Podcast Summary: Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford

Episode: Choosing The RIGHT Travel Baseball Team – What You Need To Consider

Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Matt Hannaford

Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Hannaford, a veteran MLB agent, dives deep into one of the most pivotal choices for young baseball players and their families: selecting the right travel baseball team. Matt aims to help parents bring clarity and strategy to this critical decision, balancing dreams of future exposure with player development, family logistics, and financial realities. This guide is packed with actionable questions, candid advice, and hard-earned insights—crucial for families navigating the often overwhelming world of youth travel baseball.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Parents Are Being Recruited, Too

• [00:12] Matt opens the episode by framing the recruitment process:

  “Every email that you get, every text message, every DM from a travel ball coach, it’s with the intention of ultimately getting your son to come play for their organization, right? I mean, on some level, it feels like a sales pitch.”

• Many teams focus on buzzwords like “elite,” “nationally ranked,” or “maximum exposure.”
• Matt urges parents to look beyond the hype:

  “What actually serves my son’s future? What actually protects our family’s time? What protects our budget?” ([01:13])

2. Clarity First: Why Are You Looking for a Travel Team?

• [03:10] Before making any decisions, Matt stresses the importance of understanding motivation:

  “The first thing that we need to do is we need to get clear, and we need to do that by asking, why are we looking for a travel team right now in the first place?”

• He encourages families to consider past experiences—good or bad—and to explicitly write down:
  • What went wrong before (if applicable)?
  • What does your son need more of (confidence, development, better communication, stronger team culture)?
• [05:30] Quote:

  “If you’re not clear, you won’t even know what to look for...unfortunately, when I talk to families, they’re reactive, right? They’re jumping from this team to that team… but they never really, unfortunately, paused to ask what didn’t work for us last time?”

3. Assessing Development vs. Exposure

• [07:45] Families often jump straight to “exposure”—thinking about showcases, scouts, and college recruitment—far earlier than necessary.
• Matt’s core message:

  “If your son is a freshman in high school…his priority should first be on his development, not exposure.” ([08:13])

• Exposure vs. readiness:
  • College coaches: Recruitment/visibility doesn’t truly begin until August 1st of a player’s junior year.
  • Pro scouts: Even later.
  • For ages 12-15, focus should be on development—not being seen.
• Premature focus on being ‘seen’ can actually be detrimental, adding unnecessary pressure.

4. What True Development Looks Like

• [10:55]
  • Physical development: Strength training and athletic growth.
  • Skill development: Improving core baseball skills—pitching, hitting, fielding, running.
  • Mental game: Baseball IQ, handling failure, understanding the game.
• “When players get seen too early, before their body, before their skill set, before their mindset is ready, it does not do them any good. Actually, it hurts them, and it creates pressure…” ([09:02])

5. Budget and Family Logistics

• [15:02] Matt addresses a commonly overlooked—and crucial—factor:

  “…the money that I’m referring to, it’s not just the fees for the events, but it’s… the full cost of travel, baseball.”

• Total costs include: organizational fees, equipment, travel (flights, hotels, rental cars, food), and multi-person travel (family, siblings, grandparents).
• Transparency is key:
  • Be honest with organizations about what you can financially and logistically handle.
  • “If the reality is this organization only wants you because you’re going to go to 15, 20 different events… it may not be the right travel organization for you and your family.” ([18:09])
• Avoid letting the schedule “drive your family into the ground.”

6. Evaluating Coaches (The Most Important Factor)

• [20:14] Who is actually coaching your child? Don’t assume that a program’s reputation means your son gets its “star” coach.
• Matt warns:

  “…the trap that I oftentimes see with parents is they join an organization because they love that one particular coach and then only find out later… oh, he’s actually not the one coaching my son.” ([21:13])

• Key questions to ask:
  • Who will be my son’s coach, week in and week out?
  • What’s his background as a player, teacher, and person?
  • How does he communicate—with both parents and players?
  • Is he qualified to develop players at your son’s age and skill level?
  • Has he worked with kids in similar situations before?
• The personal relationship and daily leadership matter more than the logo on the jersey:

  “Your son’s future…isn’t going to be shaped by the association of the travel organization or the logo. It’s going to be shaped by the one individual who he works with consistently.” ([23:11])

Four Essential Questions for Every Travel Baseball Parent

[24:30] Matt closes by clearly summarizing the four crucial questions:

1. Why are we looking for a new team?
   • First-timers or a bad fit from prior experience? Name exactly what you need.
2. Where is my son developmentally, and what does he need next?
   • Focus on development first (typically for 15 and under); exposure comes later.
3. What is our real budget and schedule?
   • Be honest. Protect your time, finances, and peace of mind.
4. Who’s the coach?
   • Know exactly who will guide your son, week to week.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Exposure:

  "Exposure without being ready adds absolutely no value, okay? The point of exposure is to what—to be seen, right? By who? By college coaches, by pro scouts… When players get seen too early, before their body, before their skill set, before their mindset is ready, it does not do them any good." ([08:30])

• On Transparency About Budget:

  “Don’t be afraid to make this information known…It actually, believe it or not, makes you look smart, makes you look proactive.” ([17:42])

• On the Real Impact of Coaches:

  “If your son…is going to be investing hours and emotion into this one particular person's leadership, then that coach should know how to coach your son’s age, he should know how to coach your son’s skill level, he should know how to coach his personality.” ([22:28])

• Final Message:

  “I want to help parents. I want to help players, you know, maximize their travel ball experience…I want to help you guys reduce the cost that you incur as a family." ([26:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:12 – Opening: Parents are recruited too
• 03:10 – Clarifying your “why” for switching/traveling teams
• 07:45 – The development vs. exposure dilemma
• 10:55 – What real development means
• 15:02 – Full cost/budgeting for travel baseball
• 20:14 – Evaluating and interviewing coaches
• 24:30 – Four must-ask questions for every family
• 25:59 – Closing invitation and preview of next episode

Additional Resources / Next Episode

Preview: Next episode features CPA Steven Caceres, discussing taxes for athletes and essential family financial planning.

Host Contact: Matt invites feedback and stories from listeners via DM
Tone: Direct, supportive, realistic, and deeply knowledgeable

This summary captures the key advice, quotes, and structure of Matt Hannaford’s expert guide to choosing the best travel baseball team for your family and player’s unique needs.