# The Goal Isn't To Be the Best 8-Year-Old — It's To Be the Best 18-Year-Old

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/the-goal-isn-t-to-be-the-best-8-year-old-it-s-to-be-the-best-18-year-old
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/the-goal-isn-t-to-be-the-best-8-year-old-it-s-to-be-the-best-18-year-old.md
Podcast: [Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford](https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172)
Published: 2026-05-06T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9.libsyn.com/the-goal-isnt-to-be-the-best-8-year-old-its-to-be-the-best-18-year-old
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9/v1_068_Gergel_Interview_MVA.mp3?dest-id=4634517
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/episodes/the-goal-isn-t-to-be-the-best-8-year-old-it-s-to-be-the-best-18-year-old
Duration seconds: 3726

## Resource

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…

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