Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson throws everything but the kitchen sink at opposing hitters. But even more diverse than his pitch repertoire is how the lefty spends his off-seasons.Whether he’s throwing in the park, running the beaches of Southern California or driving one of his exotic cars, Wilson is always on the move. He says, “One of the keys to success in life is being productive with the time you put in and taking advantage of the opportunities that are there.”

For Wilson, every day of the off-season presents an opportunity to improve his pitching skills. He takes it upon himself to make every workout and throwing session as difficult as possible as a means to ease the grind of the 162-game regular season.

The self-discipline Wilson practices can be traced back to his formative years, a time when he wasn’t the most dominant player on the field. “I never thought it was going to be easy for me, so I never took it easy,” says Wilson, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft.  “I was always playing hard, working hard and trying to beat the kids that were better than me.”

Wilson is no longer a kid, yet the 34-year-old remains one of the premier southpaws in the Major Leagues. He racked up 13 wins last season and he’s never posted a losing season as a starting pitcher.

The way Wilson sees it, he’s just starting to reach his peak. He says, “People say that you’re supposed to peak at 30 years old, but I feel like I keep getting better because I’m on such a developmental mindset.”

Want more from Wilson? Catch the video at the top of this post to see what drives the two-time All-Star.