Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee posted a 2.98 ERA as a rookie in 2023.
Then, he went out and dominated again in 2024, delivering a strong 3.47 ERA over a full starter’s workload of 173.2 innings.
He didn’t enjoy the best beginning of the season last year, though, as he allowed nine earned runs in his first three outings.
According to Bibee and some of his teammates, he had a long memory, which means he often got hung up on certain pitches and sometimes let adversity and situations affect his execution.
Improving the mental aspect of the game might seem minor to some, but it’s very important and often separates the good from the great.
It took a while, but Bibee successfully made that mental adjustment.
“It’s not like I was giving up fewer hits or punching out more guys or whatever. I let stuff roll off my shoulders a lot easier. And I think that’s honestly what it came down to. My stuff didn’t change that much. My competitiveness is still there,” Bibee said, via MLB.com.
Truly elite pitchers know that they have to get over mistakes quickly.
Everybody makes mistake pitches, so overcoming them and leaving them behind is the key, and Bibee learned this last year.
“The beginning of the year, he knew how great he wanted to be,” catcher Austin Hedges said. “I think if he gave up a couple runs early, he didn’t respond as well as he would have liked to, and maybe got a little bit emotional on the mound and then have an outing that he wasn’t really as pleased with.
“And then after that happened a couple times, he came out almost like a completely different guy. It happened overnight, where if something bad happened early, you could just tell he didn’t care. It was right back to business, right back to executing pitches. … So I think the growth for him and his response to failure is what’s making him into a bona fide ace in this league.”
The power of the mind is incredible.
A pitcher can be very talented, but if he crumbles at the slightest sight of adversity, his upside will be limited.
The Guardians’ ace (yes, that’ll be Bibee’s title for as long as Shane Bieber is out) now knows that he has to control his mind.
If he does that, his talent will speak for itself.
NEXT: Guardians Catcher Breaks Out With Two Home Runs
