One of the challenges of improvement—whether in business or sports—is what happens immediately after change.

When you shift from a familiar method to a new one, problems often arise.
Performance may drop, and productivity can stall.

If you abandon the change at that point and revert to the old way, nothing will ever truly evolve.
But if you endure that temporary dip and continue refining the new approach, it can eventually lead to significant breakthroughs.

Shohei Ohtani was fortunate, during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, to have Mike Trout as a teammate.

Trout, three years older and with eight more years of MLB experience, was already widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in the game, having won three MVP awards.

According to Ohtani, Trout would return to the dugout after every at-bat and engage in detailed discussions with coaches—constantly analyzing and questioning his approach.

From the outside, it might seem unnecessary for a player of his caliber to change anything.
After all, he was already producing elite results.

Yet Trout remained relentless in his pursuit of improvement.

Even if it meant temporarily disrupting his performance,
he was always willing to adjust in order to reach a higher level.

Watching this, Ohtani came to deeply appreciate the importance of change.

Making meaningful adjustments takes time.
And it often comes with short-term setbacks.

But having the courage to embrace that process—
that is what ultimately leads to growth and the next leap forward.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Baseball Youth II: MLB Edition 2018–2024 – Shohei Ohtani Long Interview, p.110