December 19, 2020 // LISTEN HERE
Meet Noah Zavolas.
Currently with the Milwaukee Brewers organization coming off of a Pitcher of the Year Award season (2019) in the Carolina League (Class-A), Noah has also pitched for Acton-Boxboro HS in the Dual County League in Massachusetts, Harvard University in the Ivy League, the Charlestown Townies in the Yawkee League, the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League Baseball League, and for the Seattle Mariners organization after drafting him in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Few would have looked at an 18 year old Zavolas and said, "that's a future pro-ball player." However, being a touch shorter than his teammates and not lighting up the radar gun did not discourage him. Noah never lost touch with his childhood dream of professional baseball. His story is one of a craftsman refining his craft day in and day out. It's a story of objective self-assessment and improvement. It's a story of putting your head down and doing the work, especially when obstacles arrive on the path. It's a story of making the most of the opportunities presented to you, every single day.
In that way, his story on the podcast is inspiring for anyone who has a goal they are striving towards but finds those around them doubtful. But it's more than that. Noah shares another side of him, another craft he pours hours into - woodworking - and explains what that gives him in a profession that can become an all-consuming identity.
Throughout it all, Noah shares his mental framework for how he approaches his craft and the habits that have most helped him along the way - helping us understand how he transformed himself from late high school recruit to Cape Cod League stardom and eventually professional baseball.
SHOW NOTES
[5:00] Thoughts on the underdog mindset
[8:15] How he ended up pitching in the Cape Cod Baseball League with 11 collegiate innings to his name
[18:15] Making the most of his opportunity on the Cape
[20:38] Feeling intimidated when facing the best college hitters in the country?
[26:00] Confidence - how he thinks about the concept and did what he knew he needed to do
[29:07] How he came back from a broken foot his senior year
[33:49] A formula that goes unsaid: goals create his priorities, priorities guide his decisions
[38:50] What exactly is the dream he is chasing?
[47:30] Talk about his craft of woodworking and what it gives him - an outlet and alternate identity
[58:36] Rapid Fire Questions
- Books:
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
- Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
- A new habit: his unique daily running habit to feel athletic and find stillness through movement
- Quotes under his baseball cap
Connect:
Instagram: @noah_zavolas
Twitter: @noahzavolas
Currently with the Milwaukee Brewers organization coming off of a Pitcher of the Year Award season (2019) in the Carolina League (Class-A), Noah has also pitched for Acton-Boxboro HS in the Dual County League in Massachusetts, Harvard University in the Ivy League, the Charlestown Townies in the Yawkee League, the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League Baseball League, and for the Seattle Mariners organization after drafting him in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
Few would have looked at an 18 year old Zavolas and said, "that's a future pro-ball player." However, being a touch shorter than his teammates and not lighting up the radar gun did not discourage him. Noah never lost touch with his childhood dream of professional baseball. His story is one of a craftsman refining his craft day in and day out. It's a story of objective self-assessment and improvement. It's a story of putting your head down and doing the work, especially when obstacles arrive on the path. It's a story of making the most of the opportunities presented to you, every single day.
In that way, his story on the podcast is inspiring for anyone who has a goal they are striving towards but finds those around them doubtful. But it's more than that. Noah shares another side of him, another craft he pours hours into - woodworking - and explains what that gives him in a profession that can become an all-consuming identity.
Throughout it all, Noah shares his mental framework for how he approaches his craft and the habits that have most helped him along the way - helping us understand how he transformed himself from late high school recruit to Cape Cod League stardom and eventually professional baseball.
SHOW NOTES
[5:00] Thoughts on the underdog mindset
[8:15] How he ended up pitching in the Cape Cod Baseball League with 11 collegiate innings to his name
[18:15] Making the most of his opportunity on the Cape
[20:38] Feeling intimidated when facing the best college hitters in the country?
[26:00] Confidence - how he thinks about the concept and did what he knew he needed to do
[29:07] How he came back from a broken foot his senior year
[33:49] A formula that goes unsaid: goals create his priorities, priorities guide his decisions
[38:50] What exactly is the dream he is chasing?
[47:30] Talk about his craft of woodworking and what it gives him - an outlet and alternate identity
[58:36] Rapid Fire Questions
- Books:
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
- Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
- A new habit: his unique daily running habit to feel athletic and find stillness through movement
- Quotes under his baseball cap
Connect:
Instagram: @noah_zavolas
Twitter: @noahzavolas