Three seasons ago, following a promising rookie campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers, starting pitcher Corbin Burnes found himself struggling, stuck in Triple-A, and looking for answers.
Two All-Star appearances and a Cy Young Award later, Burnes told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that working with mental-performance trainer Brian Cain helped turn around career and possibly saved it.
There was nothing particularly wrong with how Burnes was pitching. His mechanics were on point, he was in great shape, and his right arm never felt better. However, Cain had Burnes follow a “success checklist” featuring daily routines to help the pitcher first focus on things he could control. Even making his bed every morning became a small victory toward the larger goal.
“An Airplane does not take off until the mechanics and pilots go through a 250-point checklist,” Cain said. “Corbin has a checklist to go through to make sure his plane is ready to fly.”
Spending time with family, visualizing success on the field, and reading parts of Harvey Dorfman’s ‘The Mental ABCs of Pitching’ were only a portion of Burnes’ routine — all done before a night at the ballpark. Once Burnes arrived for a game, he would picture how he wanted his outing to go. From there, Burnes tirelessly repeated the process.
Ultimately, Burnes’ work with Cain paid dividends. Following a lackluster 2019 season which saw Burnes finish 1-5 with an 8.82 ERA out of the Brewers’ bullpen, he bounced back in 2020, going 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA. Burnes had a breakout in 2021, finishing 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA, earning his first All-Star nod and the National League Cy Young. In 2022, Burns was once more named an All-Star before finishing out at 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA.
The 28-year-old may be set up for another standout campaign in 2023, though whether he stays in Milwaukee beyond the summer remains an open question.
Last month, Burnes and the Brewers engaged in an awkward arbitration battle. While the Brewers emerged as winners in name, the experience rubbed Burnes the wrong way. Burnes said that the relationship between himself and the Brewers is “definitely hurt” after the organization held him responsible for missing the 2022 playoffs and attempted to use that against him in the arbitration case.
Burnes will make $10 million in 2023 and is eligible for free agency in 2025.
