Mental performance work for baseball players - the yips, the slump, the showcase, the long season.
Clinically reviewed by Geoffrey Peal, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist · Updated October 2026
Baseball is the most failure-rich sport in American athletics. A great hitter fails seven times out of ten. The athletes who last are the ones who learn what to do between failures - not the ones who never fail.
We work with pitchers who've lost the strike zone, hitters in slumps that won't break, infielders fighting the throwing yips, and travel-ball kids burnt out on the year-round grind.
We see baseball players from across Tampa Bay, in person at our St. Petersburg and Trinity offices or by secure telehealth anywhere in Florida, which helps during travel-ball season.
The baseball yips usually show up on throws a player has made thousands of times: second to first, catcher back to the pitcher, a short toss. Long throws can feel fine while the short ones sail. It is a performance-anxiety problem dressed up as mechanics. We map the exact throws that trigger it, give attention a clear target, and rebuild the throw under gradually rising pressure, working alongside your coach on the physical side. The same mechanics drive the golf version, and Dr. Snyder's post on getting over the yips is a useful read for any position player.
Baseball parents see every at-bat. We help families with the car ride home, the year-round travel-ball calendar, and the difference between supporting a slump and making it the topic of every dinner. Burnout is real in this sport; our post on athlete burnout covers the warning signs.
Fall ball and the winter before the high school season are the best windows to install an at-bat routine or start yips work. In season, we keep sessions short and tied to that week's games.
You don't fix a slump with mechanics. You fix it with what's between pitches.
Common signs a baseball athlete would benefit from sport psychology work.
Routine throws - first to second, catcher to pitcher - feel impossible.
Frozen in the box. Strike three goes by. Then it happens again.
One hit becomes three. The inning unravels in your head.
Mechanics are fine. Confidence is gone.
You look elite in the pen, lost on the mound.
Perfect Game, area code, college camps. You play tight.
The baseball skills we drill most. Concrete, repeatable, no inspirational quotes.
A step-out routine between pitches: breath, cue, plan. The same in the cage and with two strikes in a tight game.
Identify the throws that trigger it, then rebuild them with graded exposure, from easy tosses to live reps.
For pitchers: one pitch at a time, with a release after hits, walks, and bad calls so one batter does not become the inning.
Separate process from results. Track quality at-bats, not just hits, so confidence does not ride on a batting average.
A short protocol after a booted ball or a bad throw, so you want the next one hit to you.
Imagery and routines for camps and showcases, where you get a handful of reps to show what you can do.
Every athlete works directly with one of our two licensed psychologists, both active members of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). No hand-offs to an unlicensed coach.
Dr. Geoffrey Peal, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist featured on ABC Action News and 10 WTSP Tampa Bay discussing the pressure Olympic athletes face. He works with the yips, choking, pre-game anxiety, and confidence after injury.
Dr. Ben Snyder is a licensed psychologist and a co-founder of FPA Performance. He specializes in baseball along with distance sports and other ball sports, and is an ultrarunner himself.
Not sure who fits? Send a note and we'll match you, or read more about our team.
Sessions are confidential and tailored to your sport, level, and goals. Most work begins with a 50-minute consult.
More from our psychologists, or head back to all sports.