, has been a priority for me for a while, and it’s really helping me now. I meditate and visualize. I read a lot about how the brain works, about focus and quieting things down internally. My thing right now is to be present, stay on point physically and mentally, enjoy my house and this period while it lasts and then, if they call us back to play, enjoy that for as long as that lasts.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/sports/baseball/kyle-lewis-seattle-mariners.html