Johansen Baseball 2.0

We kick off our final series of 2026, The Players Series, where we flip the script and learn from players about their journey, where they are now, and how they trained. Repeat guest Ryan Fitzgerald ("Fitzy") joins the show fresh off a 2026 season where he led all of Triple-A in hits.

Ryan and Fitzy get into what changed mentally after a year of DFAs and roster moves: "You literally can control almost nothing." His answer was to "care so much that I don't care," and stop wasting energy on a system he can't change.

In this episode:
- Control what you can: how pressing and being upset about not getting called up once led to injuries and a bad year, and why he didn't let it happen again
- The clubhouse matters: why a good group of guys who don't ride the roller coaster is "very underrated"
- Develop before you chase tournaments: looking back, Fitzy wishes he had spent more time developing at a young age instead of driving every weekend to tournaments. He didn't lift until his senior year of high school.
- Keep development fun: external cues over a head full of "elbow up, swing flat" mechanics. He says he never got results until he stopped thinking that way.

About Ryan Fitzgerald: Fitzy is a Hinsdale, Illinois native who played at Creighton. He went undrafted, started in independent ball, and then played in the Red Sox, Royals, and Twins organizations, making his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2025. The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed him in January 2026, and he spent 2026 with Triple-A Oklahoma City. There he led all of Triple-A with 172 hits and the Pacific Coast League with 35 doubles, hitting .315 with 16 home runs and 102 RBI.

Want to hear more from Fitzy? Go back to Season 1, Episode 3: "Do Slumps Exist? - Ft. Ryan Fitzgerald & Tyler Osik."

Ready to build a development plan for your player? Book an evaluation at www.johansenbaseball.com

#EnjoyTheJourney

David Bentley, the Johansen Baseball Head College Recruiting Coach joins the show to talk about what he likes to see from players to help them play in college. 

Part of reaching your ceiling or playing one level above it is being able to communicate, be patient, accept rejection, and be well liked. The recruiting journey embodies a lot of those traits. 

Want to learn more about the recruiting process and how David and the Johansen Baseball Network can help? Email [email protected]

AAA Assistant Hitting Coach with the San Francisco Giants, Robert Riggins and Ryan jump into tangible ways to be a "Glue Guy" and why focusing on it may be the next step in elevating your career and quality of life outside of baseball. 

Robert's journey to professional baseball is unique and showcases what being a "glue guy" is all about! 

Alex Hales joins the show, a community college head baseball coach who has perspective on being where your feet are and helping players understand the importance of climbing the ladder at the appropriate pace. "Buy the drapes!" 

Grant Armstrong joins the show and he and Ryan give tangible ways coaches can coach athletes as it relates to culture and being a good teammate. When most recognize the importance of being a good teammate, Grant and Ryan emphasize the art of celebrating others success. 

Michael and Ryan dive into DISC as it relates to how coaches can understand their own communication style as well as their players. 

Dominant
Influencer
Steady
Conscientious

This wraps up the What Good Coaches Do, Great Coaches Do on Purpose Series. 

We'll kick off our next series: Surviving Beyond Your Metrics, a Clubhouse Narrative next time. 

Michael Norton returns to the show recording the 5th episode in our series "What Good Coaches Do, Great Coaches Do On Purpose" 

DEFINE SUCCESS is a staple and how we define success matters. Process and character over outcome. Michael and Ryan dive a little further into the BAT triangle and breakdown how coaches can think about success not only for their players but in their own roles. 

Bart Hanegraaff from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Skill & Performance Integration Specialist joins the show to talk about the "why?" in creative environments while he and Ryan riff on how to focus on "Do" language rather than "Don't do" language. 

Michael and Ryan dive into the three ego states of every human. Parent, Adult, Child and how to keep the ego states in coaches as players adult to adult.... even if Tee ball when they pick dandelions! 

Michael Norton, Executive Leader and Leadership Coach returns in the second episode of our 6 part series. Ryan and Michael talk about why active listening is so important and ways to improve as a coach.