About Jamie
I fell in love with the game long before I knew the journey it would take me on.
I'm Jamie Westbrook.
I've spent most of my life chasing a baseball dream.
That journey took me through professional baseball, Team USA, an Olympic silver medal, and eventually the Major Leagues.
But the path looked nothing like I thought it would.
I was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and moved to Arizona with my family when I was 10.
Like a lot of kids, I dreamed about playing in the Major Leagues.
For a long time, I believed something pretty simple:
Work hard and good things will happen.
But what happens when they don't?
The yips
During my professional career, I developed the yips.
Something I had done my entire life — throwing a baseball — suddenly became something I was afraid to do.
I spent years trying to understand why.
Eventually, I realized I had to look beyond mechanics. I started learning more about myself — meditation, journaling, breathing, reflection, and becoming more aware of my thoughts and how I responded to them.
There wasn't a quick fix. There wasn't one breakthrough that suddenly made everything go away.
It became something I had to learn to work through.
The grind
1,159
Minor league games
4,495
Plate appearances
For nearly 11 years, this was my story.
I was demoted. Traded. Released.
There were plenty of times along the way when it felt like the dream might never happen.
The path looked nothing like I had planned.
Team USA
Eventually, baseball took me somewhere I never expected.
I represented the United States at the Tokyo Olympics and came home with a silver medal.
It was one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. At the same time, I was going through one of the most difficult periods of my life.
That experience taught me something I still carry with me today:
You can't always tell from the outside what someone is going through internally.
It ain't always summer in June.
The dream
When it finally happened, it wasn't just about making it. It was a testament to the journey, everything I learned along the way, and never losing sight of the goal — even through some of the most challenging times.
You Can! rang true.
Why I coach
I had some incredible coaches throughout my career.
I also learned what it feels like when a player doesn't feel understood.
That's shaped the coach I want to be.
I'm not interested in giving every athlete the same speech or pretending I have a magic answer.
I want to listen.
I want to understand what you're experiencing.
I want to challenge you.
And then, together, we'll figure out what actually works for you.
Whether your dream is making your high-school team, playing in college, reaching the highest level of your sport, or simply enjoying the game again — it's your dream, not mine.
My job is to help you give yourself the best opportunity to chase it.
The levels I reached aren't the reason I coach. The things I went through getting there are.
I know how much the right coach, conversation, or person can matter at the right time.
Now I get to take what I've learned along the way and pass it on to the next athlete chasing their own dream.