Nickel: Young Milwaukee Brewers can learn from well-traveled teammate Jake Bauers

There will come a time this season – because that time always comes for everyone – when things will get tough and feel out of sorts.

And that’s when the young and talented players on the Milwaukee Brewers should pick the brain of veteran Jake Bauers.

He’s played for five teams in the major leagues and been with seven organizations overall in 11 years as a pro, not to mention eight minor-league teams. His ability to adapt and adjust to wherever he is, including Milwaukee now in his first stint in the National League, is just as valuable as his ability to play outfield, first base or designated hitter.

At 28 years old he already has a lifetime of experiences. And he’s ready, he said, to be there for anyone who needs him, because he’s literally been there and done that.

“You always kind of plan on being in a spot for as long as possible. As I've learned, obviously, it doesn't always work out that way,” said Bauers.

Jake Bauers' philosophy? ‘Take everything day by day’

There is no magic answer. It’s not as simple as being confident, either. Bauers has really just worked on being in this moment, on this day. Not in 2022, when he wasn’t in the majors, not last year, with the New York Yankees, but right here with the NL Central-leading Brewers.

“Take everything day by day,” said Bauers, who took a break from a crossword puzzle to offer his perspective recently. “Not looking too far ahead into the future, not really looking at what's happened in the past.

“Then I know I gave it everything I had.”

This, of course, comes only with experience, as Bauers didn’t always have this approach. He nodded “no” immediately, honestly. It took real-world survival.

“Um,” he paused. “Getting kicked in the mouth by this game?

“Countless times.”

Bauers has played for five major-league teams and eight in the minors

Tampa Bay. Cleveland. Seattle. Cincinnati. New York.

Louisville. Fort Wayne. Mesa. Durham. Columbus. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Charlotte. Montgomery.

“You only have a few options,” said Bauers. “You can either keep being miserable.

“You can give up.

“Or figure out a new way.”

So, he got resourceful and fixed the only thing he could, his mindset, and that meant protecting his peace.

"I learned how to separate things,” he said.

Wife and 6-month-old daughter help Bauers with perspective

Being married with a 6-month-old daughter empowers Bauers to leave work at work and go home and be Jake and Dad.

"I learned how to separate my baseball life from my home life,” said Bauers. “How to be a good husband, regardless of if I went 0 for 4 or 4 for 4.

“Having a kid this season kind of heightens that perspective a little bit, because she doesn't know any better. I walk out those doors after the game and I still have to be Dad. And I think being a dad is more important than being a baseball player.”

After compartmentalizing some parts of his life, he could use his experience on the road to his benefit.

He knows that when he’s in Chicago, he’s going to stay at the Ritz Carlton, and take a walk down Rush Street, turn left on Michigan Avenue and find Giordano’s for pizza. He has a sense of familiarity in so many places, that he’s not a tourist, and that frees up his approach to each series.

"There's definitely something to that because it can be a little bit overwhelming at first going to a bunch of new cities,” said Bauers. “Just feeling a little out of sorts. I think feeling familiar with where you are just kind of brings you an extra level of comfort.”

Going back to the original point, things will almost certainly get challenging for some stretch this season for a team that is overly young. The Brewers have in Bauers a veteran who knows how to weather storms and turn back to fundamentals that are familiar, which can be the best way to handle the tricky parts of exhausting 162-game seasons.

Bauers’ advice to young Brewers teammates: Think beyond yourself

Living this unusual life has helped him focus on what matters – turning inward. And that’s a good lesson for any newly assembled team.

“My wife, we talk about it all the time,” said Bauers. “We could be in any city at any given time. It's kind of become normal. We talk about feeling good with the people that you're with, not necessarily where you're staying. As long as we're all together that's what really matters for us."

So, while it may be logical, or natural, to look out for No. 1 and be in survival mode, Bauers doesn’t want to do that. And that’s a lesson he’ll be able to share if, or more certainly when, the time comes.

“When you are thinking about yourself first, things tend to not go so well,” said Bauers. “You can get wrapped up in results, which messes with your head a little bit. And that's not a good spot to be in.

“I’ve been there. You get traded, you get DFAd, you get released, like, you begin to think that way.

“But I think the way to survive is really just to embrace that same mentality you might have had in high school where you're going all out every day to win the game. That's all that mattered, was winning the game.

“Embrace that mentality, it's something that's tangible that you can see that if you’re 0 for 4 but you’re as fired up for the guy who does get the hit. That means something.

"That's kind of the mentality I try to have. And I've noticed over my years of playing that, when you do have that mentality, things tend to go better. As far as leadership goes, I think we've got that kind of an upward path and a unique journey. So, I think maybe I can share some perspective with these younger guys who maybe haven't been through what I've been through.”

If there’s one small bit of advice? Travel light, and live lean, even if you love animals. The Bauers’ other family member is the dog, Baxter. Well, we can say that now.

“I got him for my wife my rookie year in 2018 as a surprise, and that went over about as well as you think it did," Bauers said.

“Since then, he's definitely become part of the family. And I don't think my wife could live without him. I mean hindsight is 2020 – at the time, it wasn't well received, but it ended up being a good thing.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Young Brewers can learn from well-traveled teammate Jake Bauers