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Corbin Burnes has been one of baseball’s best pitchers over the last five seasons. Since entering the MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers ace is 35-19 with a 3.21 ERA.
In four of his five professional seasons, he’s posted earned run averages below 3.00, leading the league in 2021 at 2.43. That 2021 season saw him win a Cy Young award, which he buoyed into another All-Star campaign last year.
But there’s one outlier on the flamethrower’s resume. A miserable 2019 stint where he saw his ERA shoot to near 9.00. That eventually landed him a demotion to the minor leagues.
That ’19 season was actually his first as an MLB starter, as he’d appeared out of the bullpen in his rookie year. He went 1-5 while opposing hitters hit .330 against him at the dish.
A simple change was made as he looked for a way to get out of the funk, and it’s one that many of us hated doing as a child.
Corbin Burnes began making his bed every morning.
MLB writer Jeff Passan spoke more about that in a recent article from ESPN.
In order to become the best pitcher in baseball, Corbin Burnes had to start making his bed… In September 2019… he connected with Brian Cain, a mental-performance coach.
Cain started with a simple assignment for Burnes: When you wake up, make your bed. Start the day with an easy win. It was meant to help Burnes get into a routine. Emphasize self-discipline. Pay attention to detail. All the things necessary to succeed on the mound could be replicated off it, so that when it was time to perform there, it’s ingrained.
The change obviously worked as Burnes has led the majors in strikeout rate, opponent OPS, and wins above replacement over the last three seasons.
He’s now gearing up for his 2023 campaign. Expect that bed to be made so long as the success continues.