Inside MJ Meléndez's Sneaker & Sports Card Empire | MJ Meléndez DSH #1119

Summary

Digital Social Hour Episode #1119: Inside MJ Meléndez's Sneaker & Sports Card Empire

Release Date: January 18, 2025

In this captivating episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with MLB outfielder MJ Meléndez to delve into the multifaceted world of a modern athlete. From the adrenaline-pumping experiences on the baseball field to the intricate hobby of sneaker and sports card collecting, Meléndez offers an unfiltered glimpse into his life, challenges, and passions.

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1. Journey to the Major Leagues

Sean Kelly (Host): "Who’s the toughest pitcher you've played against?" ([00:58])

MJ Meléndez opens up about his ascent to the major leagues, highlighting the grueling journey through the minors. Drafted in 2017, Meléndez spent nearly five years honing his skills, facing the uncertainties of minor league baseball, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MJ Meléndez: "It's a grind. It's a grind. But definitely thankful and grateful that I was able to make my way to the major leagues, because in baseball, a lot of guys don't get that opportunity and get that chance." ([20:27])

He emphasizes the competitiveness of baseball, noting that only a small fraction of drafted players make it to the majors and even fewer sustain long-term careers.

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2. Memorable Moments and Playoff Triumphs

Reflecting on his career highlights, Meléndez shares heartfelt memories from pivotal games.

Sean Kelly: "Hitting that home run against Garrett Cole, was that one of your most memorable home runs ever?" ([03:08])

MJ Meléndez: "Yeah, definitely. Doing that at Yankee Stadium was super cool. Hearing the crowd go silent is something I'll never forget." ([03:12])

He recounts the emotional experience of playing in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, emphasizing the significance of teamwork and perseverance.

MJ Meléndez: "We made the playoffs, which was huge for us. Being back in winning environments is super important." ([03:08])

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3. The Mental Game: Staying Positive Amid Challenges

Meléndez delves into the psychological aspects of professional sports, discussing how athletes cope with failure and maintain a positive mindset.

Sean Kelly: "How do you deal with the fan reaction and pressure?" ([24:05])

MJ Meléndez: "You gotta be able to tune that stuff out and focus on what you're there to do every single day, which is to try to win a baseball game." ([25:07])

He highlights the importance of mental resilience, learning from mistakes, and the role of mental coaches in helping athletes stay focused and motivated.

MJ Meléndez: "Staying locked in and staying positive is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general." ([11:31])

---

4. Passion for Sneakers and Sports Cards

Beyond the diamond, Meléndez has cultivated a remarkable passion for sneakers and sports card collecting, which he describes as both a hobby and a form of investment.

Sean Kelly: "How many sneakers you got? Lost track." ([14:20])

MJ Meléndez: "I have a lot. I have sneaker containers stacked up, my TV filled with some, and a bunch in my closet and garage." ([14:35])

He shares anecdotes about his favorite collections, including rare and valuable sports cards, and the thrill of opening packs in search of unique finds.

MJ Meléndez: "The thrill of trying to get a really unique or rare card is super 100%." ([15:57])

Notably, Meléndez possesses a rookie one-of-one Christian McCaffrey card, which he considers one of his prized possessions.

MJ Meléndez: "I have a rookie one of Christian McCaffrey. It's a pretty cool card." ([16:36])

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5. Personal Life and Hobbies: Beyond Baseball

Balancing a demanding sports career, Meléndez engages in various hobbies that enrich his personal life and contribute to his athletic performance.

Sean Kelly: "What are you up to next and where can we keep up with you?" ([25:20])

MJ Meléndez: "I like to do some salsa dance and stuff. I post that on my Instagram sometimes. It's a little hobby that helps with footwork in baseball." ([25:24])

He also reminisces about his long-term friendship with Blake, formed through their mutual love for sneakers, illustrating the camaraderie that extends beyond the field.

MJ Meléndez: "We love sneakers, and we've been really good friends ever since." ([13:32])

---

6. Looking Ahead: Training and Future Aspirations

As Meléndez wraps up the conversation, he discusses his offseason training regimen and future goals, both in baseball and his personal pursuits.

MJ Meléndez: "I started my training a little bit earlier this offseason, focusing on hitting and consistency." ([25:24])

He also hints at potential celebratory salsa dances should he achieve more victories on the field, blending his athletic prowess with his creative interests.

Sean Kelly: "So if you win tonight, will you do a salsa dance?" ([26:28])

MJ Meléndez: "Yeah, I'll just... let’s go." ([26:30])

---

Notable Quotes

• MJ Meléndez: "Baseball's coming up to 100 miles an hour right at you, and sometimes, you don't see it coming." ([10:05])
• MJ Meléndez: "The thrill of trying to get a really unique or rare card is super 100%." ([15:57])
• MJ Meléndez: "Being able to stay locked in and stay positive is something that I think is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general." ([11:31])

---

Conclusion

Sean Kelly's interview with MJ Meléndez offers a profound look into the life of a dedicated athlete who seamlessly blends his professional career with personal passions. From the highs of playoff victories to the meticulous collection of sneakers and sports cards, Meléndez exemplifies the modern sports personality—driven, multifaceted, and deeply engaged with both his craft and his hobbies. This episode not only celebrates his achievements on the field but also underscores the importance of balance, mental strength, and personal interests in shaping a successful and fulfilling career.

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Stay Connected: To follow MJ Meléndez's journey, including his latest sneaker drops and sports card collections, connect with him on Instagram @MJ_Melendez.

Note: The timestamps provided correspond to the conversation segments relevant to each topic.

Transcript

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[MJ Melendez]

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[Podcast Host]

Podcasts, who's the toughest pitcher you've played against?

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Personally?

[MJ Melendez]

Oh, that's a good one. It's a question that I probably need to think about more because I get asked all the time and I don't always have a specific one. Guy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, there is that mental game that people don't watch on TV between the batter and the pitcher.

[MJ Melendez]

Like I said, when you're failing more than you're succeeding as a competitor and as athlete, you want to be able to succeed more than you fail. So. So just being able to stay locked in and stay positive, you know, I think is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general, learning from those mistakes and trying to take the positive things from that.

[Podcast Host]

All right, guys, MJ Melendez here. Today we're at Celebrity Poker Tour. How do you think you're going to do tonight, man?

[MJ Melendez]

I'm feeling pretty confident. I mean, I think poker is a game of confidence. I think you need to kind of know you know yourself more than you know anything else and just know how you can go against other competition. Other people are going to have their strategy, so kind of, you know, you need your own.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I'm excited for it. I love it. You play on the flights in between games?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, we do. We, we do like a little bit of dealer's choice. But poker is one of the popular ones that me and my teammates play. And I learned poker in the minor Leagues, playing against teammates. So it's pretty, pretty cool.

[Podcast Host]

Nice. Do the stakes get pretty high up there?

[MJ Melendez]

Decent time to time? It depends. Like, it's pretty much, you know, whatever you have on you. So obviously you can bluff for a lot more, you can bet for a lot more and hope to get cold or, you know, just fold people out.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. Coming off a season, right. How you feeling?

[MJ Melendez]

Good, man. Was able to take some time off here. Just started kind of getting back to work, like week and a half, two weeks ago. Started working out again and stuff. So was able to take a couple weeks off and, you know, back to the grind.

[Podcast Host]

Nice. Were you at peace with how it ended? Like, walk me through the mental mindset of that.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, obviously, you know, we made the playoffs, so that was. That was really huge for us. Something that, you know, we had, I think the team hadn't done since 2015. So it'd been a while. And, you know, just being in winning environments I think is something that's like, super important, something that, you know, the organizations want to create and something that we've done and obviously, you know, took a few years to get back there, but just being back was an amazing feeling.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Hitting that home run against Garrett Cole, was that one of your most memorable home runs ever?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, definitely. You know, just that that game, you know, all those games in the playoffs are super important and, you know, to be able to do that, you know, at the highest stage, you know, and one of the. Probably the most important game to my. In my life to date was really, really cool and just doing that. And we did. I did it in Yankee Stadium, which was cool. And so to kind of hear the crowd go silent was something that I'll never forget. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Imagine just running those bases. It's pure silence, right?

[MJ Melendez]

Oh, yeah, definitely. Because it's. It's just. It was super loud and they were winning at that. At that point in the game. And I think it was. Ended up. We were up by one after I hit it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[MJ Melendez]

So it was. It was really cool just, you know, going around and hearing the silence and, you know, you could hear the Casey fans that were over on our side kind of cheering, but everything else was silent around it.

[Podcast Host]

I love it when the World Series was like announced to two teams. Did you predict it correctly?

[MJ Melendez]

I. I wouldn't say that I really like, was going for either team. Obviously, the Yankees being in it, they're the team that knocked us out of the playoffs. So, you know, it just kind of watching it, I wouldn't say I was really rooting for either, but definitely great baseball and stuff that, you know, I was watching can learn from. And hopefully, you know, our team is in the World Series in the next couple years and hopefully multiple times throughout these next couple of years. I love it. Just being able to learn from that was pretty cool.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Was that playoff intensity something you could prepare for or is it one of those things you got to be in the moment and experience?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, I think. I think it's just something that you have to like, experience yourself. I mean, I was told, you know, just kind of coming up. Well, you know, we always talked about the teams in the past and our organization that have made the playoffs and, you know, what it took to get there and what it was like. But it's really. You don't really know until you experience it. And I think that's something that we had a really young team. So kind of now that we're. A lot of us were able to experience that, it's definitely going to benefit us moving forward.

[Podcast Host]

I love that. What's average age on the team? Do you know?

[MJ Melendez]

Oof. I don't know. It was a little bit older this year than the previous year. But it's. We're. I'd say we're a pretty fairly young team. We, we had picked up a couple veteran players, a lot of veteran pitchers. That has definitely, you know, helped. Helped us and kind of helped us learn throughout the season on and off the field, I feel like. And we just had a really good camaraderie and great chemistry.

[Podcast Host]

Nice. When I had Trevor Bauer on last week, he was saying baseball is getting younger.

[MJ Melendez]

It is.

[Podcast Host]

He said when he came in the league as a, as a pitcher, like he didn't start for like a few years.

[MJ Melendez]

No, 100%. It's definitely getting younger. You're seeing a lot of younger guys getting called up from the minor leagues. A lot of guys just getting more opportunities to go out there and prove themselves. And it's really cool to see. Obviously me being a young guy, it's something that I love to see in the game and just obviously just trying to grow the game as much as possible and trying to grow that for all the fans. And I think sometimes AT T Mobile.

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[MJ Melendez]

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[MJ Melendez]

You know, just a good mix of like younger and older guys playing on the same team together can kind of create a great, you know, fan base and great games for people to watch.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you caught some good timing on that. Coming in the league at the right time, right?

[MJ Melendez]

No doubt, no doubt about it. I mean I, I can imagine if I was, you know, 10 years old or whatever and had to come back, you know, coming up through the minor leagues, into the major leagues at a, you know, long time ago, 10 years ago, it would definitely be a little bit different.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Now they say hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things you could do in sports.

[MJ Melendez]

I definitely. Yeah, I mean, I'm going to be biased, of course, because that's my sport, but I definitely agree with it. It's so hard to do. And, you know, some, some guys make it look a little bit easier than others. Some players can definitely make it look pretty easily.

[Podcast Host]

But.

[MJ Melendez]

But no, it's definitely one of the hardest things to do in sports just because it's, you know, baseball's coming up to 100 miles an hour right at you, and sometimes, you know, it's always going to move in a different direction. They throw curveballs, change up sliders, fastballs, all this different kind of stuff. So I think it's one of the hardest things, if not the hardest thing to do in sports.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So Trevor broke it down for me because I'm pretty mathematical. So he said a pitch, like a fastball pitch, takes 0.4 seconds on average to hit the plate. And the swing takes point 15 seconds. So you have a quarter of a second to react to the pitch exactly. That crazy.

[MJ Melendez]

It's insane. And like, you have to swing at, like we're supposed to swing at strikes, we're not supposed to sing at swing at balls. And the pitcher's job is to be deceptive. So as a hitter, you're having to make a decision super, super quick. And then even after you make that decision, you still have to get a swing off. And even when you swing, you have to make contact. And even when you go to try to make contact, you want to hit it on the barrel, right? And then even when you hit on the barrel, you want to find, you know, open space where you're not hitting it right at somebody.

[Podcast Host]

Crazy.

[MJ Melendez]

It's. It takes a lot. It takes a lot to, you know, have success. But I think that's what makes the sport so beautiful because you can, you know, you fail seven out of 10 times as a hitter and you're hitting.300. And, you know, you do that for your career. You're a Hall of Famer.

[Podcast Host]

You're the goat.

[MJ Melendez]

Exactly.

[Podcast Host]

I mean, 300. Like, how many players are hitting that?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, not a lot. Not especially not these days with pitchers. There's a lot of more pitchers on 100 miles an hour than there were a couple of years ago.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy, man. How fast do you Think you could throw a ball? Oh, have you ever measured it?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, well, from the outfield, but I don't know. I don't know exactly what it was, but I feel like if I really, really tried. I don't know enough. Alpha pitchers mount is definitely different. Yeah, I would say I could give myself like 94, maybe 95 as a non pitcher. I think so. I think I can get up there. I feel like I have a pretty good arm. Wow. But it's. Yeah, the guys that throw 100, it's. It's crazy. I don't know how they do that. 100 is up there.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy. Like you, you probably can't even see it coming at you at that point.

[MJ Melendez]

No, sometimes. Sometimes I don't see it. That's why it's like a miss. Those are the tough ones.

[Podcast Host]

Who's the toughest pitcher you've. You've played against personally?

[MJ Melendez]

Oh, that's a, that's a good one. There's a lot of tough pitchers. I mean, I feel like a lot of guys go with, you know, pitchers that are, you know, super popular, like Shohei Ohtani. He was. He's really nasty and obviously he's, you know, one of the best players in the game. Yeah. Jacob deGrom is a, you know, pitcher who, you know, when he's healthy, he's one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. So there's definitely a few guys on that list. And it's a question that I probably need to think about more because I get asked all the time and I don't always have like a specific one guy.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's fascinating though, because there is that mental game that people don't watch on TV between the batter and the pitcher.

[MJ Melendez]

Oh, it's definitely. It's a huge mental sport. Obviously, you know, we talked about the physical, you know, difficulties of, you know, hitting a baseball, but like I said, when you're failing more than you're succeeding and technically it's still successful if you're doing that, it's definitely tough because as a competitor and as athlete, you want to be able to succeed more than you fail. And in baseball as a hitter, it's just. That's pretty much impossible. So just being able to stay locked in and stay positive is something that, you know, I think is very important to all baseball players, all athletes in general, because as an athlete, you're going to fail no matter what the sport is. And, you know, just learning from those mistakes and trying to take the positive things from that.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. I know you grew up in Florida. I saw you say on another show that you believe Florida is the best state for baseball.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, yeah. That's also. I'm going to be biased towards that, but I will say there are other. There are other states that are really good at producing baseball talent, and that's stuff like states like California, Texas, New York. So, I mean, I feel like those are, like, the top. And obviously Florida, Georgia as well. Yeah, probably those states are the top at producing baseball, but I'm always going to just be biased towards Miami, of course.

[Podcast Host]

Your hometown.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So you were a Marlins fan growing up?

[MJ Melendez]

No, I didn't really have a team growing up. Honestly, I. I liked players more than I liked specific teams and just really kind of learning from different players. So that was really my thing. I didn't really have a specific team. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Who are your players you really admired?

[MJ Melendez]

I'd say Pudge Rodriguez. He's a catcher that, growing up was. Was one of my favorite players. I liked Alex Rodriguez, actually, with the Yankees as well. And Yadir Molina was also another catcher that, you know, played for the Cardinals, and he was one of my favorites growing up to watch as well.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. And you've been friends with Blake for a while. I saw a video of you guys, like, seven years old on YouTube. Crazy, dude.

[MJ Melendez]

Dude, it was crazy. Yeah, so we. We kind of met through the whole sneaker community. Both of us are definitely really big into sneakers.

[Podcast Host]

Yep.

[MJ Melendez]

And we were at a. I remember we did a video, too, at a sneaker. I think it was a sneaker con. And I don't remember how many years ago that was, but that might be.

[Podcast Host]

The one I saw.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, it felt like forever ago, but, yeah, we love sneakers. And then we just been really good friends ever since, even, you know, throughout the minor leagues, just kind of having that friendship. I remember when I was in. In the minor leagues in Wilmington, Delaware, he was living in New York at the time, going to college up there. And one of my off days, I drove up to New York and we just hung out, kicked it. They went a little bit of shopping, too, probably some sneaker shopping, of course. And now Blake's been an amazing guy, amazing friend to me, and just, you know, see the success that he's having and what he's doing. It's. It's super incredible. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Shout out to Blake for sure. So how many sneakers you got? The lost track.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, I haven't really counted. I probably should count, but I definitely have a lot. I have, you know, the sneaker containers. I have in my room so kind of stacked up, like two next to my bed on one side, two on the other. Those are filled up. Then I like another wall.

[Podcast Host]

Holy.

[MJ Melendez]

My TV filled up with some. And then a bunch of my closet and garage.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. So you, like, collect them? You don't wear them?

[MJ Melendez]

I do. I wear them, but it's hard to wear all of them. Some of them are crazy. I would get, like, some crazy colorways that are just really tough to wear. I feel like I wear the same sneakers more than, you know, I wear all the other ones. I definitely have, like, a little rotation I go through, but I try to, like, bring out some. Some cool sneakers every now and then. Special occasions.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. You collect sports cards, too?

[MJ Melendez]

I do, I do. I got into that, I would say, a couple years ago, but I really, really got into it probably like a year ago, and obviously started with baseball. It started with me really wanting to collect my own cards.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[MJ Melendez]

And then I started getting into more baseball. You know, guys I played with played against two, but trying to collect. Guys I play with, like, Bobby Wood Jr. And then I started getting into football and basketball, and so it's just like a little rabbit hole that you go down.

[Podcast Host]

Those basketball ones are expensive, dude. I got. I got a few big ones.

[MJ Melendez]

There's some expensive cards out there. And I think just kind of like the thrill of, you know, trying to get a card, you know, especially when opening packs. Some guys. Some guys like opening packs. Some guys, like, just buying the card straight up. I'm definitely a pack guy, because you never know what you can get. Yeah, it's like, you know, it's like a mystery.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I blew so much money on packs, I think I lost money on every single one I opened.

[MJ Melendez]

Honestly, that's how. That's how it usually goes. I mean, if we. If everybody was making money on packs, I don't. Well, if there was always a rare card in every single pack, I don't think they would be as. As valuable. But it's definitely like, the thrill of trying to get a really, you know, unique or rare card is super 100%.

[Podcast Host]

What's the rarest one you pulled out of a pack?

[MJ Melendez]

Okay, so there are some rare ones I pulled out of actual packs. And then I've also done, like, gone on some streams on whatnot and gotten some pretty crazy cards. I'm trying to think of, like, my rarest card, but I definitely have a couple. I have a. I have a couple good football ones, a couple good Christian McCaffrey, one of ones.

[Podcast Host]

One on one.

[MJ Melendez]

Damn. Yeah, I have. I have a rookie one of. One of Christian McCaffrey.

[Podcast Host]

That's worth a lot.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. Yeah, it's a pretty. It's a pretty cool card. I like that one a lot. And then I have a lot of quarterback, obviously, Patrick Mahomes. I have a pretty cool Patrick Mahomes collection. Some C.J. stroud, some Anthony Richardsons that are. That are pretty unique. So. And then I pulled a. I pulled a pretty cool one B the other day, too.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[MJ Melendez]

That's. That was probably my best basketball pool. I would think that I've actually pulled in a pack.

[Podcast Host]

Was it an auto or was it a.

[MJ Melendez]

No, it was a. It was like a tie dye colorway out of select to 25. Whoa. So that's cool. Yeah. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Wendy's gonna be. Gonna be hall of Famer if he keeps up.

[MJ Melendez]

I think so. He definitely has a potential. He has everything. He's got the size. Yeah. I don't know. We hadn't seen a player really like him, I don't think. Ever. Ever. So it's definitely unique. And I mean, obviously, selfishly, me having, like, a card of his that's pretty expensive and rare. I hope he becomes really good.

[Podcast Host]

100%.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

There's the business side of cards, you know.

[MJ Melendez]

No doubt. No doubt. And it's, you know, it's tough because obviously, some people do it for business, some people do it to collect for funds. Some people do a little bit of both. So, you know, if you're doing it for business, you don't want to fall in love with the cards because then they're hard to move. But for me, I'm like. I just like the cards, and, you know, I like to trade them more than I like to sell them. But I mean, like, if somebody has a good offer for a card that I have and they really want it, then, yeah, I mean, I'm. I'll definitely entertain it, but I definitely, you know, definitely just like collecting, and it's. It's pretty fun.

[Podcast Host]

Did you collect Pokemon growing up?

[MJ Melendez]

No, not really. Not really. I. I do have a couple at home, but I don't know if they're really worth a whole lot. I have to look through them, but I don't think I have any of the crazy, crazy ones that you see. Not. None of those, like, Charizards.

[Podcast Host]

I wish I had Charizard. I had Venusaur, and I threw it all out.

[MJ Melendez]

Really? Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Or, no, I gave them away, which.

[MJ Melendez]

Because you didn't know back then.

[Podcast Host]

I didn't know. Yeah, I gave the them away in high school, which. Yeah, that was probably five, six figures of cards.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. No, no doubt.

[Podcast Host]

Also, they were in shit condition, to be honest, because I was actually playing them. But.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, but still. I mean, nonetheless, he still had the card. At least it'd be worth a little bit. Something. But.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Who knew, though, as kids.

[MJ Melendez]

Exactly. You never know. That's the thing. You never know, like, when it comes to anything like that, obviously, you know, like, whether it's cards or like, even, like, sneakers or, like, it's just like an investment. It's like a stock almost. Like, you never know. One of them can just blow up.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[MJ Melendez]

And, you know, those are the ones that, you know, if you're lucky, end up having it. If not, then you're like, oh, man, if I had it at one point and gave it away or sold it for cheaper, it's like.

[Podcast Host]

It's like our parents with the baseball cards, you know?

[MJ Melendez]

Exactly, exactly. You see, like, nowadays people are coming out, especially like, older adults that, you know, had baseball cards or basketball cards or whatever growing up, and, you know, they just collected them, and now they're worth thousands of thousands of dollars.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[MJ Melendez]

It's like, who would have knew?

[Podcast Host]

Who would have known? Because there was that junk wax era, you know, for, like, five years, they printed, like, millions of cards.

[MJ Melendez]

Exactly. And the ones that are now in, like, super good condition, like, I'm sure a lot of those just got thrown out or like, just withered away, literally. So the people who kept those are definitely, you know, in really good shape.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, for sure. How long were you in the minors for?

[MJ Melendez]

I was in the minor league, so I got drafted in 2017 and spent that first, like, half season minor leagues. 2017-2018-2019-2020 obviously was Covid, so we didn't really have a minor league season, but a few of us on the. In the organization were, you know, selected to go basically be in Kansas City and be practicing every day in case something happened to one of the major league players, Whether they got hurt or if they would have gotten sick. With COVID really anything. So just kind of being there. So that was pretty cool to be a part of that group. And then 2021 was my last season in the minor leagues. In 2022 is when I debut.

[Podcast Host]

Almost five years.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Damn, that must have been tough.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, it's a grind. It's a grind. But definitely thankful and grateful that I was able to make my way to the major leagues, because in baseball, a lot of guys don't get that opportunity and get that chance. And that's something that a lot of people that may not understand baseball, it's hard to comprehend because people think, oh, you just get drafted. You just go straight to the major leagues. Like, if it was the NFL or NBA, I know they have a G league, but in baseball, it's a lot tougher. It's a very low percentage of players that even after they get drafted, to even make the major leagues, really, to stay up there is tough. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, it's definitely. It's definitely tough. And a lot of people, you know, it's hard to understand. Baseball can be confusing, for sure.

[Podcast Host]

So many rounds, right, in the draft, there's.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, so there used to be 40, but now there's only 20.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, my God. That's still a lot. Like 20 rounds.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. So. But you're always competing, and obviously, so there's, you know, 26 guys on the major league team, and there's hundreds in the organization, so it takes a lot to go right in your favor to be able to, you know, make that team. So. And there's players that, you know, in the minor league over years that are definitely worthy of being in the major leagues, but maybe they just don't get the right opportunity because maybe the guy in front of them is, you know, has been in the league for a lot of years, really well, or, you know, potential hall of fame type of. Type of player. So these guys may be blocked by that, even though they are really good. And so it takes a lot to go. Right. So it's. Obviously, you have to play well, but just a lot of things have to be in your favor.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, the politics, the business side of things. Right. It's got to all be in your favor because you could be more skilled, but that doesn't matter.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. Yeah. So just, you know, it's all about timing, and, you know, timing just has to be right. And, you know, thank God for me, it was. It was the right time and, you know, got an opportunity. And thankfully, and thankful to my organization, I haven't looked back.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Well, timing plus, you still have to deliver, too.

[MJ Melendez]

Of course.

[Podcast Host]

Some people get called up and they flop, and then they get caught within a month.

[MJ Melendez]

No, definitely. Definitely. It's a tough game necessarily, like, the ups and downs. So just like, kind of being mentally tough through all that stuff, and, you know, you go through a little bit of a slump, you got to be able to, you know, kind of snap out of it really quick and that's the hard part. And sometimes that takes a little bit of, you know, learning and going through it to learn, because, you know, somebody can try to prepare you for that. But unless you go through it, you're.

[Podcast Host]

Never going to really understand 100% because it's a long season, so I'm sure you're going through some high high and some low lows.

[MJ Melendez]

No doubt about it. Yeah, definitely. Very long season, playing pretty much every single day and. But, you know, I think that's also Beauty of it. It's not like, you know, football, you know, it's. It's cool because you're playing, you know, once a week and everybody's watching, but at the same time, if you have a bad game, you gotta wait a week. We gotta wait less than 24 hours. So. So that's, you know, that's what I love about, you know, the game. And I think that's what really is beneficial, you know, to us as players is like, hey, if you're struggling, you have the next day to go there and, you know, make up for it and have a better game.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. And all the teams have, like, mental coaches now, right, too, right?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. Yeah, most, pretty much. I would think. Every single one does. We do, for sure. And like I said, like, it's. It's such a tough game mentally, so you kind of need these. Those people to, you know, bounce those ideas off your brains or those thoughts, you know, and try to get you in the right spot and the right. Right headspace to be able to have success on the field.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that stuff doesn't leave you, man. I had a missed free throw high school in the championship game, and I still have dreams about it. Like, it really doesn't leave you.

[MJ Melendez]

It's crazy, dude. Like, the. It's just the littlest things that. Yeah, I mean, it's not. They're not all little things, but sometimes the little things can, you know, just pile up and definitely get to you. So you guys got to be able to, you know, separate those things to be able to have that success.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, well, you deal with that, then you deal with the fan reaction. So then you multiply that, and then it's just all taken out on you.

[MJ Melendez]

No doubt about it. Yeah, you got the. But I mean, obviously, you know, fans. I think our fans are some of the best in baseball. So thankfully for me, I've always had positive experiences. The fans in Kansas City are one of the best. I definitely have to say that. So, yeah, I mean, but there's definitely gonna be times where you're gonna get hate messages or stuff like that. Or nowadays people that are like, we get the craziest DMs.

[Podcast Host]

People are DMing you.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah. Like, oh, you didn't get a hit and you messed up my bet or something. I don't know what you want me to do. I. Trust me, I wish I could get a hit every single time.

[Podcast Host]

Messed up the parlay, man.

[MJ Melendez]

I'm like, trust me, I wish I could get, you know, hit a home run every single game or, you know, get a hit every single game. That. But I mean, it just doesn't work like that mathematically. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's. It's. It's pretty impossible. I mean, if. If there's ever a player that can do that, then they're the goat. Yeah. They may not be human.

[Podcast Host]

No, I wouldn't be.

[MJ Melendez]

They probably wouldn't be human. So. No, but it's, you know, we get, you know, get crazy messages and stuff sometimes, but you just gotta be able to tune that stuff out and just focus on, you know, what you're there to do every single day. And that's to try to win a baseball game.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. Well, I'm Jay. It's been fun, man. What are you up to next and where can we keep up with you?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, so right now just, you know, training in this off season, obviously, you know, able to spend some of my free time here, you know, like, doing things like this, you know, being part of cool events, Got a couple of weddings to go to, got some teammates getting married.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[MJ Melendez]

But, you know, just grinding, you know, want to. So I started, you know, get. Got started on my training a little bit earlier this. This off season, I got started on my hitting, so just working out all those things to. To be able to, you know, find some consistency. And also, like, on the side, I like to do some, like, salsa dance and stuff. So I post that on my Instagram sometimes. But that's like a little hobby of mine that I do outside of baseball. And I feel like, you know, it definitely can benefit, you know, the footwork you're doing that, you know, can help to, you know, when I'm in the baseball games, playing outfield, like, you know, have some good footwork out there. So.

[Podcast Host]

Kobe Bryant did tap dancing.

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, I mean, I definitely feel like that stuff like you're an athlete, so being able to, you know, move your body in different ways and, you know, try to be, you know, being athletic and agile and all those different things and having coordination definitely benefits.

[Podcast Host]

I love that. So if you win tonight, will you do a salsa dance?

[MJ Melendez]

Yeah, if I won? Yeah, I'll just. Let's go.

[Podcast Host]

You heard it here, guys.

[MJ Melendez]

All right.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks for coming on, brother.

[MJ Melendez]

All right. No problem, man.

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