Slumps, Streaks and Sustainable Success: Blake Dunn’s Mental Manifestation

Throughout the grueling 150-game grind of a Triple-A season, Mondays serve as off days, a chance for players to take a breather between each six-game series. But for Blake Dunn, there is no pause. For Dunn, there are no days off.

There may not be a game, but Dunn nonetheless remains vigilant, refining his craft and bettering himself each Monday. It just doesn’t take place on any baseball diamond.

It takes place on Zoom.

Dunn carves out time on Mondays to work with Mental Performance Coach Zach Sorensen. When the two meet, their focus isn’t on tactical skills or physical techniques. Instead, they concentrate on the mental side to the game, which is fundamentally vital. After all, baseball is 90% mental.

“A lot of people talk about how baseball is 90% mental, 10% physical and all that stuff,” Dunn said. “But a lot of times guys say that and you don’t really know exactly what you’re doing to try to improve yourself in that 90% mental portion of the game.”

A couple months ago, Dunn was one of those guys. Entering the 2025 campaign, he hadn’t taken steps to sharpen his own mental game. But as the season got underway and struggles mounted, Dunn recognized the potential value in mental development.

Dunn began the year in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds. But after posting a .150 clip in 30 games, the club sent him down to Louisville. Unfortunately for Dunn, the change of scenery didn’t help get him back on track. Instead, his struggles continued, hitting .140 in the month of May.

As his slump persisted, Dunn became increasingly consumed by his shortcomings, which only compounded his issues. Overwhelmed by a lack of rhythm and confidence on the field, Dunn knew something had to change. That’s when he turned to Sorensen for support.

“My entire life I’ve always been very hard on myself,” Dunn said. “After a while, it’s easy to beat yourself up. Coming down (to Triple-A) and struggling at the beginning here, I was definitely beating myself up more than I probably should have been. And so (Sorensen and I) were just trying to work on some positive affirmations.”

It’s easy to get caught up in the negatives, and at times, it can feel like there aren’t many positives to cling onto. Nonetheless, beating yourself up and nitpicking mistakes, especially during at-bats, isn’t productive. With Sorensen’s guidance, Dunn found the power of positive affirmations, embracing the mental side of baseball.

Dunn accepted that a bad performance doesn’t make him a bad player. Once he stopped tying his slump to his sense of self, he could picture the player he wanted to be. That visualization was exactly what he needed to restore his rhythm and confidence.

“Shifting my mindset from being upset to telling myself the player that I want to be, going over that in my head and getting rid of those negative thoughts and being able to supplement them with positive and reassuring thoughts (helped),” Dunn said. “It’s just a different mindset that allows myself to be who I want to be on the field.”

Bolstered by an improved mindset and more confidence, Dunn worked his way out of the rut.

When the calendar flipped to June, his renewed mindset and positive affirmations immediately manifested on the field. In his first game of the month Dunn may have gone hitless, but he also drew a walk. Little did he know, that free pass would mark the beginning of something special.

That walk marked the start of Dunn’s 36 games on-base streak. It marked the start of the longest on-base streak by a Bat and one of the longest in the International League this season.

“I feel like there was a correlation between the on-base streak and being able to shift my mindset from a tough first or second at-bat,” Dunn said. “Whereas in the past, maybe that third at-bat wouldn’t have been a positive outcome because I would’ve still been upset about the first two at-bats and how they went. I do think that the two and two went together a little bit.”

Dunn wasn’t merely getting on base, though. Across those 36 games from June 3 to July 20, he put up a .324 clip with 18 runs and 15 RBI, with a .464 on base percentage. After fully embracing the mental side of baseball, Dunn was reaping the rewards.

His on-base streak is a testament to his mental resilience, but finding success is one thing. Sustaining it is another.

“The streak’s over, and hopefully I’ll start a new one now,” Dunn said. “(Regardless), you have no idea what’s going to happen, you can just go out there and try to put yourself in the best position possible, the best mindset possible to give yourself the opportunity for the best success.”

Immediately, Dunn got back to work.

He is still thriving at the plate, even though his long on-base streak ended, showcasing how bringing the best mindset does in fact put him in the best position possible. In turn, he’s demonstrating the sustainability he’s capable of. Thirteen games removed from his streak ending, Dunn has excelled.

In 12 of those 14 contests, Dunn has recorded a base knock. After an impressive July, Dunn has carried his confidence into August, currently on an eight-game hitting streak. Since June, Dunn has consistently been busy on the base paths for the Bats with a .306 average and .426 OBP across 52 games.

Dunn’s work with Sorensen and focus on mental improvements truly has paid dividends.

“I’m sure there’s a ton of guys that, maybe didn’t realize that the mental side of the game was that extra edge they needed to be able to get over the hump of the Triple-A to the big league competition, and being able to be open to that and being able to work on that with somebody who has been in the game before like Zach (is valuable). He knows what it’s like to be in our shoes. It’s awesome to be able to have that valuable asset.”

Overwhelmed by frustrations in the opening two months of the season, there weren’t many positive takeaways Dunn could use to snap out of his slump. Nevertheless, Sorensen helped change his mindset.

Fifty-two games later, those positive affirmations have completely manifested themselves. Now, Dunn is showcasing that extra edge that comes from embracing the mental side of baseball.