Episode
The Goal Isn't To Be the Best 8-Year-Old — It's To Be the Best 18-Year-Old
- Published
- May 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3726
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Summary
Kevin Gergel played at Georgia Tech, became an All-American catcher at Kennesaw State, was drafted by the Seattle Mariners — and saw his pro career end almost before it really began. So when his son Kellan was four years old and starting T-ball, Kevin and his wife Teal created their philosophy that has shaped every decision they've made around travel baseball ever since: The goal was not to raise the best 8-year-old on the field. The goal was to raise the best 18-year-old. That philosophy changed how they approached travel baseball, development, exposure, pressure, failure, and the parent-player relationship. In this episode, Matt Hannaford sits down with Kevin and Kellan Gergel for a real conversation about what most baseball families are missing: the long game. Because exposure is not the goal. Exposure is the byproduct of becoming the kind of player worth watching. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN - The philosophy Kevin and Teal built their decisions around — and why it reshaped everything they did from T-ball through high school - Why Matt argues that exposure is a byproduct, not a goal — and how most travel ball parents are getting things backwards - The moment Kevin realized that trying to fix his son's batting stance was the wrong approach - 90% of players say the mental game is the most important part of baseball — but how much of their time spent training actually reflects that - Austin Riley's 2019: didn't make the Big League team out of spring training, but despite that, hit 15 home runs in three weeks in AAA, called up, hit 9 more in his first 18 big league games and then hit a wall forcing him to make an adjustment Kellan is 15, stands six-foot-one, and plays for the East Cobb Mariners — one of the most talent-dense travel areas in the country. His coach Kenny Falk playe…