Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford

Matt Hannaford
  • 5.0 (68)
  • Baseball
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Most Valuable Agent – the podcast that gives baseball players, prospects, and fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed in professional baseball. Hosted by Matt Hannaford, a Major League Baseball agent with years of experience in contract negotiations and player representation, this channel is a must-watch for: • Athletes looking to advance their careers • Parents supporting young players • Baseball fans who want a deeper understanding of the game beyond the field What You'll Learn: • MLB Contracts & Draft Insights – How players get signed, negotiate contracts, and maximize opportunities • The Business of Baseball – Arbitration, free agency, and how teams evaluate talent • Expert Interviews & Analysis – Conversations with players, scouts, and insiders • MLB News & Market Trends – Breaking down trades, signings, and player negotiations 👉 Subscribe now for exclusive insights from one of baseball's top agents! New episodes weekly. You can watch the full episodes on The Most Valuable Agent Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent

  1. 1d ago

    Stop Looking for the "Best" Travel Baseball Team. Find the Right One.

    Every travel baseball program can tell you why it's a good program. That doesn't mean it's the right program for your son. One of the biggest mistakes families make when choosing a team is starting with the program: Who are the coaches? Where do they play? How many college commitments do they have? What tournaments are on the schedule? What does it cost? Those questions matter. But there's a more important question that needs to come first:   What exactly are we trying to accomplish for our son? In this episode, I answer three questions from baseball parents trying to evaluate programs, coaches and their own role in the process. We break down how the right program changes depending on whether your priority is development, college baseball, a potential professional path, or simply putting your son around coaches who will help him grow as a player and young man. I also explain why impressive track records need context. "We send players to college" sounds good. Which players? What level? What did the program actually do to help them get there? Were those players similar to your son? And what happened to the players who left? Those answers tell you much more than a list of commitments on social media. We also get into something parents may not want to hear: There is no perfect baseball program. Sometimes changing environments is absolutely necessary. But sometimes constantly searching for a better situation prevents a young player from learning how to struggle, adjust, take responsibility and earn his way through something difficult. Finally, I break down what a healthy partnership between the coach, player and parent should actually look like. The coach has a responsibility. The player has a responsibility. And the parent has a responsibility. Those roles are different—and understanding where one ends and another begins can dramatically change your son's experience.   In this episode: The question to answer before comparing travel baseball programs Why "development" is too vague unless a coach can explain what he means How to evaluate a program's college and recruiting track record Why another player's success does not guarantee the same outcome for your son Questions to ask families who have already been through the program Why searching for the "perfect team" can become its own problem What the transfer culture can teach young players about accountability The difference between supporting your son and interfering with his experience What coaches, players and parents each need to own How to decide whether a program is actually aligned with what your son needs   The big takeaway Don't start by asking which travel baseball program is best. Start by deciding what your son actually needs. Then evaluate whether the people asking for your trust have a specific, credible plan for helping him get there.   Episode Chapters 00:00 — Choosing the right travel baseball program 01:32 — Two programs sound great. Now what? 04:24 — Decide what you actually want first 07:48 — When a coach's "plan" is too vague 14:18 — How to investigate a program's track record 19:43 — Fit matters more than somebody else's success 22:07 — The danger of constantly searching for a better situation 26:13 — What a real parent-coach-player partnership looks like   Have a question? If your family is trying to make a difficult baseball decision, send me your question at matt@mostvaluableagent.com. I read every one. Subscribe to Most Valuable Agent for experienced, player-first guidance on travel baseball, development, recruiting, coaches, the draft and the business of baseball. And if another baseball family is trying to decide whether they're in the right program, send them this episode.

  2. Aug 5

    Before You Talk to Your Son's Coach, Watch This

    Most parents judge a coach by the small part of the process they can see: the lineup, playing time, positions, and in-game decisions. But that is rarely the whole story. Before you talk to your son's coach, you need to understand what the coach may be evaluating behind the scenes—and how the way you start that conversation can determine whether you receive useful information or immediately create defensiveness. In this episode, MLB agent Matt Hannaford explains how to approach coaches with better questions, greater context, and a clearer understanding of whether a program genuinely knows and develops your son.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN How do coaches actually evaluate players for playing time, where they fit in the lineup, what positions they'll play, how they create development plans, and how to evaluate future opportunities? Matt answers the questions baseball parents ask most by combining feedback from coaches he respects with lessons from more than 25 years representing professional players and communicating with managers, general managers, team executives, and development staffs.   You'll learn: • Why parents often judge the entire process through the small part they can see. • Why you should not assign a motive before understanding the decision. • The difference between approaching a coach as an ally and approaching him as an adversary. • The exact question to ask instead of, "Why aren't you playing my son?" • How to separate facts from assumptions before contacting a coach. • When your son should speak to the coach before you do. • What a real player-development plan should include. • Why being moved from a position is not automatically a negative evaluation. • How to tell the difference between a difficult answer and a dishonest answer. • The warning signs that a program may not truly know, develop, or advocate for your son. The goal of the conversation is not to force the coach to agree with you. The goal is to understand the situation well enough to make a good decision.   EPISODE SUMMARY This episode addresses one of the most emotional and misunderstood parts of travel baseball: communicating with your son's coach. Matt begins by explaining the parent's visible experience. Parents see lineups, positions, playing time, tournament schedules, in-game decisions, and how frequently the coach communicates. Because those are the most visible parts of the experience, it is easy to assume they represent everything the coach is doing. They do not. Depending on the level and organization, a coach may also be evaluating individual development, physical readiness, confidence, defensive combinations, pitching availability, practice performance, reliability, roster construction, college fit, recruiting communication, organizational philosophy, and the long-term role of every player. Understanding that workload does not mean surrendering your standards. It means communicating with better context.   Greg from Overland Park, Kansas, asks how coaches evaluate a player for playing time when the family only sees the lineup. Matt shares the perspective of a coach who describes regular, in-depth conversations about each player's skill set, developmental needs, future role, and potential college fit. That leads to one of the episode's central lessons: Come to the coach as an ally, not an adversary. Instead of beginning with: "Why aren't you playing my son?" Try: "Coach, I'd like to better understand how you currently evaluate my son and what he needs to improve to earn more opportunity." The first question puts the coach on defense. The second creates an opportunity to receive information the family can actually use. Matt connects this to his own work representing Major League players. Before he contacts a manager about a client's role or playing time, the player generally needs to take ownership and have the conversation himself. The same principle applies as young players mature. Parents should not automatically solve every communication problem for their son. One of the most valuable things a baseball program can teach a player is how to advocate for himself respectfully.   Alicia from Round Rock, Texas, asks what a strong coaching staff should be doing for a 15-year-old player when there is no game on the schedule. Matt explains that development should be more than a word used during the recruiting process by that coach. A quality organization should be able to explain: • The player's current strengths and weaknesses. • What the staff is helping him improve. • What he should prioritize over the next 30 to 60 days. • How often his development is reviewed. • What position or role may fit him long term. • What level of college baseball appears realistic. • How the program supports players through recruiting. If development is promised but cannot be demonstrated, the family should ask better questions and evaluate the answers carefully.   Tony from Dublin, Ohio, asks about his son being moved away from shortstop. Matt challenges parents not to interpret every decision as personal. A position change may be based on defensive needs, roster construction, matchups, another player's current readiness, or a desire to develop greater versatility. The decision may be disappointing without being disrespectful. Do not assign a motive before you understand the decision.   Matt closes with a framework for evaluating the coach's response and the program itself.   Warning signs include: • The coach cannot explain how the player is evaluated. • Feedback remains consistently vague. • Expectations change without explanation. • Development is discussed but not demonstrated. • Recruiting claims cannot be verified. • The program discourages reasonable questions. • Communication becomes disrespectful or manipulative. • The coach does not appear to know the player's strengths, weaknesses, or goals.   Parents must also distinguish between a bad coach and an answer they simply do not like. A good coach may honestly say that a player is not ready, needs to become stronger, has been inconsistent, is not currently projecting at the level the family expects, or may be a better fit at another position. Do not confuse an answer that hurts with an answer that is dishonest. Better communication begins with better understanding. Learn how the coach thinks. Ask questions that create clarity. Give your son increasing ownership. Then evaluate whether the coach's answers and actions demonstrate that the program genuinely knows him, develops him, and has a thoughtful plan for where he is going. Matt closes with a checklist a coach sent him: the specific warning signs of a bad coach, from feedback that stays consistently vague to recruiting claims that can't be verified to a coach who never asks what the player's goals are.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Why parents ask about coaches 1:19 — Coaches on the podcast so far 2:51 — The coach as the tool teacher 4:39 — Greg's playing-time question 12:44 — Ally not adversary 13:25 — How Matt talks to managers 20:07 — Alicia's development question 28:03 — Tony's shortstop question 34:11 — Warning signs of a bad coach   If this helped you, share it with another family who needs it before their next tournament. Have a question you want answered on a future episode? Email it in using the address below.   LINKS & RESOURCES Email your questions: matt@mostvaluableagent.com Last week's episode on travel baseball as a tool: https://youtu.be/QhiJnMSl2f8 Andy Burris / Five Star episode: https://youtu.be/9OnyuTDukH4   #CollegeRecruiting #TravelBaseball #YouthSports #BaseballParents #MVAPodcast

  3. Jul 29

    Travel Baseball Is a Tool, But Only If You Know How to Use It

    A sports agent of 25 years explains why the travel baseball cost that scares you might be the wrong thing to worry about. If your son is good enough, the industry is built to find him.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Matt Hannaford answers three real questions from parents about the money, time, and doubt that come with travel baseball. The core idea running through every answer: travel baseball is a tool, and a tool only works when you know why you are using it and how to use it. You will learn how to evaluate events properly so that you can make better decisions on whether to attend or not, how to scale a demanding schedule back instead of quitting entirely, and how to check whether your own attitude is coloring your son's experience. Matt also shares how to turn parent expectations into agreements your son actually commits to, and the one question to ask a coach before you agree to play for them. Matt reframes the fear head-on. A son's ability is the biggest factor in whether he gets drafted or recruited, not whether he attended the right showcase. Going to an event can still be a win for reasons that have nothing to do with exposure, like testing skills against better competition or getting a young player's feet wet before the stakes are real. He layers in a surgery analogy from his own client work: the right doctor accounts for only a third of the outcome, the player's work another third, the rehab plan the rest. Travel baseball works the same way, and the family has to swing the hammer. He closes on how to validate a concern about a coach, ask meaningful questions about the plan, talk to multiple families rather than one, and lead with the question most coaches have never been asked. By the end you will have a clearer way to decide which events your son should attend, why, and how to judge afterward whether the money and weekends paid off.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 — Travel baseball is a tool, not the problem 5:37 — Expensive vs worth it: Danielle's question 12:52 — Why big leaguers' families saw it as investment 20:14 — When demanding means scale back, not quit 27:42 — The surgery analogy: who swings the hammer 35:34 — Is your attitude coloring his experience 41:46 — Turning expectations into agreements 43:10 — How to vet a coach before you commit   CALL TO ACTION If this helped, share it with a family weighing the same decision. Have a question you want answered on a future episode? Send it in and it might lead the next Q&A. Email your question: matt@mostvaluableagent.com   #TravelBaseball, #YouthSports, #BaseballRecruiting, #BaseballParents, #MVAPodcast

  4. Jul 15

    What You Say After the Game Is Hurting Your Son

    Who is actually developing your son—and are the adults around him helping or hurting? In this episode, veteran MLB agent Matt Hannaford, who has more than 25 years of experience in the baseball business, answers three real questions from baseball parents: Should you hold your son back a grade to give him a physical advantage? Can a coach over-coach a player and do more harm than good? And does playing baseball at a high level automatically mean someone knows how to teach it? These may sound like three separate issues, but Matt explains why they all come back to the same thing: the people you allow to influence your son's development. First, Giselle from Tampa asks about reclassifying. Matt explains why fewer than 1% of players should even consider it—and why holding a player back simply to make him bigger or stronger than his competition can eventually work against him. Major League organizations value players who perform at younger ages. Every year matters. Then Tim from Dallas asks whether a coach can over-coach a player into burnout. The answer is yes. Matt breaks down the difference between coaching and constantly changing a kid, how families should evaluate a coach before making a commitment, and why meaningful mechanical adjustments take time. They do not happen during one cage session. Finally, Dave from Topeka asks whether playing at a high level means someone can coach at a high level. It doesn't. Playing and teaching are two different skills. A résumé may get your attention, but it does not tell you whether that person can understand, communicate with, and develop your son. The best coaches—and the best parents—share one essential trait: empathy. And parents, there is one part of this process you control completely: what happens after the game. That car ride home may feel like a small moment, but your reaction is teaching your son something. Make sure you are not teaching him that your approval—or your love—is tied to how he performed.   CHAPTERS 0:00 — Who is actually developing your kid? 0:49 — Giselle's question: Should you hold your son back? 3:00 — Why reclassifying for a physical advantage can backfire 6:00 — The age and value reality of professional baseball 10:05 — Tim's question: Can a coach do more harm than good? 16:00 — How to evaluate a coach before committing 18:46 — Dave's question: Does playing at a high level mean someone can teach? 29:00 — The trait every great coach needs: empathy 31:51 — What the car ride home is really teaching your son   Have a specific question about your son's path? Email Matt directly at matt@mostvaluableagent.com.   #MVAPodcast #baseball #travelball #baseballparents #youthsports

  5. Jul 8

    MLB Wants to End the High School Draft. What It Means for Your Son

    MLB just proposed ending the high school draft, and before you panic, you should understand what is being negotiated. MLB agent Matt Hannaford breaks down the proposal to eliminate high school draft eligibility, cut the draft from 20 to 12 rounds, and slash signing bonuses, and he explains why he reads it as a negotiating tactic rather than a done deal. If you are a baseball parent or player, here is what it would mean for your development path, your leverage, and your money.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What MLB actually proposed, and which parts are most and least likely to happen Why an MLB agent reads this as a negotiation tactic rather than a final outcome How ending the high school draft would quietly remove player leverage The second-order effect: more reclassifying, more college players drafted, less money for everyone What you should and shouldn't change about your plan right now   On June 18, Baseball America reported that MLB proposed eliminating high school draftee eligibility as part of its collective bargaining negotiations with the Players Association. The same framework would cut the draft from 20 to 12 rounds, reduce bonuses by more than 50%, install hard slot bonuses, and allow more trading of draft picks. Matt Hannaford has direct relationships inside those negotiations, so he walks through the proposal and then explains how these negotiations move behind the scenes. His read is that most of what gets reported through the media never makes the final agreement. MLB's real goal, he argues, is fewer rounds, less money paid to players, and more control. He then walks through the worst case: if high school eligibility went away, the best players would reclassify and reach college sooner, squeezing the traditional college player while colleges gain leverage and spend less. For parents, his advice is to keep moving forward as if nothing is changing, because context matters more than any headline.   Have a question about your son's path? Email Matt directly at matt@mostvaluableagent.com.   More from the show:  MLB Draft Prep Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5H4dTL0Gs4tiHHxBq8it6LzYLvFB961X Matt's Guide to Travel Baseball for Parents Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5H4dTL0Gs4vlKfChWXK7jPepLxS2PYRr  #MVAPodcast #baseball #MLBDraft #travelball #baseballparents

  6. Jul 1

    Travel Baseball Can Cost You More Than Money

    Travel baseball can cost you tens of thousands of dollars, and the real bill is bigger than the checks you are writing. Here is what you are actually paying for.   MLB agent Matt Hannaford adds up the real cost of travel baseball so you can stop overpaying and start spending on what actually develops your son. Subscribe for the insider playbook on recruiting, the transfer portal, and the MLB Draft.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The full cost of travel baseball that most families never add up Why spending more does not mean your son is developing more When a roster spot you are paying for is no longer worth it The cost that has nothing to do with money: your relationship with your son How to capture the benefit of travel baseball at the lowest possible cost   Matt Hannaford answers three real questions from travel baseball parents, and every one of them comes back to cost. First, the obvious bill: entry fees, program dues, flights, rental cars, hotels, and food. Matt is direct that travel baseball is a completely different animal than Little League, and that the financial buy-in is real before you talk about anything else.   Then comes the cost most families never see coming. Parents spend all of this money chasing exposure early, and end up in the hole 20, 40, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, only to reach 16 and wonder why their son still is not being recruited. Matt explains the order that protects your wallet: development first, then competition, then exposure, because August 1 of junior year is the first time a Division I program can even contact you. You can go to almost no events, focus on development, and your son is still not behind. He points to Steph Curry, who developed his game and went to Davidson, and Evan Longoria, who went from junior college to Long Beach State to the third overall pick.   When Jim from Naperville asks whether he is just paying $3,000 to develop the starters, Matt gives you the two questions to ask a coach before you write the check, and the respectful meeting to have when the program stops adding value. And the deepest cost is not money at all. When Tom from Louisville asks whether travel ball is development or status, Matt gets honest about the ranking system and the value of failure, citing the start to Austin Riley's career. Former big leaguer Danny Espinosa shares what a real win looks like: your son saying, it's okay, I love you. Related topics include college recruiting, scholarships, the transfer portal, NIL, and rec ball versus travel ball.   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - The Real Cost of Travel Baseball 1:40 - The Costs Nobody Adds Up 4:41 - The Benefit at the Lowest Cost 16:25 - Spending Big and Still Not Recruited 22:06 - Paying $3,000 to Sit the Bench 28:47 - The Cost That Isn't Money 31:26 - Why Rankings Cost You Focus   ABOUT THE MVA PODCAST Matt Hannaford is an MLB agent who gives you the insider playbook on college recruiting, the transfer portal, and MLB Draft decisions. The Most Valuable Agent Podcast helps parents and players navigate the system with confidence.   Have a question for a future episode? Email matt@mostvaluableagent.com   Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent MVA Website: https://www.aligndsports.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mfhannaford/    #MVAPodcast #TravelBaseball #CollegeBaseball #MLBDraft #YouthSports

  7. Jun 24

    Is a Travel Team Really Necessary?

    You think the $45,000 travel team is buying your kid a shot at the next level. A former pro hockey player explains why that promise is youth sports' biggest lie. Every youth-sports parent gets sold the same promise: pay for the elite travel team, the tournament, the showcase, the year-round travel — and your kid will get seen, get recruited, get to the next level. In this conversation, a former NHL player who now runs a development hockey program takes that promise apart from the inside. He came up as one of the only kids from inner-city Philadelphia ever drafted to the NHL, so he is not guessing about what actually moves a player forward. He's seen it with his own eyes. His message: being recruitable is not the same as being seen. You can go to every event, be at every showcase or every tournament and still go nowhere, because what evaluators are actually buying is what your kid not only does when people are watching but what they do when nobody is watching — the extra reps after practice, the attitude, their ability to grind and to be a self-starter. He calls that the "it factor," and you cannot buy it with an expensive travel program. He explains why being a big fish in a small pond may actually develop your kid faster than sitting on the bench for a "number one" travel team, and how the state that develops the most hockey players in the country does it for far less money, through local high school programs, not pay-to-play clubs. Matt connects every point to baseball and to the trap parents fall into — dipping into retirement money for a travel-ball promise that was never real — and reframes your actual job as a youth sports parent: not the snowplow clearing the road, but the gardener feeding the conditions and letting the kid grow. In the back half, the guest takes you inside the NHL salary cap from a player's seat — escrow, what the cap is really built to protect, and whether it creates competitive balance at all — and Matt stress-tests the parity myth against real payroll-vs-results examples from MLB. If you are spending real money chasing exposure for your kid, watch the first twenty minutes before you write the next check.   Chapters  0:00 — The promise youth sports sells you 2:16 — From inner-city Philadelphia to the NHL 13:52 — The $45,000-a-year trap 15:19 — The "it factor": what your kid does when nobody's watching 18:33 — Exposure vs. development — you've got it backwards 20:24 — Being recruitable is not the same as being seen 24:11 — Why Minnesota develops more players for a couple thousand dollars 29:30 — Your real job as a parent: the gardener, not the snowplow 44:48 — Inside the NHL salary cap — escrow and what it really protects 52:31 — Does a salary cap actually create parity?   #youthsports #travelsports #sportsparenting #athletedevelopment #MVAPodcast

  8. Jun 17

    The Hidden Negotiation Behind Your MLB Signing Bonus

    If you are a baseball parent waiting on the MLB Draft, the wait is the hard part — and rushing it is the mistake. MLB agent Matt Hannaford breaks down what actually happens in the months and weeks before draft day, so you know what to do when a team starts testing your number.   Most families think a scout in the stands means their player is on the radar. Matt explains why that depends entirely on which scout is watching. There is a chain of command behind every pick: the area scout who is boots on the ground gathering information, the regional cross-checker who ranks your player against an entire region, the national cross-checker who covers the whole country, and finally the scouting director and sometimes the general manager. If the only scouts ever watching your son are area scouts, you are not getting drafted in the first three rounds — no matter how the spring season goes.   You will also learn why you do not have to attend every pre-draft workout you are invited to. Matt walks through the call he had with a scouting director who told him, honestly, to send his player to a different workout — proof that an invitation is not the same as real interest. He explains when a private workout is worth the flight and the money, why a combine invitation usually beats stacking individual workouts (every team is there), and how getting invited to a workout rarely raises your value by the hundreds of thousands of dollars families imagine it will.   Then Matt gets into the part every family is really waiting for: signability and the signing bonus. He lays out the three ways players set their number, how the week-before-draft "big board" puts your player in play at specific picks, and how teams get creative with slot money — including the strategy used by clubs like the Milwaukee Brewers, who underpay early picks in the top 10 rounds to hand a player a much larger bonus in the 11th. He uses Austin Riley, who went to several workouts as a high school senior and still went in the first round, to show that one rough workout does not end your career.   The center of the episode is leverage. Matt tells the story of a player last year who held firm on his number while a scouting director called three separate times — first trying to knock off hundreds of thousands of dollars, then 150,000 less, then 50,000 less — while the area scout called the player directly to test whether the number was real. The player got his number. Matt explains why that only ever works when the player and the family are genuinely comfortable walking away and attending college, and why the draft is not the finish line. It is the beginning. This conversation connects directly to college recruiting, the transfer portal, travel ball, and NIL decisions every baseball family is navigating right now.   ABOUT THE MVA PODCAST Matt Hannaford is an MLB agent who gives you the insider playbook on college recruiting, the transfer portal, and MLB Draft decisions. The Most Valuable Agent Podcast helps parents and players navigate the system with confidence.   LINKS & RESOURCES Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent MVA Website: https://www.aligndsports.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mfhannaford/    #MVAPodcast #MLBDraft #CollegeBaseball #SigningBonus #BaseballRecruiting

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Welcome to Most Valuable Agent – the podcast that gives baseball players, prospects, and fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed in professional baseball. Hosted by Matt Hannaford, a Major League Baseball agent with years of experience in contract negotiations and player representation, this channel is a must-watch for: • Athletes looking to advance their careers • Parents supporting young players • Baseball fans who want a deeper understanding of the game beyond the field What You'll Learn: • MLB Contracts & Draft Insights – How players get signed, negotiate contracts, and maximize opportunities • The Business of Baseball – Arbitration, free agency, and how teams evaluate talent • Expert Interviews & Analysis – Conversations with players, scouts, and insiders • MLB News & Market Trends – Breaking down trades, signings, and player negotiations 👉 Subscribe now for exclusive insights from one of baseball's top agents! New episodes weekly. You can watch the full episodes on The Most Valuable Agent Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent

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