The Champion of the Baseball Stars of the major leagues and the World Series, JD Martinez, signed with Joola. Photo: Mattpendletonphoto / Instagram
Pickleball is everywhere these days, and it is too tempting to say no and ignore sport. Its popularity has skyrocketed in the United States, with tennis players and corporate sponsors leading the charge. In fact, many passionate picklers are former tennis players who find pickleball more attractive than the sport they have left. Until recently, it was unknown for pickleball to make important breakthroughs in any sport outside of tennis.
According to ESPN, Pickleball has become a surprising hot topic in the Major Baseball League (MLB). Sport quickly gained ground as a favorite training activity among players and staff. Its popularity has increased so much that some teams have even built dedicated pickleball land in their spring training facilities in Arizona and Florida.
“This is the most available subject for my seven years with the Dodgers (Los Angeles),” said launcher coach Mark Prior.
Super far to build camaraderie
MLB players, coaches, referees and officials are so hung on sports that pickleball matches have almost become the standard. It is now the favorite discount activity among the experienced pro MLB.
A member of the Texas Rangers support staff explained why this racket sport has become so popular, despite rules and dynamics entirely different from baseball. While the two sports differ considerably, their shared use of a bat and a bullet could offer a familiar feeling that attracts players.
“It’s a great way to stay active. There is a camaraderie. Teamwork. It makes our juice advance,” said Mark.
The craze is not limited only to practice sessions. The Milwaukee Brewers field coach Matt Erickson is currently n ° 1 from the MLB to Pickleball. He is also the vice-president of the team’s pickleball operations. Matt Arnold sits right behind him 2 in the ranking.
The passion of the MLB for pickleball, however, is not only a simple adventure to live a newly created sport. The increase in the popularity of pickleball on its rival racket sports in the most fiercely competitive baseball league in the world is a well -calculated decision.
“High level skills on both sides, a psychological advantage and a psychological advantage over opponents, a high engine, high intention and a Bird type competitor,” said Arnold.
Pickleball has also become an excellent opportunity to dismantle the spring monotony for dodgers. But for the Texas Rangers, it has become an essential element of their March 2023 towards the first world championship of the organization.
Rangers’ support staff were so obsessed with sport that they even played outside in temperatures at 40 degrees in Chicago at the start of the season. The group, led by the Physiotherapist of the REGAN WONG team, has been there for several years.
There are also unofficial rivalries, with the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners playing the pickleball between them, the losing rangers.
Too obsession with a drawback?
Some teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Padres de San Diego even went commensurate with the launch of their internal tournaments during travel on the way, with coaches, officials and players forming their own teams to compete in a new court. And it’s not a friendly tournament. Sometimes the competition is so heated that the pickleball tournament must be stopped just to maintain calm.
And it may be a drawback. The star of Dodgers Mookie Betts is well known for his skills on the pickleball field, but he told ESPN that he would return to play more golf.
His decision can be influenced by the president of Dodgers baseball operations, Andrew Friedman. “We had a lot of conversations on this subject last spring. I do not think it is a good thing for the ultimate success of Dodgers for many guys to play pickleball,” he observed.
However, not all teams are on the same wavelength. A player who is very serious about Pickleball is the former All-Star JD Martinez, who is currently a free agent and may soon change his allegiance to Pickleball because his future in baseball does not seem too promising these days.
Martinez has already signed with Joola, a big brand of Pickleball, which has signed some of the biggest players in sport, including Ben Johnson. If we believe the media reports, he has already started working on a transition to professional pickleball.
