MLB Together teaches mental wellness at RBI World Series

VERO BEACH, Fla. – For a few hours, the game could wait. The players had a different kind of work to do -- learning how to slow down, connect with others and take care of themselves.

That was the focus of MLB Together’s annual mental wellness event during the Softball RBI World Series, where players took part in activities designed to help them prioritize their mental health while also contributing to a campaign to complete 250,000 hours of volunteer work in honor of America’s 250th birthday.

“Obviously, we’re teaching the kids about taking care of their bodies and taking care of their minds,” Kevin Moss, director of community affairs for MLB said. “We’re [also] going to actually have players here do a little bit of volunteer work as well.”

The participants built bags that will be donated to local Boys & Girls Clubs and took part in mental health exercises inside Building 42.

Then the day continued outside, where a small fenced-in area featured petting zoo animals tended by locals around Vero Beach. The animals also made an appearance during the baseball RBI World Series, where multiple players stopped for a quick pet and a moment with them.

Nike RBI Tigers second baseman Kaiya Jones gravitated toward a baby goat named Joy because Jones identifies as the “GOAT” (The Greatest of All Time).

“This is me,” said Jones, smiling while holding Joy.

“It’s been very fun and very calming to hold these animals,” she added. “Spending time with animals is good for your health, because it’s your mini friend who doesn’t talk.”

For Gianne Douangphouxai, from the Softball Beyond Borders RBI team, animals always offer unconditional love, which is a calming presence.

“They’re so cute,” said Douangphouxai, as she paused when a baby duck tweeted. “They’re just amazing to be around.”

For her teammate Nalani San Nicolas, the experience was something she would like to see brought to other softball events.

“This is so cool,” San Nicolas said. “They’re so fun, they bring people together, they get you closer to nature, gets people off their screens. It’s just an ultimate nice experience.”

One of the activities that stood out to the players was the “Fill Your Cup” activity, which is based on the idea that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Players wrote on sticky notes and placed them on a cup to demonstrate what fills their cups.

“I took away how other girls go through their mental health and how they try to support themselves throughout tournaments,” Douangphouxai said. “Because as a player, I can see how I can struggle [with] mental health but if I can talk to teammates and other people and how they deal with it.”

Other activities were meaningful because they allowed the players to take a step back and realize how many things in a day can distract them from being present.

“Just learning more things about how you can take care of yourself,” San Nicolas said. “Make sure those days aren't as bad, I think that is a very good lesson.”

For sports psychologist Jorge Aguilar, the desire for the players to take a moment to have a day revolving around mental health is about helping them succeed. That can be seen on the field, but it also starts with a universal understanding that optimal performance begins with self-care.

“We know that this is true at the Major League level, and therefore it's also true at all the levels before that,” Aguilar said. “If we can help players at an even younger age to learn these skills now. We can only imagine how much more they'll be able to achieve once they're older.”

The hope is that when they return to whatever is next, the players can understand everything that goes into becoming the best possible softball or baseball player. To Aguilar, that means being the best person they can be.

“Prioritizing your mental health and your physical health and your spiritual health, and that it's OK to ask for help sometimes,” Aguilar said. “That we all struggle, and there's plenty of help around that we can just go to a coach or a counselor or a therapist or a teacher, that they don't have to suffer alone.”