{"podcast":{"title":"Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford","slug":"most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172","podcast_index_feed_id":6966172,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/538017/rss","website_url":"https://sites.libsyn.com/538017","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/3/2/3/6323116aac6709c3d959afa2a1bf1c87/MVA_FINAL_COVER.png","author":"Matt Hannaford","episode_count":106,"summary":"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","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172"},"episode":{"title":"The Goal Isn't To Be the Best 8-Year-Old — It's To Be the Best 18-Year-Old","slug":"the-goal-isn-t-to-be-the-best-8-year-old-it-s-to-be-the-best-18-year-old","published_at":"2026-05-06T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"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","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172","url":"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_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9/v1_068_Gergel_Interview_MVA.mp3?dest-id=4634517","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…","meta_description":"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 al…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3726,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"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/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"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","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}