Raising a Ballplayer in a Big-League Home
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Release Date: 02/04/2026
Raising a Ballplayer in a Big-League Home
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most baseball families believe the path to success is more reps, more pressure, more seriousness — but former World Series champion and MLB manager Kurt Suzuki sees it differently. In this special episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford sits down with Kurt Suzuki and his 12-year-old son Kai for an honest, refreshing conversation about youth baseball, parenting, pressure, and what actually builds confident, resilient players. This isn’t a highlight-reel interview — it’s a real look inside how a big leaguer thinks about development before the stats, rankings, and...
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Don’t Let an Injury Ruin Their Financial Future
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most baseball families think “insurance” only becomes relevant after a player signs a pro contract — but the truth is, disability insurance is already shaping decisions in high school recruiting, NIL negotiations, and college roster building. In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford sits down with David Brookbank, co-founder of Income Protection Consultants (IPC), one of the most trusted independent voices in the disability insurance space for elite athletes. David has spent 30+ years inside disability policy structure, claims, and underwriting — and he’s...
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Why Most Pro Athletes Go Broke - Avoid This Wealth Management Mistake
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most families enter youth and travel baseball thinking the goal is exposure, scholarships, or “getting paid” someday — but the financial reality of the game starts long before a player signs a pro contract. And when money finally shows up (NIL, draft bonuses, big-league paychecks), it often hits fast, loud, and overwhelming. In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, Matt sits down with Kyle Ourso, a wealth advisor who’s spent nearly two decades inside pro baseball — first helping MLB players behind the scenes at Marucci, and now guiding athletes and sudden-net-worth clients through...
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The Biggest Gamble of Austin Riley’s Career.
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most parents want the roadmap — the blueprint that turns a young athlete into a confident, motivated, successful player. But very few families truly understand what the journey demands emotionally, mentally, relationally, and financially. In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, Matt sits down with MLB All-Star Austin Riley and his parents, Mike and Elisa Riley, for an unfiltered, start-to-finish conversation about development, failure, trust, and perspective — from youth baseball to the World Series and beyond. Mike and Elisa explain why they always measured progress over promotions,...
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Stop Being the Fixer - How to Truly Empower Your Son’s Baseball Career
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most dads step into their son’s baseball journey believing they need to fix, protect, analyze, and carry the weight of every result. It comes from love — but it often creates the exact pressure, resentment, and distance they’re trying to avoid. In this solo episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford reframes one of the most misunderstood roles in youth baseball: the role of the father. Your son doesn’t need you to be the hero of his story. He needs you to be the guide. Matt breaks down why trying to “save” your son from failure actually limits his growth, how...
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What I See as a College Softball Coach and the Dad of the #1 Prospect in Baseball
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most parents want the roadmap — the blueprint that turns a young athlete into a confident, motivated, successful player. But very few people have lived all sides of the journey. In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, Matt sits down with someone who has: Kevin Griffin — • Head Softball Coach at Belhaven University • Associate Athletic Director • Former college & semipro baseball player • And father of MLB’s top minor league prospect, Connor Griffin Kevin brings a rare perspective: parent, coach, recruiter, evaluator, and someone who has navigated the pressure,...
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The Truth About Baseball Development (According To MLB Scouts)
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most travel ball parents focus on the wrong things — more reps, more tournaments, more lessons, more mechanics, more “fixes.” But in this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford brings together two of baseball’s most respected insiders to reveal what actually develops a player: • Hugh Quattlebaum — former MLB hitting coach, coordinator, and father of three boys in the youth baseball world • Gus Quattlebaum — Vice President of Scouting Development & Integration for the Boston Red Sox Together, they break down the essential (and often misunderstood)...
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3 Steps To Fix the Parent-Player Relationship In Youth Baseball
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Every parent watching their son strike out in the bottom of the ninth has felt that surge of frustration — not because of the strikeout itself, but because of the unspoken expectations they carry. Expectations about effort. About performance. About gratitude. About results. But here’s the problem: most parents never say these expectations out loud — and because of that, players don’t know the rules, don’t know the standards, and don’t know how to win. The result? Disappointment for parents, defensiveness for players, and a breakdown in trust that lasts far beyond a single...
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Choosing The RIGHT Travel Baseball Team - What You Need To Consider
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Every travel team promises “elite competition,” “national exposure,” and “top-tier development.” But when you're the parent making decisions, the real questions are much simpler — and far more important: What actually serves my son’s long-term future? What protects our family’s time, budget, and sanity? In this episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford breaks down the four essential questions every baseball parent must ask before choosing a travel team. You’ll learn how to evaluate a program’s philosophy, how to separate hype from real development, how...
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What Players REALLY Keep: The Shocking Truth About MLB Taxes & NIL Money
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most baseball parents think only about signing bonuses, NIL money, and the path to the pros — but this episode of The Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford pulls you inside the real tax strategy, financial planning, and hidden money traps that shape a player’s baseball career long before the big leagues. Former pro player and CPA Steven CASERES breaks down the real financial side of baseball development — from how players are actually paid in the minor leagues, to why state taxes can quietly take six figures out of a signing bonus, to the truth about NIL money and whether young...
info_outlineMost baseball families believe the path to success is more reps, more pressure, more seriousness — but former World Series champion and MLB manager Kurt Suzuki sees it differently.
In this special episode of The Most Valuable Agent, MLB agent Matt Hannaford sits down with Kurt Suzuki and his 12-year-old son Kai for an honest, refreshing conversation about youth baseball, parenting, pressure, and what actually builds confident, resilient players.
This isn’t a highlight-reel interview — it’s a real look inside how a big leaguer thinks about development before the stats, rankings, and expectations take over. Kurt opens up about the mistakes he made as a player, the lessons he wishes he learned earlier, and why his number-one rule as a dad and coach is never telling a kid to “do more” after a bad game.
Together, they talk through the emotional side of baseball: handling failure, separating identity from performance, why fun matters more than trophies at 12 years old, and how parents can support growth without accidentally creating burnout. Kai shares what it’s actually like growing up around the big leagues — from clubhouse prank stories to what helps him stay loose when games get tense.
If you’re a parent, coach, or player navigating travel ball, pressure-filled weekends, and the constant feeling that your kid should be doing more — this episode brings clarity, perspective, and a much-needed exhale.
Subscribe for weekly insight on player development, mindset, recruiting, and the business of baseball — with conversations families rarely get to hear this honestly.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• Why “having fun” isn’t soft — it’s a competitive advantage
• How Kurt separates being a dad from being a coach
• The one phrase Kurt refuses to say after bad games
• Why practice should be intense — but games should be free
• How kids absorb pressure even when adults think they’re hiding it
• Why winning at 12 doesn’t matter as much as learning how to win
• How to teach confidence without tying identity to performance
• What youth players actually need after failure
• How clubhouse culture translates directly to youth baseball teams
• Why burnout often starts with good intentions from parents
ABOUT KURT SUZUKI
Kurt Suzuki is a former MLB catcher, World Series champion, and current Major League manager. Over a 16-year big league career, he became known as a leader, game-caller, and teammate-first professional. Today, Kurt brings those same principles to coaching, player development, and parenting — emphasizing preparation, mindset, and respect for the game.
ABOUT MATT HANNAFORD
Matt Hannaford is a 25-year MLB agent and founder of Aligned Sports. He has represented MVPs, All-Stars, and World Series champions, and now shares weekly insight on youth development, recruiting, mindset, and the business of baseball through The Most Valuable Agent podcast.
CONNECT WITH MATT HANNAFORD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mfhannaford/
Website: https://www.aligndsports.com/
YouTube (subscribe for weekly insight): https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent
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