How did MLB Top 50 draft pick Matt Mikulski go from Fordham University to the big leagues?
There is a tremendous amount of talent at all levels of baseball. You don’t need to be a Division I player in a top conference, such as the ACC or SEC, to be noticed and ultimately, drafted to play professionally.
My guest on this episode, Matt Mikulski, is a perfect example of this. He was recruited by Fordham as an undersized left-handed pitcher and ultimately, worked hard to develop into one of the best pitchers in America as a senior.
Matt talks about how he has developed as a player and a person, and how his willingness to improve made him a top 50 pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants.
What was your biggest takeaway from my conversation with Matt Mikulski?
For me, it was that being humble and coachable can lead to long-term athletic success.
Matt took his lumps as an undersized freshman recruit at a mid-major baseball program to become a top 50 Major League Baseball draft pick through hard work and the willingness to learn.
Further, Matt stresses that the name on the front of the jersey isn’t as important as the desire to be great and having confidence in yourself.
My suggestion to high school student-athletes would be to have a long-term vision to fuel daily motivation to get better. Where you start is not remotely an indicator of where you can finish.
I want to thank Matt for his kind generosity and the wisdom he shared with The Freshman Foundation Community.
You can find Matt on Instagram @mattmik_44.
You can learn more about The Freshman Foundation on our website at freshmanfoundation.com.
Thank you for listening. We’ll see you back soon for Episode 19!
Mike [00:02]
Hey Matt, how's it going?
Matt Mikulski [00:04]
Good. How are you?
Mike [00:07]
Oh, my pleasure man. Thanks for coming on. I know you're too busy [inaudible 00:10] for you getting ready for the draft and everything. How's that process been for you?
Matt Mikulski [00:14]
You know, it's exciting. For me you know, I you know, didn't go the way I wanted it to go last year, but this year, it's kind of all fallen into place. And I'm gonna be out in Denver tomorrow. I'm leaving, I'm jumping on a flight to go out there tomorrow and then the draft will be Sunday. So it's exciting times over here, for sure.
Mike [00:35]
Absolutely. Who is who's going out there with you?
Matt Mikulski [00:38]
So I got my brother, my mom, my dad and my girlfriend.
Mike [00:43]
Fantastic. That sounds like it's gonna be a once in a lifetime you know experience. I'm excited for you man. It sounds tremendous.
Matt Mikulski [00:53]
Yeah you know, I I'm blessed to be in this opportunity like into this situation. And this opportunity that I have even going down to the combine was a great experience down there being as the inaugural MLB combine you know, first one ever, and going down there having a bunch of club interviews and being on TV you know, it's just an experience that I'll never forget for sure.
Mike [01:13]
Yeah, I definitely want to ask you about that. But to take a step back, and you just tell everybody a little bit about who you are kind of what was your, what's your background in terms of you know, baseball and just athletics in general?
Matt Mikulski [01:27]
Matt Mikulski from Westchester, New York. I wear that as a little patch of pride on my sleeve. I grew up playing for sports, I was lacrosse, baseball, football, and basketball. In high school is three sport athlete. And to be completely honest like, baseball wasn't number one for me for the longest time you know, and it kind of really started to become number one for me when I got into high school. And that's when I started to realize like, hey, like, it's in between lacrosse and baseball, don't get me wrong, I love the lacrosse. But for me, it made more sense being a lefty pitcher in baseball. So I went down that route down that recruiting process and at that time, I was still playing football and basketball. So those were still, I still was playing those sports. And I was getting recruited for baseball. So my freshman year of high school was probably the first time I really started to throw in front of college coaches and stuff like that. And recruiters and for me being a 5’8, 165 pound kid, not a lot of SCC, ACC power five conferences were came calling and you know, I only have three division one offers. I'm not sure if it was three, it was probably like three to five around there. And Fordham was one of them you know, and it's the first day I visited Fordham, it was just kind of like kind of just felt like the right fit for me the perfect mixture of baseball, the rich history that Fordham baseball as being the winningest program and in college baseball history, and then combine that with the great academics and then even combine that with being in New York you know, being a New York guy being close to home. And then on top of that you're in New York City, you got a 15 minute ride down in New York City. So I think that was a definitely a factor of what played into going into Fordham. And another factor was I was gonna play right away. You know, I was I didn't want to be a kid that was going to sit on the bench from freshman to sophomore year and then finally get my opportunity junior year you know. At Fordham, I had 45 innings as a freshman, and I was put into the fire right away, which is I wanted you know, I wanted to get the experience. I wanted to play as much as I could. And after my freshman year, had some ups and downs. I ended up going out to Martha's Vineyard for that summer. Beautiful place had an amazing time out there. And that's what really opened my eyes like, oh wow, this baseball world is huge you know, from Division One athletes to Division Three athletes to Juco guys like this baseball world is huge. So that's what really exposed me to different competition and going out there and also, it really exposed me to what my early life will be like on Martha's Vineyard, you got to take a 45 minute ferry off the island every single time to go and play whether it was national or Worcester, you're going out there and you're getting on the bus for another three and a half hours, possibly five hours you know, to get to the game and then play the game and then you drive all the way back take a ferry all the way back. So I think that was an experience where really opened my eyes and like, hey like, there's a lot that goes with this baseball stuff. Like there's a lot of the mental side to it, and there's a lot every single day when you're doing a trip like that. It's bearing on the brain for sure. But for me, I think coming back my sophomore year, I earned the Friday spot as the Friday guy did decent you know, I was a sophomore and I just was thankful for the opportunity. And I went out there, I did my best. I did all right, and ended up pitching in the [inaudible 05:11] championship game ended up being dating that game. And then we went out to West Virginia, ended up pitching in our first regional in like 21 years. So that was an honor as well going out there and pitching in front of a bunch of West Virginia fans yelling at you and stuff. So that's just a great that was a great memory of mine at Fordham as well. And then after the West Virginia trip, we actually went, I went straight home, I was home for a day. And then I went up to Wareham up in the Cape Cod league. I was at Wareham for about 48 hours, two days of practice. And I wake up the next morning, get a call from the Wareham GM saying hey, like, we think you'll fit better over at Brewster, which is another team out in the cape. So I get cut from Wareham, I go to Brewster and I'm on a 10 day contract. I’m sleeping on the floor at this temporary house in front of the TV. Because there's 10 other temporary guys there who are on temporary 10 day contracts. And I was one of the only guys who ended up making it out of that house and earning a full contract, and then ended up rattling off a couple of good starts and making the all-star team out there. And for me that really opened my eyes about the confidence. Like that just boosted my confidence so much, because I felt like my stuff can play anywhere at any level you know, it doesn't matter what name is attached to somebody else's name, whether it's a SCC, ACC, PAC 10, the PAC 12 team, like I felt I could go out there and compete with the best of them. So then coming back into my junior year, I was going to take on the Friday role again, and had those four starts my junior year and then obviously COVID happened. Those four starts where I turned another corner and that's when I really started to realize my longevity, I could go deep into games and stuff like that. And after that COVID happens, I continue pitching and like continue my week to week routine as if the season isn't canceled. So I'm sneaking on fields and going to different places, either New Jersey, Connecticut, or my backyard in New York. I would do that and then after that, the draft comes up. Obviously the draft and go the way I wanted it to go. For me, it was a real moment of looking at yourself in the mirror and shown yourself what you're made of kind of facing another part of adversity in this crazy game of baseball you know, this is just another obstacle that I had to get over. And for me, my biggest thing was, how can I separate myself from the pack? And we got to work me and my team got to working. And we ended up doing the shorter arm action, as well as trying to stay connected to the ground as long as possible. And right away, we kind of saw immediate feedback to the velocity, the velocity was harder more consistently. And then after experimenting it in the summer, coming into the fall, making a little bit more adjustments, trying to be a little bit more deceptive, Coach Glenn helped me with that turning my shoulders, keeping the ball behind me. So the hitter doesn't see it until the last moment. Then we continue that into the winter. And then even when we started the season, you can see like my first two or three stars it was there. But I was just trying to get comfortable with it physically with my body and then also get comfortable with competing again, it had been a year, almost a year since I've been out there competing in a meaningful game you know. So I think that was the adjustment that I had to make going back into the season. And then once I faced St. John's at St. John's, I believe after that start, that's when I just started to get comfortable and more and more confident after each start. And I think a big tribute to that confidence was just every single day going to the field doing my routine, doing the same thing every single day dropping my bag, going to stretch and going to stretch lines and then, can you hear me? The only stretch lines and then doing my routine and then doing all that stuff before I even pick up a baseball and I think that's why the numbers were so consistent this year, rather than previous years.
Mike [09:45]
So how did you make that choice, once the season was canceled? How did you make that choice to continue on with that routine as if you were pitching during the regular season? Did anybody help you with that or was that your decision I'm just curious, because it's such a big part of performance is having effective routines?
Matt Mikulski [10:05]
Yeah, so for me, my routine is always switching up. I always am a big advocate of learning new things and learning different stuff that can get me loose. And that's really well my routine is you know, like, everybody asked me like, do I get nervous before start? And for me like, what the routine does for me, it affirms that like, it confirms that, hey, like, I have put in all the work that I possibly could have put in to this, like now it's just let it all hang loose, like let it all out and let's go and compete. Like that's the only thing that I'm thinking on the mound going out there and competing as hard as I can give him my team the best chance to win. And I think with that, like each step of my routine, I get a little bit more confident and a little bit more confident. And then once I get on that mound, I throw that first pitch. It's like unshackling chains, and I'm just like, alright, I'm ready to go. I'm out of I'm out of it. Like I'm out of the nervousness, I'm ready to go. I'm just out here to have fun and compete.
Mike [11:06]
So yeah, that's a great visual. But that's what routines are for right to put us in a position to be as effective as you can once the competition starts. That's really cool. So I want to take a step back. You mentioned Coach Glenn, Coach Glenn was on the podcast, great guy. Obviously Coach Layton, Coach Porter, the whole staff, there's great you know, I was up there for bet myself with you guys. I mean, great group of people. Can you just talk about their role in the recruiting process and sort of how that contributed to fit, but then also sort of what they've done for you during your four years there and rose hill?
Matt Mikulski [11:40]
Yeah, actually my journey is a little bit different. Coach Glenn didn't come into the picture until my junior year. And honestly my freshman year, I had Coach Larson, love Coach Larson. And I learned a bunch of stuff from him, but he left and then after that, we had Coach Franklin step in as our head as our pitching coach. But for the recruiting process, I think a big advocate of me going to Fordham for the recruiting process was coach [inaudible 12:08] he's actually the head coach at [inaudible 12:10]. And [inaudible 12:12] were probably my biggest supporters. And the biggest reasons why I went out to Fordham you know, I was very comfortable right away. I actually Coach [inaudible 12:22] is from the same town as me is from shrub oak, New York or Mohegan Lake, New York. So we kind of I guess crossed paths a bunch. And that kind of just happened you know, he actually coached my brother in freshman basketball, my older brother in freshman basketball like a couple years before he recruited me. So I think kind of the stars aligned with that one. And then once I got there, there's a lot of coaching changes. You know, I didn't have one pitching coach for consistent two years until Coach Glenn with my junior and senior year. And honestly, I've learned so much from Coach Glenn you know, we weren't, when he played we were not the same type of pitchers. I was a power lefty and he was a lefty that was crafty. And I think having that mindset this year had helped me out so much because I was able to command four pitches for a strike. And I think he's a big reason why he helped me out a lot. And even like I was saying before with a deceptiveness like at first with the short arm action, I was kind of showing the hitter the ball the whole time, but then just kind of moved my shoulders this way. And now I'm hiding the ball the whole time. So I think just little things like that, where he's been around the game for so long. And he's been around such good talent for so long that he could just pick little certain stuff like that. So I think I can't thank him enough for obviously the opportunities that he's given me and then also the confidence that he had in made going out there every either Friday or Saturday and just saying, hey, like, this is our warrior, this is our Bulldog like, go out there. We're gonna let him go out there and do this you know.
Mike [13:58]
So coming in, you said that you know, you're a freshman, you sort of knew that there was a spot for you to get some innings and get on the field as opposed to maybe sitting and watching from the dugout. So can you talk to me about that first year, like what was it like going from high school baseball right, the competition you were facing in high school, and then coming in and pitching to college hitters like, what were the biggest challenges that you have faced?
Matt Mikulski [14:22]
I think the biggest challenges I faced was learning how to pitch rather than just throw right, I was always a lefty that through pretty hard you know, I think…
Mike [14:33]
You can keep going.
Matt Mikulski [14:35]
Yeah, sorry about that. I think another thing with that was the mental side. I think like when you have so much success in high school, and you're kind of just [inaudible 14:49] guys down and then you get that wake up call. Because even my first appearance in college, I did really well against Wofford. I went like four innings, no runs and Winning Rookie of the week. So I'm riding high and all that and then the next weekend we're playing USF at USF, and I got absolutely torched. You know, so I think that's when I realized like, hey, baseball is going to humble you real quick you know. So I think I'm blessed to play the game every single day, blessed to compete every single day. But you got to be humble about it as well you know, so you got to be, you got to know that this could be the last time you ever step on the mountain you know.
Mike [15:28]
So what were some of the adjustments you made that first year? I mean obviously, I mean listen, what you just described is something a lot of athletes go through whether it's baseball players or any other sport, right, you step up in competition, everybody's just as good as you are, it's not going to be able to, you're not going to be able to just get by on your ability, you have to learn, like you said, in your case, how to pitch but like, what were some of the adjustments that you were able to make in that first year, even going into your second year that helps you start to be able to be a better pitcher?
Matt Mikulski [15:58]
Yeah, I think mechanically, a big adjustment I made my freshman year was, I used to not go over the head and my wind up. But I think what it did for me was just kind of slow me down a little bit, kind of get me in a little bit of a rhythm. So that's where I was kind of like, alright, I'm kind of learning how to pitch a little bit here. Like, I got to find the rhythm. And once I get the rhythm going, like keeping that rhythm, not trying to break the rhythm, having my catcher on the same page as me. All that stuff you don't realize in high school, in high school you're just going out there trying to win for your buddy, for all your buddies behind you, you know. So when you're there in college, and you have to make adjustments like that, in order to make it where I want to make it. You got to find different ways to adjust your game. And I think the mental side didn't really come for me until probably after my sophomore year, like when I was out in the cape. And that's when I really realized like, hey, like, my stuff can play anywhere. I don't care who's in that box. It could be a major leaguer, or it could be the worst kid on a Division One baseball team you know. For me, doesn't matter who's in that box like, it could play anywhere? All my stuff can play anywhere. So that's like, when mentally it kind of like clicked for me after the Cape Cod league.
Mike [17:18]
So was there any one experience, one at bat or one guy face that like, you can kind of highlight and say like, oh, that guy I know who he is like, I went and I and I and I beat him? Like, was there like one thing or is it just sort of like the accumulation of, Hey, I'm able to put up results every time I go out and pitch here in the cape?
Matt Mikulski [17:38]
I think it was a little bit of both, right. So my first appearance out in the cape was against Cotuit. Cotuit had the best player in the league. He ended up being the best player in the league at the end of the summer, but I pitched against them in the beginning. And I remember have his name's Nick Gonzales, he got drafted by the pirates last year. I remember having about 10 pitch at bat with him and then he flew out. But then fast forward to the all-star break and when the kids hitting every single scout just starts to kind of migrate behind the turtle just to see him hit you know, so I'm like, okay, like this kid, he's a pretty big deal. So I think that was for like an individual one. But I think when you look at these rosters on the cape, and you see like, SCC, ACC, ACC, SCC, and you see all these schools and your [inaudible 18:28] and you're shoving against them. It's like, hey, like, doesn't matter the name on the chest like, it's about like, if you can produce, right, and I think when I went out there, that was my biggest thing like, can I go out there and compete and prove to myself that I could and that's when it really like, flipped the switch for me like, I have the confidence to like pitch against anyone who steps in that box.
Mike [18:50]
Yeah. So talk to me about the COVID year again, just in terms of getting cut short. What happened with the draft that year, right? I believe you went undrafted that year because it was a shortened draft like a five rounds. So like, talk to me about how that affected you?
Matt Mikulski [19:06]
You know for me, after the, after we were told our season was canceled due to COVID. I just, I didn't know what to say to the seniors you know, it's just those guys my brothers you know, we won A10 championship together. You know, it's just still keep in contact with those guys to this day and seeing them leave and that was probably their last time at Fordham. That was a tough pill to swallow. But then obviously you move on and we had the whole COVID shutdown and you're at that point, I was sneaking on the fields to throw and stuff like that. And after that the draft comes along. I got a couple of calls but for me it just didn't happen. You know and I think yeah, went on drafted I got a bunch of free like undrafted signing offers like design for 25k or stuff like that. And for me, right after the draft happened, I already made up my mind that I was going to come back to school. And so when that period came for them to ask, I was just leaving that on hold you know, because I felt like, I could go back to school and do a little bit better. And I felt like I was having a great season, my junior year until the COVID season happened, or the COVID happened. So I think with me, it was really just like taking a long hard look at myself in the mirror and realizing like, hey, like, I know what I'm here for like, I know what I'm made to do. And yeah, that's for me, I just decided like, we got to go back to work, it's time to go back to work and that's it. Like, I think the biggest component of that experience was like, sticking to my guns you know, staying confident and like, knowing who I am as a person you know. So I think that was the biggest thing for sure.
Mike [21:08]
Yeah, I don't get the sense that there's too much doubt you know inside it. It seems like you're pretty confident guy, which obviously you need to have to be a baseball player at any level, because it's just like you said, it's a humbling game. But it's interesting because I was reading an article before we got on. And it was basically like, talking about how you had to prove something, right? Coming back as a senior proving right Capcom, the word kept coming up, right? It sounds like that see that Junior getting cut short, not getting drafted was really a significant motivator for you to come back and say, you know what like, I'm gonna step it up. And when I'm a senior, I'm going to get to exactly where I want to go.
Matt Mikulski [21:52]
Yeah, and I think people kind of get it wrong like, I had to prove people wrong. Like, I don't care what anybody else says. Like, it's more so proven myself, right. You know, like, what I look at myself in the mirror and I know like, what I need to do to get to that spot. And I think it was more so proving myself correct more, rather than proving people wrong. And I think people get that mixed up like, oh, he went back to school, and he proved all these people wrong like, No, that's not it at all. I don't have any qualms against anybody you know, it was more so proven to myself like, Hey, I can do this you know, so I think that was the biggest thing.
Mike [22:30]
So this past year, your senior year, obviously was a lights out year for you, right? You know, your numbers are great. You're a semifinalist for golden spikes, you were [inaudible 22:42] year in the A10. Like, just talk to me about that run this year in terms of like, how it went like you know, just what was it like?
Matt Mikulski [22:51]
You know, it just felt like every single game that I pitched in was the other teams World Series and that's how I want it to be you know. I want people, I want that target on my back. I want people to try as hard as they can to try their hardest and bring their A game every single time because that's what it was, for me this year you know, being the preseason a temperature of the year. Every team that I played this year knew me you know. So they knew that they had to bring their A game for that game. And for me, it just felt like the way I approached a lot of these games, and this is an Elliot Glen little tidbit that we worked on together. I approach these games like there were nine rounds, seven round fights, like a boxing match you know. You go out there, the first inning throw, get your three outs, get your shots in, throw your stuff, and then you get to sit down through for however long you get your rest. And then you go back out and you get your three outs, get your shots in, and you sit down, you get your rest, then you go back out, you serve and get your shots and you go down, get your rest. So I think that was a big thing, just short minimizing the game, right? Like, get these next three, get these next three, get these next three like, that's all that matters, the task at hand like, this round is the most important round, this round is or inning is the most important inning. So I think that was the biggest thing.
Mike [24:16]
I mean, having gotten to know Coach Glenn a little bit, I know what a big proponent he is of working on the mental side of baseball. And I think that approach of kind of breaking it into smaller pieces, and attacking it that way really makes everything less daunting. And it becomes more about the process of how do I get through this ending versus you know, oh, I have to deliver these results over the course of a game which like there's just too much that can happen, right? You just got one pitch at a time. You talked about mechanical adjustments. Obviously, that was something that maybe was sort of getting in the way or kind of you know, not letting you be as effective as you could be. Can you talk about the process of I know you've talked about some of the adjustments, but can you talk about the process that you had to go through to kind of make those changes?
Matt Mikulski [25:05]
Yes. So I guess the biggest change that everybody likes to talk about is the shortening of the arm action. For me, a lot of people asked me if I use some type of sleeves here to work on the arm action. And for me, being a quarterback my whole life, the cue for me was just throw like a quarterback right. And I think immediately I saw the feedback, especially just catch play, how true the ball was staying, how well behind the ball, I was stand. And I think, what I didn't realize before the arm action that I realized now is, when I was long, my lower half would be moving quicker than my arm. So my lower half already going to the play my arms all the way back here with the shortening of the arm action, it really just got my body into sync, you know. And that's why I think you saw the [inaudible 25:54] jumped, you saw a couple 97, 98, 99 mile an hour fastball is this year, from just being in sync with my body a little bit more. And another adjustment that I made, that Coach Glenn and I made that I think gets overlooked a lot was my heel, right. So instead of having my heel straight on the mound, let's say this is the rubber and having my foot straight on the mound, moving it this way. And just thinking, like it's a deadlift, right, and having my having that back foot, stay into the ground and use the ground as much as possible to try and get my foot through the mound, and keep it on the ground as long as possible to get as much power as I possibly could. And I think that's an adjustment that gets overlooked a lot, just because of how the short arm act because the short arm actually, I look like a completely different picture you know, and I think those two adjustments were huge. And then obviously having that mentality like, Hey, I have the confidence from the Cape and I'm throwing harder now. And my stuff is better now like, I felt like, especially a lot this year, like this team shouldn't even be on the same field as me you know, I mean like, I got to go out there and just be the guy, right? I got to go out there and be the alpha guy. So I felt like a lot of the times this year I was just going out there and just it was a dogfight every single time and I didn't mind it at all you know. Because for me, it's like getting up once a week, and then you get to have the routine settle in for the next six days. And then [inaudible 27:30] is back to fight night for the next week and inspect the fight night to the next week. So I think having that mentality helped me out so much this year, and I think it's just gonna carry on throughout my career.
Mike [27:42]
Yeah, I was gonna say you know, that's what I was thinking when you're sort of finishing up your comment, which is you know, you're gonna have to maintain that mentality right, because the next level from what I understand, because I was never there from the people I know that have been there, it's a step up, right? In terms of the grind of it, it's a job, right. You're getting paid to do a job and keeping that day to day kind of lunch pail mindset. It’s so huge because there's probably going to be so many ups and downs.
Matt Mikulski [28:11]
Yeah. And I think like, the summer leagues that I've been in, have helped me prepare for the grind, right. Just waking up every day, get into the field at a certain time for early work and then after that, having your whole routine before the game, and then the game. And obviously after the game, it's eight, nine o'clock at night, and you're going back home or a hotel, and you got to wake up and do the same exact thing the next day. But I think what the summer leagues also really taught me is how much I love baseball you know like, there's nothing I'd rather be doing on in the summer, than going out and going to the field every single day. So I think the summer leaves are huge for kids like coming up in college and stuff. And I encourage these kids and encouraged a lot of the guys coming up to play in the summer leagues, because if you want to get to that next level, this is like a perfect. Not, it's not the exact replica but it's there. You know, there's a lot of similarities between summer baseball and pro ball so.
Mike [29:17]
And you mentioned before, about sort of when you're going through the explanation about your mechanics, right, sort of mimicking or visualizing a deadlift right, keeping that heel down, right. So I mean, I spent a little time and in the weight room there to Fordham. Can you talk about like your progression you know, from like a physical development standpoint, it sounds like you've grown a lot, right? Obviously you're big strong tall guy now. Doesn't sound like you were huge at one point. Obviously, you go from high school to college, the weight program changes like, what's that been like for you going through those four years in terms of developing physically?
Matt Mikulski [29:56]
Yeah, I mean for me, when I submitted the forum, I was like 5”8’, 165 pounds. That was in my junior year of high school. And then going from my junior year to my senior year, I went from 5”8’ to 6’’ foot. So I made probably the biggest leap in height from then. And then when I got to Fordham, I was probably around 6” foot, 6” foot and a half, 61’. And then leaving Fordham I was, so I got in as a freshman, like 6” foot 165 170. And then I left Fordham being 6” foot 205. So I grew and then I got expanded as well. So I think I was a little bit of a late bloomer. And my dad would always tell me that especially like in basketball, because I was I was a huge basketball player played on like AU national teams and stuff like that. And I'd always be looking around and all these kids are so much bigger than me. And I'd always be like, what am I going to, when am I going to grow? When am I going to grow? And it finally happened, of course, when I stopped playing basketball but you know, it was a blessing in disguise. But at the same time, I kind of knew that I was going to develop like that, I kind of knew that I was going to at some point, I grow into my body a little bit more and stuff. And I think physically like, in high school, I wasn't really introduced to a lot of weightlifting programs you know. Once I got to Fordham, you get that weightlifting program. And what you're doing each week is kind of just like, it's showing you the routine you know, that goes around the baseball routine as well.
Mike [31:34]
Yeah, and that's kind of what I was sort of getting at, which is you know, I know a lot of high school athletes, like they don't have structured way training programs, right. And then you go to college, and you're learning all these you know, Olympic movements, explosive movements, the cleans, the deadlifts, right, all that stuff. And so it's a big jump a lot of times for athletes who've never done it before, right. But there's such a, there's such a growth curve there, was clearly like obviously, you grew up, and there's nothing you could do about that but you've also gotten bigger and stronger. And that's a testament to the weight training and the work you're putting in in the weight room. So that's pretty cool. So obviously, you're coming up on a big transition here, are you graduated now from Fordham?
Matt Mikulski [32:14]
I am a graduate of Fordham. I graduated back in June. Yeah, thank you very much.
Mike [32:19]
That’s awesome. Right. So like, we talked about your prepare for the draft right, like, so what's been like, the biggest thing that you've had to kind of work on through this process or like, what's the one thing that's been you know, about the draft process itself that's been kind of what you focused on?
Matt Mikulski [32:38]
So this year obviously, is a lot different than last year you know, we weren't really allowed to leave our house. So this year, we had the first inaugural draft combine. And I saw that as an opportunity you know for me, being from a major school, it's not like I really get a lot of camera time and stuff. So are these teams don't know the other side, they just see the, the dog that's on the mound that's spitting everywhere, after a big out and yelling his head off after a big out and stuff like that. So I think what really helped me out a lot was going down to these club interviews and kind of showing the other side you know, and because realistically, I'm not like anything like I am on the mound you know, I'm very laid back and stuff like that. So I think it was very good for to go down there, do these interviews and stuff like that. And then also, I ended up on MLB network you know, that's been a dream of mine forever you know, so I think, and I think that was just, there was literally a dream come true. You know, and I think coming back, I'm really not that stressed. You know, I'm just kind of trying to enjoy every single day trying to enjoy the experience live in a moment you know, because this is only going to happen once. So I think that's what I've been trying to focus on especially, I mean, tomorrow's a big travel day and then get there safely and then the next day is the big day or even Monday is the big day.
Mike [34:11]
So we'll see what happens. What are you gonna miss most about being a Fordham?
Matt Mikulski [34:15]
You know, the one thing I will miss the most is probably the community. You know like, from the athletic trainers to the strength coaches, I actually said goodbye to one of my strength coaches who's been here since my freshman year. His name's [inaudible 34:31]. I had to say goodbye to him, he had a got a better job offer. And you know, it's just even the coaches and from compliance and even from you guys being the sports psychologist and stuff like that, like from the top to the bottom you know. It's just, I'll miss that for sure. And then obviously, I'll miss showing up to the field. My brother's every single day you know, and I think yeah, you know, the one thing I'll definitely miss as dog piling on our field, and that's one of the best moments of my life. So I think that's something I'll miss a lot just like the camaraderie with the guys, and I'm sure I'll have it at the next level. But with, it's something that's a little bit different when it's in college you know.
Mike [35:17]
Yeah, I think so. That's the sense I get as well you know, especially when you're competing at the professional level for spots, right? You're getting paid. And there's guys who are much older than you, maybe they have families, but at the same time like baseball, and I have to imagine that when you win as a team, regardless of the level, you're still gonna have those same memories and those same experiences. So I'm going into it right, obviously, you don't know what's going to happen. But regardless of what happens with you know, the draft in Denver next couple of days like, is there anything that you kind of are looking forward to or you're working on, as you kind of move on to that next phase of your career?
Matt Mikulski [35:58]
You know, I'm just looking forward to like I said, like the college baseball. When I came in my freshman year, the college baseball world was so big, it's so vast, but what's even better about baseball is that the professional level is even bigger and filled with more knowledge you know. So I think I'm more, I'm most excited about the knowledge that I've gained from baseball you know, and I think that's one thing. And then also, I'm excited to just go out there and compete you know, I feel like even I pitched my last Fordham pitch was the end of May. So I'm just excited to go out there and compete again, and then I'm trying to do everything I can to help my team win you know, and that I know, if I focus on that, then all the external stuff will take care of itself. And hopefully, I'll be up there pretty soon you know
Mike [36:50]
Absolutely, control what you can control.
Matt Mikulski [36:53]
Exactly
Mike [36:54]
It applies it at every level in every walk of life. But that's, I think that's a good approach. So, do you know what that like following the draft? Like, do you know what that looks like, when do you, when would you go and move on to wherever you have to go to the next sort of the first level of minor league ball?
Matt Mikulski [37:15]
I think it really depends on the team. You know, it really depends on where I land. And you know, at that point, I'm doing whatever they tell me to do. Because that's it you know, so I think I'll be living the dream. That's it.
Mike [37:29]
Yeah, that's right. For most of us have watched up baseball players that ends somewhere for everybody, right? Whether you're 18, 22 or 40, right. At some point, it comes to an end. So to have the opportunity to play is, is a pretty cool thing. And it's clear that that's something that is really exciting for you. So I'm excited for you. So as we finish up here, I guess the last question I always like to ask my guests is, if there's one thing that you could say, or one piece of advice that you could give to particularly like a young baseball player, given the position that you're in like, what would it be?
Matt Mikulski [38:09]
I think a lot of kids have talent. A lot of kids work hard. But are you willing to dedicate your life to this game? Are you willing to sacrifice birthdays? Your mom's birthday? Your dad's birthday? Your brother's birthday? Are you willing to miss out on family vacations for this sport? And that's, if you want to be in my shoes right now, I will tell you that that's what I did. That's the four things that I did. Not only did I have the talent, not only did I work hard, but I dedicated myself to the game. And I feel like I have made so many sacrifices from when I was nine to now you know. I think it's just to sacrifice and dedicate yourself to this game, it brings you closer to it, and it shows the real love hate relationship with baseball you know. So it's just, I think that would be the advice that I would tell kids you know.
Mike [39:05]
I think it's good advice. And I think that's a good way to end our conversation. So Matt, I appreciate you coming on man. It was great to talk to you. I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope everything goes the way you want it to and obviously we're going to keep an eye out for you. You know, in your professional career, we should be getting started pretty soon here.
Matt Mikulski [39:24]
Absolutely. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me.
Mike [39:27]
It's my pleasure. Thanks, Matt.
Matt Mikulski [39:29]
Yup.