During the summer of my junior year in high school, I had the luxury of interviewing several baseball agents for representation. Looking back, I think we met with a total of 15 professional baseball agents. From Scott Boras to IMG, we met with all of the top ones at the time. After the initial meetings, we sat back and picked a top 3 list. Then my parents made me place a call to the other baseball agents to tell them we were going in another direction and to thank them for their time.

Later that week, we had meetings with the three baseball agents on my list. My parents wanted to ask more serious questions regarding the business side of my future while I wanted to figure out how I connected with them on a personal level. It meant a lot to me to carry a conversation with them and to have them take a serious interest in me as a person rather than just their next big money maker. Let’s be honest, that is why they were there in the first place.

After the second round of meetings, I immediately knew who I was going with. Ryan didn’t try too hard to impress me like most of the other sports agents did. He was very personable, and he had been successful in the professional baseball world. I could tell Ryan, backed by the top firm Reich, Katz, and Landis, was passionate about what he was doing. Amazingly, we are still great friends to this day and stay in touch regularly.

In my opinion, here are the five things to look for in deciding an agent:

1. What kind of reputation does he have in the baseball industry?

2. What successes has he had in the past three years regarding the draft?

3. What does he promise you? (It should be very little and he should have your best interest in mind when answering this question)

4. What kind of person is he? Do you feel that you can get along with him?

5. Remember, they work for you, so ask hard questions. Does he answer them well or are they filled with rhetoric?

It’s a tough decision, especially when you have a lot of options. Don’t feel pressed to make a decision right away. You and your family are always in the driver’s seat. If you are a Freshman and want to get a jump start on your knowledge, check out Protege’s Freshman Game Plan Packet.

-CG