Podcast Summary: Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Episode: Stop Being the Fixer – How to Truly Empower Your Son's Baseball Career
Released: December 22, 2025
Host: Matt Hannaford

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, MLB agent Matt Hannaford challenges a common dynamic among baseball dads: taking on the role of “fixer” or “hero” in their son’s journey. Instead, Matt urges fathers to become guides who provide support, clarity, and trust—empowering their sons to own their baseball experience, succeed, and grow both on and off the field. The episode is filled with personal insight, practical advice, and heartfelt perspective, speaking candidly to the emotional undercurrents between fathers and sons in competitive sports.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Father’s True Role: Not the Hero, But the Guide

• Redefining the Parental Role

  • Many dads instinctively try to “fix” their son’s problems in baseball, acting as savior or mastermind.
  • “Your son does not need you to be the hero of his baseball journey. He doesn’t need you to play the role of savior. He doesn’t need for you to be the fixer. He doesn’t need you to be the mastermind.” (01:56)

• It’s Your Son’s Journey

  • No matter your investment, only your son can truly inhabit the role of hero on the field; he faces competition, pressure, and the consequences of performance directly.
  • Internal pressure often comes from wanting to make dad proud, a deep desire for success, clarity, and the space to grow—without judgment.

• Risks of Over-Involvement

  • Well-intentioned help can backfire:
    • Giving unsolicited advice
    • Overanalyzing every play
    • Taking control instead of offering support
  • “You insert yourself into his story. It’s not yours to write, not because there’s anything wrong with your intention… but the truth is, it’s not your story, because it can’t be.” (07:15)

The Consequences of Playing the Hero

• Predictable Outcomes
  • When dads take over, sons either comply (creating long-term dependence) or rebel, but rarely grow.
  • Emotional distance develops, and sons hide struggles, stop taking risks, or play scared.
  • “When dads stay in that hero role, what happens is sons, they stop talking… And as a result... the relationship… becomes performance based instead of trust based.” (32:26)

How to Become a Guide

1. Clearly Communicate: This Is HIS Journey

• “Start by telling your son that this is his baseball path. Start with that.” (19:06)
• Explicitly state your support:
  • “Son, my job is to support you, honestly. My job is to support you, not to control this.” (21:04)

2. Shift Communication Style

• Replace instruction with curious, open-ended questions such as:
  • “What did you learn today?”
  • “What are you trying to work on?”
  • “Do you want feedback or do you just need to decompress?” (23:14)
• Avoid questions laced with frustration or criticism; build responsibility and reinforce trust in your son’s abilities.

3. Rethink the Car Ride Home

• The car ride after games/practices is NOT the time for analysis, critique, or venting frustrations.
• “The best thing that a dad can do in that moment is simple — ‘Son, I like watching you play.’ That simple thing will change everything.” (27:06)
• Sharing belief in his game creates space for him to seek your advice when ready, fostering openness instead of avoidance.

The Impact of Being a Guide

• Opening Up Communication and Growth

  • Sons become more communicative, accountable, willing to take risks, and resilient.
  • The relationship shifts from being defined by performance to being anchored in trust.
  • “He’s going to start competing with a freedom that he’s never had before. He’s going to start developing thicker skin.” (33:42)

• Legacy Beyond Baseball

  • Even if your son doesn’t go pro, he’ll remember his dad as a trusted guide, not just another critical spectator.
  • “They set their sons up for the success that they’ve been wanting them to have far beyond the field… his [your son’s] was different.” (35:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A guide brings resilience, not resentment. And dads, this is important because being the guide, it doesn’t mean being less involved. It means being more intentional about how you show up, and really, most importantly, who you show up as.” (16:44)

• “The car ride home is not the place for analysis. It’s not the place for correction. It’s not the place for your frustration to be expressed. ...The best thing that a dad can do in that moment is simple, ‘Son, I like watching you play.’” (27:06)

• “Your son, not you, is the hero of the story, okay? He’s got to live it, he’s got to learn from it, and he has to grow from it.” (36:00)

• “Your power as a father does not come from taking over. It comes from letting go and supporting him. From guiding with clarity, with steadiness, and with trust.” (36:10)

Episode Timestamps

• [01:56] – Dads don’t need to be the hero or fixer
• [07:15] – Understanding that it’s not your (dad’s) story to write
• [16:44] – Clarifying the guide’s role and how to lead with clarity
• [19:06] – Practically communicating “this is your journey”
• [23:14] – Shifting from instructing to asking
• [27:06] – The importance of the car ride home and “I like watching you play”
• [32:26] – The effects of staying in the hero role
• [33:42] – What changes when you step into the guide role
• [35:55] – Legacy and impact of being the guide
• [36:00] – Episode summary and final advice

Takeaways

1. Let your son own his baseball journey—be his guide, not his fixer.
2. Communicate expectations and support directly; clarify that you’re there to help, not control.
3. Ask open-ended, supportive questions and provide space for growth.
4. Save critique for another time—use the car ride home to reinforce your support and enjoyment.
5. Trust that by guiding rather than controlling, you foster the independence and resilience your son needs not just for baseball, but for life.

If today’s episode resonated, Matt encourages dads to share it and begin shifting the culture—one conversation, and one relationship, at a time.