Summer is one of the best times to make big jumps as a baseball player. You’ve got more flexibility, more game reps, more chances to train on your own — but just having the opportunity to get better doesn’t guarantee you will. If you want to actually maximize your development, you need more than just a busy schedule. You need a plan. You need a goal. And you need to know what success actually looks like.
It all starts with setting the right goal. A good goal is something that’s Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART). You’re not just saying “I want to get better.” You’re saying what you want to improve, how you’ll measure it, and you’re setting a realistic timeline to get there. A solid, realistic summer goal might be gaining a few miles per hour, developing an off-speed pitch you can trust in games, or improving your in-game mental approach and confidence. If you’re going into your summer season without that level of clarity, how do you even know what you’re trying to accomplish? You might get a little better just from showing up and competing, but your progress is capped without real direction. It’s like taking swings without aiming for a target — you’ll hit something eventually, but you probably won’t hit what matters most.
Your goal doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be specific and focused. Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can actually define what success looks like and start building toward it.
After you set your goal, you need to map out appropriate benchmarks to track your progress. Let’s say you want to develop a curveball this summer. Your first benchmark might be the shape of the pitch — are you getting the movement profile you want? Next, you might focus on location — can you consistently throw it for a strike or spot it to a specific quadrant? Finally, you’ll want to track execution — can you actually throw it effectively in game situations? Without those benchmarks, it’s easy to feel like you’re working hard but not really know if you’re getting anywhere.
And this is where most players — and even some coaches — fall short. Setting the goal and tracking progress is one thing. But the most important part is realistically assessing where you’re at and adjusting as you go. The summer can fly by so fast that you can lose track of where you’re at. I recommend players assess their goals at least every other week. This gives you enough time to see real progress, but still keeps you on pace to make meaningful adjustments to your process and training when you need to. A simple self-check format works: “What’s going well? What’s not? What needs adjusting?”
One of the best ways to track this is by journaling. When I was training in the summer, I would write down everything I did — tracking the type of day it was (gameday, bullpen, recovery day, etc.), what I did well and why, what felt off and why, and what I needed to adjust going forward. Keeping a journal helps you stay honest with yourself, gives you a clear picture of your process, and lets you look back at what actually worked.
And this is the hardest part — the part a lot of players struggle with. It’s frustrating when things don’t click right away. It’s discouraging when progress stalls. But development is not supposed to be a straight line. There are going to be setbacks, rough outings, and days where you feel like you’re going backward. The key is understanding that if your plan is solid, and if you keep showing up and adjusting when needed, you will work through it.
The summer is full of opportunity. You can play more games, you can train on your own schedule, and you can focus on what you really need. But if you’re just hoping to “get better” without defining what that actually means, you’re leaving a lot on the table.
Set a clear goal. Track it. Adjust when you need to. Journal it. Stay honest with yourself. That’s how you win the summer.
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