There’s a code in baseball: What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.

But there are times it would be a good thing if people could see inside. Because it would clear up some serious misconceptions. This is one: that players don’t care as much or work as hard once they get big contracts. This season my name, along with other teammates’, have been mentioned in that group.

This kind of talk doesn’t keep me up at night. I know it’s about a lack of information. Fans have access only to what’s happening on the field. How could they know what’s going on behind the scenes? Or in our heads? Let me pull the curtain back a little to show a more complete picture.

There are a few things that sets apart the small percentage of people who make it to the big leagues from all the ones who didn’t. Yes, you have to be talented, but talent isn’t enough. A lot of talented guys never make it. You get here because you’re incredibly driven to be the best. You’re hard-wired to compete. You work harder than the next guy. You care more than the next guy. You hate losing.

You hate losing so much that you kind of hate the game for a little while right afterward. This says a lot because you love the game more than most people will ever love their jobs. You love the camaraderie and battling alongside your teammates day in and day out. You love winning.

None of this just disappears because suddenly you have money or a championship ring.

Do you think we don’t already envision the end of our careers and how much we’ll miss competing? How aware we are that we will never be as good at anything else in our lives as we are at this?

Everybody is always trying to get better. What you don’t see are the hours we spend every day before and after games in the batting cage, on the field, in the video room, in the training room, talking with our coaches, talking with each other. I like going to Longo, Pillar, Buster, Belt. What are they seeing in my at-bats? Sometimes we pick up little changes in each other nobody else sees.

In other words, there’s nobody just sitting around saying, “Well, this is as good as I’m going to get.’’

As for slacking off after signing my contract in 2015? I had one of my best years in 2016 because I worked to get better.

It’s crazy to me when people say I’m struggling because I supposedly didn’t work hard in the off-season and I’m out of shape. It’s so far from the truth it’s laughable. I’m 32 years old this year. I worked harder on my conditioning this off-season than any other year. I’m 225 pounds. My body’s feeling good.

Thanks for reading.