1. “Keep your head on the ball. You’ve got to hit it first, then look where it goes. People get in trouble when they look for where the ball’s going, and they haven’t even hit it yet.”

2. “I was always told that if people don’t want a picture with you, or they don’t want an autograph from you, that doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything good.”

3. “I’m young, man. I play hard. You can’t worry about injuries.”

4. “You owe it to yourself to be the best that you can be.”

5. “The adrenaline is pumping before or during a game—you’re excited, you’re anxious. But the biggest things are just having fun and being confident. There really is no alternative because you just can’t be negative.”

6. “Technology is ruled by two types of people—those who manage what they do not understand, and those who understand what they do not manage.”

7. “Be the hardest working person you know.”

8. “I think people keep baseballs in their cars, just to be prepared in case they see me. It’s cool to get recognized in public; it’s an incredible feeling.”

9. “All I know is we’re having fun out there.”

10. “The best of hitting? You have control of what you’re doing. You’re in the box. It’s your box.”

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11. “You just have to want it more than anything else. There is always something to improve on.”

12. “I always dreamed of making it in baseball, but life has moved pretty quickly for me.”

13. “You can’t go out there and think too much, that’s when you get into trouble.”

14. “I just keep thinking about putting up good numbers, playing hard, and winning games.”

15. “You surprise yourself on some balls off the bat. You don’t think you have a chance to catch it. And then your natural ability just takes over.”

16. “The first professional game of your career is obviously the biggest, but you still get the jitters, you still get the adrenaline rush before every game. A lot of people don’t realize that, but it’s true.”

17. “As I get older every year, I’m eating better. As a kid, who can turn down chips and candy? But I’m getting better.”

18. “I’ll just try to get better each and every day.”

19. “I think just stepping out of the box, taking a deep breath. You know, I call timeout a lot, if I start thinking up there, I like to step out of the box and clear my mind. You do all your thinking in the cage before the game, once the game starts you just go out there and play baseball.”

20. “I can’t say that I’ve really achieved what I really want to be.”

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21. “If you work hard enough to achieve your goal, you will someday achieve it.” 

22. “Working hard becomes a habit. You get self-satisfaction from pushing yourself to the limit, knowing that all the effort is going to pay off.”

23. “A huge part of developing that confidence is by working hard every day, and I don’t think that is limited to the baseball field. I think that bleeds over to all aspects of anything that you’re doing or working on in life.”

24. “Never forget the power of practice.”

25. “Coming into the year, my goal was to be the best player and to make the most impact on the field. To be in the MVP talk with guys like Cabrera, it’s an incredible feeling, a hard one to explain.”

26. “As a kid, I had this ultimate goal to be a teacher. I wanted to be a history teacher like my dad.”

27. “I have always told myself that if you don’t feel those nerves and you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be playing. And I always enjoy the competition—the adrenaline rush before a game. And just competing with your buddies at the highest level, every day.”

28. “So you have to just go in that box and own it. Think positive, and it’s yours.”

29. “It’s tough, you know you got the fans, the reporters, and everybody on you. For me, it’s getting the negative out of your head. You’re gonna fail 70% of the time. You got to stay positive and get the negative out of your head. For me, it’s always thinking positive.”

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30. “My philosophy is, ‘Keep it simple.’ I think too much information for me is bad. Less is more for me. That’s why I call timeout a lot. If I’m in the box and I start thinking, I’ve got to clear my mind. Reset mode.”

31. “I was having so much fun during the year, I didn’t really think of the awards or the individual stuff. I was just trying to help the team win.” 

32. “The first couple of years in the minors were tough for me. My numbers were there, but being away from home so young was tough.”

33. “I used to get made fun of in the minor leagues. I’d be 0 for 2, and then in my last at-bat I’d hit a chopper that wouldn’t even reach the shortstop, and I’d get a hit out of it. The guys would be all over me, but a hit’s a hit. I’ll take 3,000 of ’em.”

34. “I didn’t know anything about the Angels when I first got there. But they really are a good organization.”

35. “When I made the All-Star team, that was a really big moment of my career, and that’s when all the rookie-of-the-year talk started. It really came on fast.”

36. “Growing up, I was such a picky eater. I’m finally starting to expand.”

37. “I grew up a Phillies fan. Me and my buddies tailgated a couple of times when they won the World Series. I like just being in that atmosphere.”

38. “I’m not really a big Springsteen guy. I’ll listen to the music, but I didn’t really get attached to it as much as, like, country artists. That’s really who I listen to.”

39. “No curfew. I live in the basement. I got everything I need. Home cooking—it’s awesome.”