Josh Gessner
@GessnerJosh
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Professional Baseball @Rangers | On a mission to become a better athlete, thinker and understand the world. Building: The Curious Competitor
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In 2019, I signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
5 years later, I haven't played in a single MLB game.
Here's how the Minor Leagues work (and what it's like to be one):
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Most people are unhappy.
So, I've spent 100 hours studying Naval Ravikant over 2 years .
What I found?
Naval's Happiness Theory:
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Most people are horrible at building muscle.
So I spent 10+ hours binging Andrew Huberman podcasts.
What I found?
The Huberman Muscle-Building Protocol:
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I've listened to 100s of podcasts.
This one's easily in my Top 5.
Here's 10 controversial truths about life (that you've never heard):
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Boom. That's it!
If you liked this thread you would love my newsletter.
I do deep dives on evidence-based frameworks and tools for personal growth.
Fuel your Learning Engine ⬇️:
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You're constantly moving.
There are 6 levels in the Minor Leagues:
Rookie ball
A
A+
AA
AAA
MLB
Each level has a team in a different location - many in small, remote towns.
At any time you can be sent up or down.
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It's humbling.
Out of Australia, I was the best pitcher on every team.
As a Minor Leaguer - I was no longer special.
Everyone was the best player on their previous team.
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In 2019, I was plagued by the 'Yips'.
For 3 years, I struggled with the crazy phenomenon.
Here's what it is (and how to overcome it):
@FlatgroundApp
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Yamamoto just signed a 12 year, $325 million contract.
So I spent *hours* binging Japanese video to study him.
What I found?
• Why he eliminated the leg lift
• Why he throws javelins
• Grips and Cues for his pitches
Let’s Dive In ⬇️:
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#Dodgers
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You compete agaisnt the opponent - and your teammates.
When I signed my contract in 2019, I was thrust into a harsh reality:
There are ~200 minor leaguers competing for 1 spot in the MLB team.
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They're also your best friends.
Despite competing against each other, it doesn't feel like it.
You spend more time with your teammates than your family and friends.
They become your best friends, and the best part of being a baseball player.
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Most... Won't make it.
There are 5500+ minor leaguers for 780 spots in the Big Leagues.
On top of that, the draft occurs every year.
New players come in, underperforming players get cut.
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You travel to places... you've never heard of.
In 2022 and 2023 I spent most of my time in Kinston, NC playing for the Down East Wood Ducks.
Without baseball - I wouldn't have known it existed.
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The ideal scenario is that you move up 1-2 levels each year.
But sometimes injuries and bad performances get in the way.
My career trajectory:
2019: Rookie Ball
2020: COVID cancelled season
2021: Rookie Ball
2022: A
2023: A/ A+
2024: A+
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Sometimes - you'll hate baseball.
In 2021 I had a bad case of the throwing yips.
Basically, I couldn't throw a baseball remotely accurately.
I not only hated my job - I dreaded it.
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The goal is worth it.
Financially, minimum wage in the MLB is $740,000.
A couple years can change your life.
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Baseball becomes your job.
When you sign, you receive a bonus ranging from $5k - $8 million+.
I signed for $1.2 million.
With it, I placed expectations on myself and turned into a job rather than a passion.
The best ones are able to keep it fun.
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But even more meaningful:
You get to call yourself a Big Leaguer for life.
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It's not glamorous - but it's not bad either.
Recent changes have made it so that teams cover housing and most food.
Our salary ranges from 25k-35k for a season to cover other expenses.
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Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
The Prisoner's Dilemma.
Let's start with the most non-obvious example:
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Happiness is a skill that can be learned.
Over the years, Naval went from a 2/10 to 9/10 in happiness.
"Happiness... is a highly personal skill that can be learned, like fitness or nutrition.
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In 2023, the 'Sweeper' became its own pitch type.
It dominated baseball and created a 'Sweeper Craze'.
Here's what it is (and how to throw it):
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You learn valuable lessons - the hard way.
Work ethic, Discipline, Emotional Control.
The best lessons come from being humiliated on the baseball field.
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I just read about a crazy phenomenon...
The Cobra Effect:
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Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
The Prisoner's Dilemma.
Let's start with the most non-obvious example:
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You get every chance to reach your potential.
The organizations provide you with every resource.
• Coaches
• Technology
• Knowledge and Support
Teams spend millions on getting their minor league players better.
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A Japanese Philosophy for Exponential Improvement in Life...
The Kaizen Mentality:
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Happiness is when nothing is missing.
It's when you remove the sense that something is missing from your life.
We constantly walk around thinking:
"I need this, I need that"
Which keeps us trapped in unhappiness.
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Happiness is a choice.
Nature has no concept of happiness or unhappiness.
You’re born, you have a whole set of sensory experiences and then you die.
How you choose to interpret them is up to you - its your choice.
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I just read about a phenomenon:
The Cobra Effect.
Here's the crazy origin story (and the power of second-order thinking):
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Your body will hurt more than it doesn't.
Squeezing performance out of your body day in and day out - means you'll be hurting.
It becomes the norm.
Any day you're good enough to compete is a good day.
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@FlatgroundApp
I no longer play for the Phillies - I was in a trade in 2021.
Another aspect of Baseball:
You can get traded to another team at any time!
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If you're a Baseball Player in your teens, let me save you 100+ hours.
If I started over, here are the 3 things I would do to get recruited to a D1:
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In 2019, Yu Darvish (
@faridyu
) thought his career was over.
In 2020, he placed 2nd in Cy Young votings.
I spent *hours* binging Japanese video to find out what changed.
What I found?
A Revolutionary Training Method.
Let’s Dive In ⬇️:
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#Padres
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Happiness is the absence of desire.
"Desire is a contract you make with yourself until you get what you want."
We go about our lives desiring things all day long and wonder why we're unhappy.
One overwhelming desire, let go of everything else.
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If you enjoyed this or learned something:
1. Retweet this thread to someone it might help
2. Follow me
@GessnerJosh
for more writing like this.
In 2019, I signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
5 years later, I haven't played in a single MLB game.
Here's how the Minor Leagues work (and what it's like to be one):
580
3K
33K
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Happiness is presence.
A very small percentage of our brain is focused on the present.
Most of the time, its worry about the future or regretting the past.
This is what makes being grateful so hard.
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Shohei Ohtani. Ichiro. Darvish.
What they have in common?
They all played in Koshien.
I spent *hours* researching the biggest amateur event in Japan.
What I found?
5 CRAZY stories.
Let’s Dive in ⬇️:
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@PitchingNinja
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How to Develop an Elite Lower Half in 4 Easy Steps:
Let's Dive in: ⬇️
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@flatgroundapp
)
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In 2017 I threw 77mph, and prepared for university as a non-athlete.
18 months later, I threw 95mph and signed a professional baseball contract.
Here's the process (behind the scenes):
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Why Dumb People Think They're Smart.
The Dunning Kruger Effect:
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30 yr old Jeff Bezos worked at D.E. Shaw, a Wall St hedge fund...
But we know him as the billionaire founder of Amazon.
What changed?
The Bezos Regret Minimization Framework:
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A concept that changed my life.
Thinking in First Principles:
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How Yu Darvish *Drastically* Improved his Fast Ball Metrics:
An inspiration from the wrestling world…
Let’s Dive In ⬇️:
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Happiness is peace.
During moments of great pleasure:
• kite-surfing
• laughing with a friend
• looking at an incredible sunset
Your mind goes silent.
You're at peace.
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Happiness is less anxiety
Anxiety is a series of running thoughts, the constant chattering of the mind.
How Naval combats anxiety:
“Would I rather be having this thought right now, or would I rather have my peace?”
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Happiness is total insignificance of self.
The universe doesn't conform to your desires.
We're insignificant bacteria in the vast universe.
Life is just the way it is. And accepting that - brings peace.
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Shota Imanaga just signed a 4 year, $53 million contract.
I spent *hours* binging Japanese video to study him.
What I found?
• How he Throws his Elite 4 seam FB
• What his Mechanical Cues are
• His Unique Change-up Grips
Let’s Dive in ⬇️:
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@Flatgroundapp
#Cubs
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Building muscle is essential for athletic performance.
So I spent *hours* binging Andrew Huberman podcasts.
What I found?
The Huberman Muscle-Building Protocol:
Powered by
@flatgroundapp
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Only put effort into the throw AT release.
Before release, Imanaga consciously thinks of relaxing his arm and body.
He explains it as: Letting gravity take the arm for a brief moment.
This allows him to have well timed intent.
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The 3 common traits of ultra successful people:
1) Superiority complex.
Having ambitious dreams and belief that you're meant for great things.
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Happiness is embracing death.
You’re going to die one day, and none of this is going to matter.
"Enjoy yourself. Do something positive. Project some love. Make someone happy. Laugh a little bit. Appreciate the moment."
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How Darvish *drastically* improved his Fastball:
Throwing like you’re about to unleash a Lariat.
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@flatgroundapp
)
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2) Crippling sense of insufficiency.
Fear that you'll never be enough if you stop, so you keep pushing.
3) Impulse control.
Ability to delay gratification and stay focused on the main goal.
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How I got Recruited to my "Dream" D1 School (step-by-step process):
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Why Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wore the same outfit everyday...
Decision Fatigue:
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Happiness is built by habits.
• Meditation
• Eliminate desires
• Spend your time learning, earning or relaxing.
"Essentially, you have to go through your life replacing your thoughtless bad habits with good ones"
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Happiness is destroyed by envy.
Envy is poison that can eat you alive if you let it follow you around.
"If you’re not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous."
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How to Become a Professional Baseball Pitcher - Even if You’re 16 and Throw 78mph:
@FlatgroundApp
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Senga’s ‘Ghost Fork’ had an incredible 59.5% whiff rate on swings in 2023.
So, I binged *Japanese* video on how he throws it.
What I found?
• His Grip and Cues
• Why he doesn’t “split” his fingers
• The 3 splitter variations
Let’s Dive in ⬇️:
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Don’t seek Brilliance. Avoid being Stupid.
Inversion Thinking.
A mental model to enhance your problem-solving skills (and outperform the competition):
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A concept that challenged everything I thought I knew...
The Arrival Fallacy:
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So now we know to maximize muscle growth:
1) Focus on contracting the muscle as hard as possible
2) Use 30-80% of your 1RM, and get close to failure
3) perform 5-15 sets per muscle group, per week.
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You're the output of your work, not the outcome.
If you can look at yourself and confidently say:
“I did everything I possibly could”
That’s a win, regardless of the outcome.
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Happiness is in the mind.
The mind is as malleable as the body.
We try to change the external world, all while neglecting our minds.
"Memory and identity are burdens from the past preventing us from living freely in the present."
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We're taught that we need to lift to grow our muscles.
But most people don’t know what is actually required for a muscle to grow.
This is a problem, because most of us are training the wrong way.
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To Baseball Players in your Teens:
I was a 16 yr old throwing 78mph.
If I can become a professional, so can you.
Here's how:
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Hot Take: Consistency isn't enough to learn a skill.
Here's my 3 part theory:
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Happiness is not success.
We all encounter hedonic adaptation: we quickly get used to anything.
Happiness is separate from your external situation.
"The idea you’re going to change the outside world, to bring you peace, everlasting joy, and happiness is a delusion"
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Happiness is acceptance
We don’t always get what we want, but sometimes what is happening is for the best.
The sooner you can accept it as reality:
The sooner you can adapt to it, and find peace.
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A concept I can't stop thinking about...
Parkinson's Law.
Here's how to beat it (by using the Lion Framework):
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Happiness is all there is.
There is no legacy.
There’s nothing to leave.
We’re all going to be gone.
Our children will be gone.
"In the grand scheme of things, the Universe has been around for ten billion years. It’ll be around for another ten billion years."
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High Agency Living.
High agency is doing what you want, regardless of what others think.
Getting push back from others - is the leading indicator you're on the right path.
The cynics get to be right every time, until it actually matters.
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In 2017 I was a 16 yr old throwing 78mph.
In 2019 I hit 95mph at 18.
Here’s how (step-by-step):
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In life, we must choose our regrets.
Regret is an unavoidable part of our existence:
Choose the one you can live with.
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Happiness is a responsibility.
Our lives are a blink of an eye firefly in the night.
We need to take advantage of the time we have here.
We have the responsibility to be happy for the small amount of time we have.
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This brings us to protocol
#1
)
Mind Muscle Connection.
For hypertrophy:
• Instead of lifting your max weight,
• Contract the muscle as hard as possible
• Almost like the muscle is about to cramp.
But you can't just lift with any weight.
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Protocol
#2
) Use weights in between 30 - 80% of your 1 rep max.
The number of reps doesn't matter.
What matters: Performing these sets close to failure.
By the end of the set you should only be able to squeeze out 1-2 additional reps.
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This story gave birth to the Cobra Effect.
The Cobra Effect:
When good intentions backfire, and have unintended negative consequences.
What can we learn from this?
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Lower Body:
• Quadriceps: leg extension/hack squats
• Hamstrings: leg curls/glute-ham-raises
• Calves: standing raises/seated raises
Week 1: 3 sets of 8~15, 90 secs rest
Week 2: 3 sets of 4~8, 2~4 min rest
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How to get more carry on your FB:
Instead of throwing it straight,
• Throw it downwards
• Pull down on the seams
Shota Imanaga (
@Cubs
) demonstrates below:
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Outwork your self doubt.
"You don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror:
But by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are."
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I'm obsessed with Shohei Ohtani.
So, I spent 100+ hours studying Japanese video on what makes him the GOAT.
Here’s what I found: ⬇️
(powered by
@flatgroundapp
)
#dodgers
#ohtani
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The KING of Baseball:
Shohei Ohtani.
I spent *hours* binging Japanese video to study him.
What I found?
5 Principles that propel him to greatness.
Let's dive in: ⬇️
@FlatgroundApp
#Ohtani
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Protocol
#3
) Perform 5-15 sets per muscle group, per week.
Generally performing closer to 15 sets will yield better results.
But as long you're getting 5 near-failure sets per week, you will see results.
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