Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford

Episode: College Baseball Coaches: How to Develop Men, Not Just Athletes

Release Date: October 1, 2025
Guest: TJ, Head Baseball Coach at Long Beach State
Host: Matt Hannaford

Episode Overview

This thought-provoking episode explores the deeper responsibilities of college baseball coaches—specifically, the vital role they play in developing well-rounded men, not just skilled athletes. Matt and his longtime friend and guest, TJ (Head Coach at Long Beach State), have a candid, wide-ranging conversation on the modern landscape of college baseball. They discuss the pressures of winning, integrity in a transactional industry, the impact of parenting and technology, the challenge of instilling core values, and how true success means more than trophies. Emphasizing authenticity, discipline, and intentional growth, their exchange offers practical wisdom and inspiration for parents, athletes, and baseball fans seeking more from the game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Balancing Winning with Developing Young Men

• External Pressure to Win

  • TJ acknowledges the increasing pressure on college coaches to prioritize winning above all else, noting the transactional culture of sports today.

    “You're judged on winning and losses in our industry quite a bit, way more now than ever.” — TJ (02:28)

• Coaching with a Higher Purpose

  • Despite industry demands, TJ believes a coach’s real job is to prepare players for life, not just success on the field.

    “At the end of the day, our job is to develop men… to fight the fight in the real world. Life’s hard. Winning college baseball games is not easy. But that has to stay at the forefront.” — TJ (02:45)

• Authenticity Matters

  • Staying true to one’s values is critical, and players & families can see through coaches who compromise their integrity in pursuit of wins.

    “If those two [your personal and professional selves] aren't aligned… you're going to have a really hard time.” — TJ (06:49)

2. The Changing Role of Parenting and Technology

• Shift in Parenting Styles

  • TJ comments on how modern parenting is more hands-off, often using technology as a substitute for direct involvement.

    “Now what parents are doing, they're using [devices] as babysitters so they don't have to parent because they choose not to.” — TJ (08:23)

  • He pushes back against year-round single-sport specialization for kids, emphasizing a need for balance and multiple influences.

• Host’s Perspective

  • Matt agrees, noting that every generation blames technology, but also highlights that distractions are at an all-time high. (10:14)

3. Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation

• Real-Life Examples

  • Both discuss the long-term benefits of kids playing multiple sports, citing examples of top pros who excelled in several disciplines as youths.

    “Michael Garciaparra… played four sports as a senior in high school.” — Matt (13:06)
    “My boys play multiple sports. They don’t have a choice.” — TJ (13:33)

• Skill Development and Integrity

  • TJ reinforces that switching sports builds broader skills, discipline, and even different forms of integrity, all of which translate beyond baseball.

4. Commitment, Discipline, and Intrinsic Motivation

• The Meaning of Commitment

  • Both speakers reflect on how families and athletes often say they want success, but shy away from the uncomfortable or unglamorous work it requires.

    “What are you as a parent committed to, to ensure that happens?” — Matt (15:55)

  • Examples: showing up when tired, finishing hard tasks, and not making excuses.

• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

  • TJ rejects the idea of “motivation” driven by external validation (e.g., rankings, wins, flashy quotes), instead advocating for deep, personal drive:

    “If you're not intrinsically motivated to just be the better person every day, then it doesn't matter externally what you're going to do, because at some point… you're going to fall hard.” — TJ (19:19)

5. The Double-Edged Sword of Exposure & Rankings

• Early Rankings and Pressure

  • With the travel ball system ranking players as young as ten, there’s immense pressure on kids to seek external validation.

    “Their feedback loop is: okay, ranked high, feel good; fall in the rankings, feel bad… constantly being reinforced.” — Matt (23:13)

• Recruiting the Right Families

  • TJ stresses the importance of evaluating not just the player, but the entire family unit, since “co-parenting” is now part of the college coach’s job.

    “What we do is co-parenting at its finest. …We want the families with us as much as possible.” — TJ (25:11)

6. NIL, Transfer Portal, and Building Something Greater

• Biggest Challenges in Modern Collegiate Baseball

  • New dynamics like NIL money and the transfer portal have raised the stakes and reduced patience and loyalty.
  • Matt and TJ agree that authenticity and a clear values-based culture can (and should) differentiate programs—even if it means losing some recruits to “quick fix” paths or higher offers.

• Vision for Long Beach State

  • TJ articulates that the “Dirtbag” culture is about more than nostalgia—it’s about timeless values, intentionally redefined for a new generation.

    “I can’t recreate 1989, but I can take page three of it, maybe ten, maybe twenty-two… but I have to redefine what Long Beach State baseball is.” — TJ (35:14)

7. Defining and Teaching Core Values

• Toughness, Accountability, Loyalty, and More
  • TJ recounts his family’s and team’s process of crystallizing their values (TAL: Toughness, Accountability, Loyalty) and tying them to Biblical principles during Covid. This evolved into the “DIRTBAGS” acronym at Long Beach State:
    • Discipline
    • Integrity
    • Respond
    • Toughness
    • Brotherhood
    • Accountability
    • Grit
    • Selfless

  • “We try to raise our kids on [these values] in our home and in the process of building the culture of Long Beach State. That’s what we will be defined by.” — TJ (50:31)

8. Communication and Listening in Coaching

• Evolving Role of the Coach
  • Listening is more important than ever because players come with extensive “teams”—families, trainers, agents, and private coaches.
  • TJ believes the best coaches focus on communication rather than ego, and embrace “co-parenting” models for holistic player development.

    “We are at a time in our life where we are co-parenting way more than ever before.” — TJ (51:18)

9. Living and Leading with Integrity

• The Christian Perspective

  • Both TJ and Matt openly discuss their faith and wrestle with how to stay true to Christian and personal values within a cutthroat, money-driven baseball world.
  • Both agree that true leadership is rooted in unwavering integrity, even when it means missing out on quick “success.”

• Authenticity Attracts the Right People

  • Matt: “My edge… is really, I am fully committed to being truly me. And when I am, that… is going to resonate.”
  • TJ: “The expectation for me personally is that I live up to the standards and core values I’ve created for myself, and not deviate from that because it’s going to get me a result quicker.”

10. The Power of Organic Growth & Letting Go of Shortcuts

• No Shortcuts for Kids or Coaches

  • Both speak against the culture of rushing development, emphasizing that sustainable growth—whether in life, business, or athletics—is never instant.

    “There’s no shortcut. You have to experience what this is going to be like. …He’s got to fail. So good.” — Matt (70:37)

  • TJ analogizes life to “driving through fog”: you might not see the whole road, but you trust and move forward step by step.

11. The Case for Limiting Year-Round Youth Baseball

• If You Could Change One Thing?

  • TJ would institute a cutoff date limiting youth to play baseball only a set portion of the year, up to mid-teens, arguing for better family balance, health, and emotional well-being:

    “I would have a cutoff date for when you were allowed to play baseball up until a certain date… I just think it would benefit the parents. I think it would benefit families. I think it benefits the kids. All of it.” — TJ (76:36)

  • Cites examples of major leaguers whose kids don’t play year-round and attests to the lifelong perspective that brings.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can pour into the kids… there’s always been a first. There is going to be somebody who figures out how to be an attractive program in this world… I do believe it’s like, you’re gonna be challenged on—are you committed to that?” — Matt (05:48)
• “We coach… until it doesn’t fit your narrative. Then all of a sudden you’re disappointed… Kids are changing? Maybe. But it’s the parenting that’s changing, not the kids.” — TJ (07:23)
• “Winning has robbed the joy of our careers and jobs nowadays in a lot of ways.” — TJ (30:36)
• “I can’t recreate 1989, but I can take page three of it, maybe, and I can take page ten and maybe a little bit from page twenty-two… I have to redefine what Long Beach State baseball is.” — TJ (35:14)
• “If you know yourself, and you stick to it, everyone who wants to be associated with it will find you.” — Matt (68:09)
• “There’s no shortcut. …You have to experience what this is going to be like. …He’s got to fail. So good.” — Matt (70:36)
• “You talk about quicksand. I feel like I’m grabbing sand and it’s just running right through my fingers and I can’t slow it down.” — TJ (79:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Balance Between Winning & Developing Men: 02:04–04:02
• Cultural & Technological Shifts in Parenting: 08:14–10:35
• Multi-Sport Advocacy: 13:06–15:05
• Discipline, Intrinsic Motivation: 15:53–22:33
• Effect of Early Rankings/Travel Ball: 23:09–25:54
• Recruiting the Whole Family: 25:54–26:48
• Vision for Dirtbag Culture/Redefining Values: 33:32–37:35
• TJ’s Core Values & Culture Building: 47:18–50:28
• Coaching as Listening and Communication: 50:52–55:01
• Living Authentically & with Integrity: 61:03–69:23
• Year-Round Youth Ball: Pros & Cons: 76:35–81:34

Tone & Final Takeaways

The episode is passionate, honest, and refreshingly real. Matt and TJ don’t sugarcoat the immense challenges in today’s baseball world, but their discussion is fundamentally optimistic and empowering. Their message: In a culture obsessed with quick success and surface-level wins, the lasting victory is in cultivating character, discipline, and community—on and off the diamond.

For More: Watch the full episode on The Most Valuable Agent Youtube Channel