“You’re either in a slump… or about to be in one.”
Someone said that to me recently, and even after all my years playing and coaching baseball, I’d never heard it.
But I love it.
It’s the essence of the game.
And it’s often when families reach out to me — when a young athlete doesn’t know how to get out of a slump.
On one hand, this is a favorable time to begin working with an athlete. They’re ready to change. On the other, they’re chasing results—and that mindset is often what got them stuck in the first place.
Getting out of a slump often starts with a shift in perspective.
Shifting perspective takes creativity and finesse.
That brings me to Danny.
A few weeks ago, Danny’s mom contacted me. He’s been struggling at the plate throughout most of his junior season in high school.
Danny plays for a baseball powerhouse—one of the best programs in our area. They win titles. They produce college-level talent. Danny has those same dreams. But right now, he’s uncommitted.
And he’s feeling the weight.
He’s not producing. He’s worried he’s hurting his chances to play in college. He’s lost some belief in himself.
My job?
Help him get out of his hitting slump and get back on the college recruiting radar.
No big deal.
(Sarcasm alert: it’s a very big deal.)
Session One: Reclaiming Control
In our first session, we focused on process-oriented solutions. Danny was tense. Overthinking. Trying too hard.
I introduced breathing techniques and reset cues. We talked about staying in the moment—controlling the controllables.
Starting with the process can reduce the emotional weight of results. It also helps athletes regain a sense of control.
After the session, Danny said things felt a little better… but not quite there yet.
That wasn’t surprising. He’d spent the first month and a half of the season hyper-focused on outcomes. Results. Stats.
It takes time to shift that mindset.
So we tried something different.
Session Two: Reclaiming Swagger
Danny told me he’d lost his swagger.
I asked him to think of a time when he had it.
He told me about a game last summer—travel ball—bases loaded, game on the line, and he ripped a triple into the right-center gap.
He remembered how he felt that day:
Loose. Confident. Free. Having fun.
He was THAT guy.
And then I had a lightbulb moment.
“You’re still THAT guy. You just don’t feel like him right now.”
I reminded him:
He’s in the starting lineup on a top-tier team for a reason.
He didn’t forget how to play baseball.
He leaned in. I could see the shift.
We had tapped into something powerful:
Memory. Emotion. Identity.
One of the biggest patterns I see in athletes?
They let their most recent performance determine their confidence.
But they rarely go back and reflect on the past successes that got them here.
Here’s the truth:
Past successes are the biggest source of an athlete’s confidence.
And they don’t have to be from yesterday. Or last week.
They just need to be remembered.
Danny felt it. He smiled. His posture changed.
I gave him a challenge:
Recall that great moment.
Live in it for 24 hours.
Feel like THAT guy.
His game got rained out the next day, but two days later he played.
I checked the box score the following day:
2-for-2, with a run and an RBI.
I texted his mom. Here’s what she said:
Now, the mission is to help Danny stay in that headspace.
How?
By helping him consistently remember who he is.
Build a new mental routine. And practice it. Daily.
Because THAT guy?
He never left.
He just needed to be reminded.