Confidence May Be More Physiology Than a Simple Choice

Using a baseball player's postseason comments, the article considers whether confidence is something people can simply choose. It argues that confidence also has a physiological dimension and that mindset alone may not make high performance available, particularly when someone is injured.

Milwaukee swept Los Angeles in the NLCS, and MVP Jake Bauers described choosing confidence and self-belief while shifting from results to competing. The FOX panel—Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, and Kevin Burkhardt—described the Brewers’ assurance as palpable in the clubhouse and dugout after the Dodgers had swept them the previous year.

The piece contrasts this with Shohei Ohtani, whose knee and biceps injuries coincided with a .192 postseason average (5-for-26, 10 strikeouts). It cites Bauers’ 12-pitch walk versus Yoshinobu Yamamoto and 11th-pitch homer off Blake Snell. Hitting a 2.9-inch ball at 100 mph requires split-second visual, head, and body coordination; simulated-batting research found expert hitters who monitored swing mechanics made more errors and showed greater movement variability.