Advisors

If they are doing their job, they are your mouth and ears and eyes.  They contact teams and find out interest.  They promote your player to pro teams.  The catch with a good advisor is connections.  He has to know people and be able to get his phone call answered.  I would say a true college pro prospect needs an advisor the start of his junior year.  June is almost too late for them to do their entire job.

Son started receiving calls from advisors the summer before junior year, after a good summer in the Northwoods league.  He selected his, not from a call but from a referral, right after Christmas his junior year.  He said he may have worded a few things differently during scout interviews if he had had an advisor earlier.   Going forward he followed his advisor's advice.  

I had been told by someone in the baseball world that you don't need an advisor unless you are a top prospect.  However, for us,  he was very helpful, and how did son/us know at the time that he would have been drafted 1-10 rounds?  Maybe it was BECAUSE of the advisor?   Son had said from the beginning he would go for slot, so there was no bonus negotiations that we know of.  Advisor was helpful the day of the draft when teams started to call and "low ball" bonus offers to get him to commit.  

His agent has been invaluable in insisting the organization use a top surgeon for son's surgery, and providing other organizational information to son when necessary. 

We (the parents) will hopefully get to meet him this fall after almost 3 years and texts.   I would think a HS player's parents would be more involved than we were.  We let son choose the person he was most comfortable with.   It was his ballgame. 

I looked at it like this: college draftees  are adults; they can freely enter into every type of contract  - from mortgages, to car loans, to professional advisors.

So, it was my son's  - and only my son's - decision. The consequences of the decision were comparatively minor and he owned the decision and results. Because alot of money (in his case) wasn't at stake and because he had been around pro players for years and had been able to see where advisors fit into the pro world AND BECAUSE IT WAS TIME FOR HIM TO MAKE HIS OWN WAY, we didnt even get involved.

So long as the advisor is reputable there is no harm. Remember the advisor/agent can be terminated and isn't a life time committment. 

We have done calls with 4-5 advisors.  Haven't decided who or when it is appropriate or necessary.  Son is in HS and they all say they would be beneficial before he goes to Jupiter.  Has anyone chosen one in HS?  What advice do you have for things to look for or avoid?  I tend to think we should wait until after the next big events and see where things stand to decide if it's necessary.

IMO, as soon as a scout shows interest. Just make sure the due diligence is done before agreeing to work with anyone. Like any sales career where people are 100% commission, there are some snakes out there that care a lot more about how much they will get paid.

We average over $35 million a year in signing bonus money during my 17 years of the Area Code games. Since I did not charge the players to participate I charged the agents a special rate for the 6 days and 36 games.

The "great" opportunity for the agent to interchange with the 300 pro scouts and the 400 college coaches was "priceless". I earned my PHD in Social Psychology watching the interaction.

When you interview the player agent [advisors], take notes, ask questions and request a summary. Then have a family meeting. Remember Uncle Sam is also an agent.

Bob

"founder" of the Area Code Baseball

Thanks, All, for responses. Follow up: how do you find a reputable agent? Players from our team have had them since son arrived....but we are hearing mixed feedback from parents of players and other parents who have opinions.  Everyone has an opinion so we're not feeling confident about the choices readily available to son. I'm with CoachLD and worried about snakes.  He is 21 and, you're right, in charge of all this activity. If he's lucky, A-he will get drafted at all and B) will go somewhere round 8-12-ish?? (coaches estimating 4-5 round, but that was during recruiting so I'm rounding down, assuming they were buttering him up to commit)  So I'll feel better knowing someone is helping him navigate the process.  

Are the credentials to ask about/look for? I'm assuming his coaches will be able to advise him away from snakes? Should we expect coaches to hook him up with an agent? Or, do we wait for agents to approach son?  

TIA

baseballhs posted:

We have done calls with 4-5 advisors.  Haven't decided who or when it is appropriate or necessary.  Son is in HS and they all say they would be beneficial before he goes to Jupiter.  Has anyone chosen one in HS?  What advice do you have for things to look for or avoid?  I tend to think we should wait until after the next big events and see where things stand to decide if it's necessary.

Hold off and beware. I know far too many highschoolers who have signed in the 20th+ round because their agent wasn't interested in waiting 3 years and wanted a quick payday. He will most likely have people approaching him after Jupiter and AC games if he does it. I'm not going to say do it or don't do it - I don't have enough info about your kid - but these guys make their living based off his signing bonus and subsequent paychecks. Just beware, not all of these guys were created equal. 

I'm sure if you PM a few of our posters who have gone thru the process, you could get qualified recommendations...

I think you can somewhat tell who the snakes are after one conversation.  One guy stood along the wall and jumped out at us as we walked by after the PG National.  He may not have been a snake, but I didn't like the approach.  We haven't made any decisions and wouldn't take a late draft pick because he does already have a great college option. Seems like people don't talk a lot about the positive and negative experiences though when they have used certain advisors or firms so its hard to know.

Dudes in Jupiter hand out their business cards like the guys on the corners in Vegas. Ask around, do whatever research you can to validate their credentials. I think alot of folks tend to go with advisors who rep someone they know or knew. We got very lucky in the end but I also made a mistake in the beginning so i feel your pain. Good luck!

So if you get a recommendation, is it protocol to reach out to them?  So far, we have only spoken to those that have asked us for calls or meetings.  If they have no idea who my son is, would they be the best to represent him?  Is it valuable to have an advisor that has followed your son and knows about him or does it all come down to picking a connected advisor?  And does this mean a connected firm, or the advisor himself that is reaching out?  

We had an advisor with my middle son and I felt like it hurt us after talking to some pro scouts later.  He was giving out mixed information that did not come from us.  I felt like it cost my son a chance at a good draft pick because he was throwing out numbers that were unrealistic for where my son was.  He also was telling scouts it was on the mound or nothing and son would gladly have taken 1st and hit at the time.  I was frustrated and bewildered how a guy could come up with the stuff he had told guys without consulting us. 

On last son, we were asked a few times by advisors and declined.  There was one who kept coming around and never really offered his services but kept telling us that he felt like son's best option was to go to college with the offer he had and the skillset he had.  We talked to several scouts and upper guys and the money was never where we felt it needed to be so I'm sure they passed due to those conversations. 

I think you can find out quickly when you ask for references and their list of clients.  That will tell you a lot about who they are and what kind of person they represent.  The real deals will gladly provide you with client lists and ask what they provided as agents for those guys.  Ask about connections with not only the clubs but shoe companies, bat companies, and such.  The great guys provide incredible resources outside just the negotiations with extras for their players.

As has been said.   find the guys on here that have sons who have gone through it and PM them. 

Yes, Call those that have been recommended...I alerted my son's guy to your inquiry. So, give him a buzz!