By JOE McFARLAND

Matt Coutney has taken the term “roadtrip” to a whole new level.

While some might be tired of driving along the highway after a long season of professional baseball, the Wetaskiwin native has created a new pre-Spring Training tradition.

Since he was selected in the 10^th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Angels, he’s made the trek to Arizona each spring by driving.

It’s a chance to unwind before getting down to business, checking out some hiking trails and catching the local sights and sounds.

“I’ve been playing baseball for my whole life and, especially in the last few years, it’s kind of become my identity,” Coutney told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “You sometimes lose the fact that you’re a human being and you need to be able to enjoy yourself.”

With another season of baseball on the horizon, the 26-year-old is looking to not only move up the Angels’ depth charts, but to see more of the world along the way.

PROFESSIONAL MILESTONES

It hasn’t taken Coutney long to rack up both miles on his vehicle and minor league at-bats.

He’s approaching 1,500 plate appearances, sporting a .252 batting average with 40 home runs and 175 runs batted in over the course of four pro seasons.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound infielder is coming off another healthy season split between three levels of the Los Angeles season, hitting .239 with 15 roundtrippers and driving in 53 runs.

With that experience, also comes some introspection, as he is quick to reflect on his maturation as a baseball player and as a human being.

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Another key to his longevity so far: his health.

“Availability is the best ability,” Coutney said. “Knock on wood, I have never landed on the injured list, I’ve never had any major injuries, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for.”

He says preparation and taking care of his body has been a big key to his success and, as he’s gotten older, he’s come to realize how important sleep has become to his routines.

UNDERSTANDING HIMSELF

While many spend their offseasons focusing on strength and on-field adjustments, Coutney found himself focusing on one particular shift in mindset.

“I definitely think the older I’m getting, the closer I’m getting (to MLB), so I definitely felt like the mentality needed to flip,” he said.

“Instead of, ‘Okay, I need to climb to some level,’ or ‘I need to just survive one more year,’ I think it needed to flip to, ‘Okay, how am I going to be a big leaguer and how am I going to stick?’”

Instead of trying to make major changes to his approach at the plate or his fielding, Coutney decided to double-down on the things that have gotten him to this point.

“I understand my skillset and I know what I do well and know what I don’t do well,” he continued. “Being able to hone in on what I do well and maximize my potential in that way is definitely going to be the way I’m going to become a big leaguer.”

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The Colby Community College and Old Dominion University alum has also been able to impart some of that wisdom on the next generation of ballplayers in his home province this winter.

While training at St. Joseph Ball Academy in Red Deer, Coutney says he was able to catch up with a few other players who on their college winter break.

He says they’re starting to learn that you can’t put a price on the experience they are getting, so if he can provide some words of wisdom to help them get through it, he’s happy to help.

“You just hope that one day you’re giving back to the people that gave to you,” Coutney said. “If you can change one kid’s career, you help out that one kid or you help them figure something out off the field, that’s worthwhile at the end of the day.”

GO WITH THE FLOW

After packing up his vehicle and making the trek down to Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona for Spring Training, Coutney feels like he’s in a good place to make the next move.

He’s not getting caught up in what level he will start the season in, whether that’s with Rocket City in Double-A or Salt Lake in Triple-A.

The Edmonton Prospects alum says he will stick to the old motto of “control what he can control” and enjoy the ride, wherever it takes him.

READ MORE: Angel Adjustments

As much as it can feel like a constant race in baseball, he wants to stop and smell the roses on the life side as well.

“I’m starting to get wedding invitations from guys that I’ve played with,” he says. “The older you get, the more you start to realize that this is what you do it for: being able to see people and understand their path and see how they’ve grown up and what they have done and what they’ve turned into is probably, at the end of the day, the most important thing.”

Whether it’s on the field in the pros, working with young players at home, or enjoying all the open road has to offer, the introspective Coutney is intent on enjoying the ride.