{"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":"Why 50 Travel Ball Games + 50 Practices Beats 100 Games","slug":"why-50-travel-ball-games-50-practices-beats-100-games","published_at":"2026-04-22T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/why-50-travel-ball-games-50-practices-beats-100-games","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172","url":"https://f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9.libsyn.com/why-50-travel-ball-games-50-practices-beats-100-games","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9/v1_066_Justin_Cryer_MVA.mp3?dest-id=4634517","summary":"Your son may play 80 games in a single summer, but he can't tell you what he worked on at practice last week. Sound familiar? Today's guest is Justin Cryer, former professional player, Ole Miss Rebel, former Houston Astros area scout, and now Director of Sports Marketing at Marucci. Justin joined Matt at Marucci's newly opened Hitter's House in Scottsdale, Arizona, during Spring Training for a conversation that hits on everything from player development and scouting to travel ball and parenting. And beyond his role at Marucci, Justin brings another valuable perspective to the table: he's also a travel ball dad and coach for his 10-year-old son's team. If you care about helping your son develop the right way, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Subscribe for the insider playbook on recruiting, the draft, and building your son's baseball career the smart way. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ✔ What MLB scouts actually evaluate in your son — and why body type and character matter, sometimes more than the box score. ✔ The development-first framework: why you should flip the priority from exposure to development and what that looks like practically week to week ✔ Why Justin fought travel baseball for his own son — and what changed his mind ✔ What happens inside an MLB draft room that would surprise you — including why some top draft prospects can go undrafted ✔ Why making your son play another sport might be the best thing you do for his baseball career this year Justin Cryer is a former Ole Miss pitcher who spent five drafts as an area scout for the Houston Astros covering Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. He scouted Alex Bregman and put one of the highest grades in the organization on Kyle Tucker. Justin now leads Marucci's Marketing Department and gave us…","meta_description":"Your son may play 80 games in a single summer, but he can't tell you what he worked on at practice last week. Sound familiar? Today's guest is Justin Crye…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3471,"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/why-50-travel-ball-games-50-practices-beats-100-games/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/why-50-travel-ball-games-50-practices-beats-100-games.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}