Phil Terrano, MLBPA Agent & the future of Youth Baseball - Moneyball?

291 Phil Terrano, MLBPA Agent - Having Fun with Youth Baseball

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. I am Mark Corbett. And with me of course, is Mr. Mat Germain. And we're anticipating the guest by the name of Mr. Phil Terrano. Phil's a good guy. He's been on here a few times for into the show. He is a major league baseball. Uh, what certified cons? Uh, scout. What is it?

M-L-B-P-A. That's right, because the players association's the one I think Mat , who, who actually, um, certifies 'em. Is that correct? 

Mat Germain: Correct. I'm MLBPA. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, man. So we're hoping he'll be on here in a little while. But, uh, we've talked with him a little bit about being a scout, the evolution of what is expected of, of young people these days to who want to advance in the game.

And hopefully he'll get here shortly. If not, we still got plenty to talk about. And my, oh, my, Mat , I, I can't believe it. We are 30, is it Right? 30 games into the season. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, it's almost over. 

And I mean, we're.[00:01:00] 

Listening to people talk though, you would think it was right. Uh, it's kind of funny the way that baseball works. It's always the end of the, of the world tomorrow, and then, you know, the, the bar just keeps moving to the right one day. 

Mark Corbett: You're right. I, I love it, man. Uh, I, I look at this, we are, what did I say?

It was 18% of the way into the season, kind, kind of thin, . , I was not completely surprised when I, I looked at all the numbers earlier today as far as, by the way, this is Wednesday, April the 30th, and. , there were certain things I expected, but when I went across 'em met, and I'm saying, okay, across the league Mets.

Mets are 700. Their winning percentage is 700. They 21 wins and nine losses woof. That is just unbelievable. And watching the highlights of those teams, I mean, [00:02:00] seeing Lin do, seeing Alonso, seeing, my gosh, there's just been some fantastic plays with the Mets. And if you look beyond that, let's see, three teams in the National League West are above 600.

We can talk to some of those in a moment. Uh, NL Central actually has one team above 600, and of course in the Al East we have the Yankees who are at 600. So let's take a little bit more of a dive into some of those. Mat , what, what does that look like? We've got, uh hmm. Hang on. Yeah, so the Yankees. 18 and 12.

Red Sox are right behind 'em with 17 and 14 and Rays were right there. We're, we're on the cusp. We were at 500 team for a little bit there in the ales. Were 14 and 15. At the last count here, uh, blue Jays 13 and 16, and the Orioles 11 and 18. Did you think the Orioles would be [00:03:00] suffering this much this early in the season?

I. 

Mat Germain: Well, I mean, you could have used the, uh, Gunnar Henderson injury and the lack of pitching additions, you know, to really kind of paint the picture, uh, that there was gonna be some hiccups along the way, because those are two very important things. I think the biggest surprise with the Orioles has been how long it's taken the pen to get going.

, that's one area where we thought, you know, with Yennier Canó , and a bunch of Felix Bautista coming back and a bunch of other guys. That they have back there, that we thought they were gonna be strong and they, they had shown signs of being able to build a pen, sort of like what the Yankees like to do year to year,

 along with that, we knew there was also some influx of young players, and young players tend to be volatile, , in terms of hot and cold, especially, after their first year, , that they get a taste of the majors. The league adjusts. To them, and then they have to adjust back. So I would say give 'em another month and then see if they're showing signs of turning it around, which I think, , there's one game they had against the Yankees.

They showed [00:04:00] some life, they showed some energy. , I think they just need to start believing in themselves and realizing that, uh, it's unlikely the Orioles make a huge splash to help them out. The guys they have are the guys they have, and they're the ones that have to put up. 

Mark Corbett: We'll see how he continues to paint because like you said, oh my gosh.

And thank goodness here he is, Mr. Phil Terrano. Hey Phil. How you doing buddy? I'm doing great. How you doing gentlemen? We are happy to have you here. I want you to introduce you to Mr. Mat Germain. Nice to meet 

Phil Terrano: you Mat . Pleasure to meet you guys. Uh, I really appreciate you having me on as always. And, uh.

Oddly enough, where would I be on a, a beautiful night, like Tonight while on your show? Is that a, a baseball field? 

Mark Corbett: I love it, brother. I absolutely love it. My guess. Yes, sir. Well, we were just kind of perusing , what's going on across the league right now and how some of these teams are advancing and, you know.

Kidding a bit about, oh, it's, uh, oh, the season's almost over. Right. You know, [00:05:00] 

Phil Terrano: just getting started. 

Mark Corbett: Yep. Yep. Now, uh, one of the things we, we we're gonna kind of put some of that aside, but. I was talking with Mat before you came on earlier actually, uh, DMing some of this stuff about looking at players and agents and how they handle some of the business.

And one of the ones that I was looking at was, uh, a gentleman who just came up with a The Rays, uh, Mr. Jankowski. 

Phil Terrano: Oh yeah. Travis Jankowski. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, sir. I actually have a, uh, pretty familiar with him actually. Uh, he was playing on the San Diego Padres when one of my clients, uh, Jabari Ashe was with the organization back then.

Mark Corbett: His is not a unique tale, but I was just looking at the notes from the Rays and you know, they're talking about how he was acquired from the White Sox for cash. Uh, which, 'cause he was what with Seattle and I. Then, I mean, he . Signed a minor league deal with the Cubs with a non roster invite the spring training in February and was released on March [00:06:00] 12th. Signed a minor league deal with the White Sox on March 13th and made a third straight and seventh career. Opening day roster Appeared in seven games before being designated for assignment on April 6th and outright it to Triple A Charlotte on April 8th.

 So that was kind of a path in a very short period of time, Mr. Jankowski had, uh, uh, quite a bit going on. So it, as an agent, you know, taking that kind of model, not actually addressing him since he's not your your guy, but I'm sure you've been through similar things. How does that, how's that path go during a busy month like that?

Phil Terrano: You know, look, at the end of the day, I always say to my clients, , you're not playing for the team that you're playing for. You're playing for the 29 others that are always watching you. And there's always, the potential for a trade or some sort of free agency or being put on waivers or whatever the case may be.

 It's just, it's a mindset going in there and just doing your job now, you know, it's not like the old days where. Mantle would stay with his team for his [00:07:00] entire career, right? These days, players jump and you know, you see that, you understand it and you, you know, you're kind of in a situation where anything could happen.

, and, , you just go out there and do your best to perform and, and just understand that you may be playing for the Yankees today, but you could be playing for the Rays tomorrow, you know? So, um, that's just, that's part of business now.

Mark Corbett: Well, 

you gotta be kind of fleet of foot then, I would guess. Because these aren't always decisions that the scout and, and the, uh, player are making.

It's the others who've signed them up, you know, while they're so early in their career. And, pick up your glove and go across the field. Climb into the other dugout. 'cause you're gonna be with them tomorrow night. 

Phil Terrano: Yeah, I, I mean. If you remember, Moneyball guy was playing with the, the other team, the night bef, you know, the night before.

And the next night he's in the o uh, you know, Oakland a's, uh, dugout, which was right across the hall. So, uh, it could happen that way. Uh, it, it has happened that way and, uh, you just gotta understand that [00:08:00] it's nothing personal. It's all about business and, and, uh, understanding that, uh, you know. Your opt is to play baseball or, or not go along with that program.

So you, you, you just kind of flow with it and continue to keep doing your best. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. , and that's the thing, keeping it just part of the separating business from the emotional part of it. Yeah. And when you, you think of, I mean, you have to work with a lot of young players and I often wonder, uh, I, I look back.

Quite often people come to the museum and I point out a guy who came from Tampa, doc Gooden, you know, at 17 years of age he is playing for a major league baseball team and thrown into New York City. So. You know, it, it had some negative effect on him personally and people around him because of that. I don't think he had the, uh, you know, didn't have a chaperone there to help guide him a, a mentor.

I felt like, I mean, I don't know enough of his history, but I'm, what I'm saying is in many cases where you see a young person thrown into this, the expectations are high, they're into [00:09:00] a, a new environment. What is a, what is a scout's role with somebody like that? A youngster coming in? 

Phil Terrano: Well, as an agent, you know, um.

Agent, I'm sorry again. No, you're, you're fine. Um, a lot of people do that as a, as an agent, you just really kind of always tell the guys, you gotta do your best. You gotta go in there with your best foot forward. I always like to say to people, whether it be baseball or, or life itself, you gotta learn how to turn the page.

You gotta learn how to be, uh, adjustable to your surroundings. And whether it's AAA, AA or the major leagues. The games play the same way. We still throw the ball, we still hit the ball, we still do everything. Nothing has changed except maybe the crowd size. So if you could tune out the crowd size and make believe everybody's in their underwear, you're good.

You know? And, and, and turn the page. Turn the page. If something happens, uh, forget about the day before. Move on to the next day. Uh, you're gonna make errors. Nobody's perfect in this game. I've never met a perfect player in my entire life, ever, and never seen a perfect player. Uh, [00:10:00] guys have gone oh, for four and the next day they've gone four for four.

It's the ones that are able to understand that the next, the day before doesn't matter. The day that you're playing at that point in time does. If you can get that part of your mentality as a, as a professional athlete, whether it's baseball or not, you're, you'll be more successful than the guy that hangs his hat on on the bad performance and, and doesn't get outta that slump because of that bad performance.

Mat Germain: Is there a, uh, a turnaround story that you would have where somebody that you, you first had within your realm, kind of went through some struggles and then just suddenly it clicked and it stands out as one memory for you in terms of, uh, somebody that broke through? 

Phil Terrano: , some of the best stories I've ever seen are guys that have gone up and down, um.

And, you know, been a classified whatever 4A player, if you will. Um, I don't believe in that 4A player. I believe in opportunity. [00:11:00] If you don't get opportunity. You're not gonna be able to succeed. It's very hard. The very few players can come off the bench and really be successful every single time, and not play for two weeks at a time.

, so it's those guys that kind of get into that, that rut of going up and down and up and down and up and down. That all of a sudden, that's what another team that they get the opportunity with. Those are the ones that you're tho those are special. Right, because they were able to deal with all that adversity of being classified as this four A player, which doesn't really exist.

There's no such thing as a four a league level. There's a, a ball double AA majors, right? There's no for a, um, but that's what the classification is. And, and I don't believe in that. I believe in opportunity. You give a guy opportunity if he's a professional. He is a professional.

Now, not everybody rises to the occasion, but at the same time, without opportunity, how do you rise to the occasion? 

Mat Germain: Yeah. That's why I believe in that rule five being expanded on, because I think that's one of the major ways that players have an opportunity to get with teams that will give 'em that [00:12:00] opportunity and, and, and let them shine.

Right? Absolutely. Changing the tone a little bit. Like how do you identify players that you wanna bring aboard to, to represent and, and how, what is that process like nowadays? Because I know you see guys put their YouTube videos on or throwing, they're doing all, I'm sure there's people throwing stuff at you from all different angles.

So what are you seeing right now in terms of how you're able to identify talent? Bring it in? 

Phil Terrano: I always say talent's not gonna come to you. You gotta go out there and find it. I've, I've, I've flown all across the world. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, , Bahamas, Dominican, , Texas, you name it, I've gone there, right? New York, Chicago.

 talent is found when, when I. People are around to watch it. Right. Um, but it starts at the youth level. And that's something I definitely feel very passionate about talking about today while on the show is, is the youth level, how much the youth level has become a business. Yeah. Which is crazy to think about.

Right. We got travel baseball, you know, when [00:13:00] we were growing up, myself included, um, you know, that was little League Baseball and Legion Ball. Now it's travel baseball and travel baseball. Somewhat only in a sense, people think, oh, I don't, I can't play little League. Why not? We all played, at one point in time, Mickey Mantle, Derek Jeter, those, all those guys probably played Little League Baseball.

Right. They started from T-Ball all the way up. Well, that's where it starts. It starts at the youth level. So the, the misconception of I gotta play travel baseball. No, what you gotta do is surround yourself around good coaches, people who care, people who are in it for the right reasons. Mm-hmm. Develop yourself.

Have a dream, have a goal, and try to do your best to obtain that goal. Now we all know how hard it is. It's the hardest sport, the hardest sport in the world to break through to the majors. Yeah. The percentage is as low as it possible. You got a better chance of hitting the PowerBall right? So at the end of the day, you, you strive for something, but you put you up.

You try to obtain the goals as best you can [00:14:00] and understand. The the reality of it, the problem is, is today not many people understand the realisticness and aren't really very realistic. And the reality of you're not gonna always make it to the major leagues. You're going to do your best. You're gonna put your best foot forward, you're gonna have a goal, you're gonna try to obtain that goal.

And if it doesn't happen, you've tried, but you can't just expect not to or to get to the majors without hard work and dedication. It doesn't just work out that way. God gives people given talents, but you gotta. Perfect those given talents too on a daily basis. And that all starts from the youth level all the way up.

Mark Corbett: Well Phil, I'm glad you brought that up. 'cause to me, one of the things I see just kind of slowly disappearing is community ball. Uh, I live here in Plant City and when I was looking at all these games where replay in these diamonds and came to find out that most of them are actually the field's rented by a travel uh organization.

A travel baseball organization. 

Phil Terrano: That's right. 

Mark Corbett: And it, [00:15:00] it's, it's sad. I mean, I was checking a few numbers earlier today on, uh, youth baseball overall, and this is kind of broad, but saying as far as the global youth baseball market size, it is growing And see it was growing, growing. They were saying, uh, what are we looking at here?

Uh. Valued at 50.62 billion in 2024 and expected to go up to 56 billion in 2025. And I know a lot of that comes from equipment. You'll and I, from what I hear, some of these travel teams, you've gotta get all new equipment, you've gotta get, there's all these different other things you have to. Bring into it and parents could be spending anywhere from say, a thousand to 5,000 or more a year for a a youngster.

And it's not about just having a good game, you know, it's every one of those kids are ready to be Derek Jeter. 

Phil Terrano: Yeah. Look, there's only one Derek Jeter. There was only one Michael Jordan. There was only one Phil Sims. There was only one. You know, you, you can't [00:16:00] look. Comparisons are always out there for players that kind of reflect another player at one point in time or whatever.

But you can't be those guys. You have to be yourself. Right? Uh, and you said a a thousand dollars. Lemme tell you something. One bat just came out this week and it was $500 just to get the bat. That's one bat. Okay. That's not cleats, that's not, uh, that's not your glove. That one bat is 500 bucks and it's selling off, off the shelves.

I mean, they're pre-ordering it. Okay? So $500 or a thousand dollars is a nice, uh, a nice number, but not a realistic number either. It's more expensive. Yeah. Your, your, your team dues, your traveling expenses, all these other things that come about. And again, it's a, it's a sport where. How many people are actually physically going to make it?

Now, don't get me wrong, best sport in the world. I love it. I've devoted my entire life to it. But make memories as a kid. Amen. Enjoy the moment [00:17:00] as a kid. Develop and have a goal as a kid, and then let the chips fall where they met. Have fun with it, but people have taken it beyond, like to the point where what happened to the fun in baseball?

What happened to the memories of the relationships that you've built along the way? One of my best friends today is a kid I met at eight years old on the very baseball fields I grew up playing on. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. And 

Phil Terrano: still to this day, we're friends nowadays, kids are jumping from team to team, like they're entering into the portal at eight years old.

I, I, I mean, what happened to youth baseball in itself to where you are loyal to your teammates, you're loyal to your coaches, you're loyal to the program, and you build yourself, and you develop yourself amongst that. Now, I'm not saying every single coach is the best coach for you, but what, let me ask you a question.

When you're on the Yankees and you don't like Aaron Boone, other than asking for a trade, what do [00:18:00] you do? You stay there and you deal with it. That's right. Because that's the club that's paying you. Well, guess what? If you gotta think that way, when you become a professional and you're trying to work to get to that area, how does it look if you are on 15 different travel teams in a matter of three years?

Mat Germain: Yeah. If there's one, there's one thing I've learned from baseball is that, you can talk to Terry Francona, you can talk to, uh. Anybody that's involved in baseball, they are continuously learning that like baseball is a learning career. Whether you're three years old throwing the ball with your dad or you're Derek Jeter sitting on the couch right now watching games.

Everybody continues to learn about baseball and to me, that's what the journey should be. Well supported in any direction you want to go to grow the game as best as you can, right? And, and so now you're seeing, I think Mark does a lot of work for, for, uh, women's baseball and, and promoting that aspect of it, you're gonna see that grow and that's going to change the relationship as well.

'cause now. [00:19:00] Not only the sons are joining a lot of leagues and being involved in it to the highest levels, but you're gonna have that also with women, which is gonna be a, a whole different aspect of things to help grow the game even more. Yeah. And hopefully they'll actually be able to, input some, , some new ways of coaching or different ways of coaching that may help both sides as well.

Phil Terrano: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. No. Look, it's, it's amazing how much the game has changed, but has it really changed? You know, we still throw from 60 feet, six inches. We still have 90 foot bases. We still have nine players that can only play a position. Right. You know, game hasn't changed. We've changed. We've made it.

We've made a change 

Mat Germain: for what there is, so I want to talk to you about, because now NCAA is able to provide more scholarships to baseball. Right? When I was interviewing Colin Poche and other guys that had not been, not been given the opportunities to get certain scholarships in the past, I think that is growing for baseball because of NCAA and other [00:20:00] ones doing some changes.

To the rules. So is that adding pressure to a lot of the youth baseball, you know, clients that you have to try to get those scholarships and, and to drive themselves towards those goals? 

Phil Terrano: Yeah. You know, look, the NCAA has got its own issues in my, in my opinion. But look, um, you know, again, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a student of the game.

And, and you just said something earlier that I wanted to touch on just real quick is, you know, if you're not learning in baseball, I've always considered myself a student of the game. I learn every single day. I've surrounded myself around. Mentors, guys like Dennis Gilbert who did Bobby Bonilla a day. You know what I mean?

Guys like that. I've, I've, I've fed off of them, right? So if you're not learning every day, you're not learning, you're, you're not, you're not advancing yourself, you're not advancing your career. I advance my career every day somehow, somewhat. Right? But as far as the NCAA situation is, you know, look, college baseball was, you go to a a, a university or a , junior college, or wherever you go.[00:21:00] 

You're going there to get an education or you're also going there to play a sport that you're hopeful that you're gonna potentially advance in. Right. But what was the main reason to go to college education? Right. So, and again, I, I look, I was the worst student in the world. , I tried hard, don't get me wrong, I was a sports guy, but.

When I went to school, all I could think about was playing baseball, but I also knew the value of getting the education at the same time. So what I think the NCAA has now done is made it into a business, right? It's been a business, conglomerate business for years and years and years and years. And now you got the NIL and you got the portal and you got all this different stuff.

Again. What happened to playing the game and being loyal to your team and the college that accepted you to go there? And now we're, we're changing in the middle of the year because we don't like that. We're not playing shortstop. 

Mat Germain: Yep. 

Phil Terrano: You know, it's, it's cra it, it's just amazing, again, starting at the youth level and all the way up, the morals that we have to have as individuals growing up in a game that [00:22:00] very few get to play at the top level.

And the ones that do are very special. Right. And. You have to take what you did in Stride and you have to learn how to compete for your position. You gotta learn how to do everything to better yourself, better yourself as a teammate, on and off the field. All the different things that come with the game and professional sports.

Now we're just teaching them. You can jump, you can go here, you can be part 10 travel teams. You can enter into the portal. You could do all this stuff because the the world is now telling us we can't. But where does that start from? That starts from the youth level and it shouldn't be there. And it should.

It should go back to the way it was before. Be loyal to your teammates. Be loyal to your coaches. Develop, earn your spot, compete, do everything that you have to do. But now the NCAA is telling us, nah, nah, don't worry about it. You can enter to the portal. You can go over here. So 

Mark Corbett: well, well, let me ask you this.

I mean, you're talking [00:23:00] about how all this has changed and all three of us are parents. We've, we've seen changes in all the sports, but what has made the intrusion, if you will, into the game that is affecting all these changes as far as like what's expected 

Phil Terrano: money, 

money. Money has been, money has been a, um, a, a key factor because again, youth baseball, professional baseball, college, baseball are all a business.

So when it, when it was little league baseball and every coach on that, on that field, and I'm watching little, I'm gonna turn my camera around and show you where I'm at right now, watching my 9-year-old play from the fence outside in center field right there. You know what I mean? I'm watching this and, and the coaches here today are volunteers.

But you don't see that too often. And the ones that do potentially come in as a volunteer, they're there probably because they got hand, got handpicked by the, um, by the league because they, they fell short of, of [00:24:00] coaches, right? 

Mat Germain: Yeah. They're 

Phil Terrano: not the coaches that we had of, of, you know, 20, 30 years ago, the ones that actually wanted to be on the field and they're wanting to be there to teach the kids the best game in the world because now it became a business.

Now this is what it is. So there's always adjustments to everything in in the world, right? We adjust to to new cars and we adjust to new technology and we adjust, adjust to everyday living of what, wherever we're doing in our lives and our careers as well. Well, baseball's no different. Now we are adjusting to a new, new type of baseball, and that's called business.

Yeah. In every shape or form. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, I've seen it a lot in hockey up in Canada now. It used to be outdoor rinks where you could go and improve your game, play shinny and, and get your, your skills up to a certain level. And everybody was there from all different levels. But, uh, but that'd be with global warming being what it is and the ice not being around as much, now you have to pay for your ice time.

And so only those part of the teams are getting that opportunity. [00:25:00] It's across the board for sure. 

Phil Terrano: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. You know, look, um, mark, you and I talked about this great project I've been wanting to build for so many years and, and building a dream big sports complex, which is what I've been calling it for the last four years that I've been working on it.

Right? And for the last four years that I've been working on it, what I have encountered is more people that are de set against me doing something positive. Why? 'cause it's gonna affect their pockets. 

Mark Corbett: How's that? 

Phil Terrano: Because. An agent of my caliber, and again, I'm not patting myself on the back. I'm, I'm low on the totem pole.

I just love what I do. Yeah. And, and, and, and I've represented some of the best names in the baseball at, at one point in a time and, and help some of the best names in baseball at one point in a time. But guess what, what happens is, is I. When youth baseball became a business, well now this guy's coming around and he's gonna do these great things.

He's gonna offer scholarships and he's gonna let kids in for free and do camps for kids [00:26:00] and not charge through the nose to have their kid there. Well, guess what? Well, now my business suffers because this guy's doing something good over across the street. Nobody might, people might not come to my, my Lesson for a hundred dollars that I've been, you know, spearheading all these time and utilizing these fields to do my lessons that really aren't my fields, but I'm making money off of it, and I'm making money, a living off of it.

And I don't, I don't criticize anybody that's made a living off of baseball. I criticize the way you do it. I criticized your mo your motive out of it. Look, I'm a businessman. I make money off a bit off of baseball players. I get commissioned, but I work hard for it. I do the right thing. I'm loyal to my clients.

I give my clients my undivided attention as much as I can. Seven days a week, 365 days a year, and I don't. And then it's no different when it comes to youth's baseball. I give my heart and soul to this game. Because now not only do I have players that play [00:27:00] it, and I look for players that are potentially advanced in it, but I have kids that play it.

I'm watching my kid right now, like I said, and I want my kid to have the same benefits that I had as a kid with the best coaches possible to teach you about life and the game at the same time. The realisticness of making it to the majors. My son, my older boy, 13 years old, I'm so proud of him. He was accepted to the Wellington Sports Academy that's being ran by Brad Peacock, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Devon Travis, Jon Bostic.

He's 13 years old and he was accepted. He participated in the Power Showcase. He was selected to represent the state of Florida. , but you know what? Every day I always tell him, have plan B. Because Plan A doesn't always work out. Yeah. Yeah. Get your education. Love the game. Enjoy the game. Look, if I didn't have two boys that love baseball, I'd have nothing in common with them.

Why? Because I don't do anything else except for baseball. So I'm blessed that they [00:28:00] do. So I've just always tried to make them love it because making them hate it and want to go play chess somewhere is not gonna be a good situation for me. 'cause I don't know how to play chess. You know, I know how to play.

I know how to watch baseball. I know how to evaluate baseball. I know how to be part of baseball. I know how to devote my life to baseball. I don't even know how to hang a pitcher in the house. My wife handles that. But guess what? I have two boys that love the game and they love it because I've taught them to love it for the right reasons.

Yeah. Not because they're being forced to play it. Hmm. 

Mark Corbett: Well, your passion definitely shows, sir, and I'm glad you're able to share that with you, both your young lads there. That makes a difference, was it difficult though once, your older son, uh, was being in involved, with an organization that's taking his game to the next level and still keeping it fun?

Phil Terrano: I wouldn't allow him to do it any other way. He's put so much pressure on himself in certain periods of time, but also has dealt with major, major adversity too for a young man of [00:29:00] his talent. Again, I didn't take such great, , receipt of what I was trying to do. So what happened? My kids took effect to it a little bit.

They heard about what was going on in the community, how people were. Not being so nice to dad, right? Yeah. And he had to deal with that. But I always taught my son, you better enjoy the game. Just enjoy it. What the one thing that dad will always support you in is if you try your best, just like at school, you do your best.

Nobody could ever take that away from you, right? You tried your best. You did your homework, you did your studies, you tried your best. Baseball No different. You try your best. You honor the game. You treat the game with loyalty. You treat the game with respect. You, you hustle. You listen to your coaches, you listen to your parents.

Don't argue with an umpire unit how much you disagree with them. And some of them are terrible, trust me. I know. Um, but at the end of the day, what we do is we honor the game and you treat it with respect. And Dad will never be mad at you. Don't look at strike three passing you. Sell loss, do something that makes you show that you're actually physically [00:30:00] paying attention and doing what you're supposed to do.

Yeah, if it's a bad call, it's a bad call and I'll, and I'll call a spade a spade, but at the end of the day, we always have to be respectful of it, understand it, and honor it. That's it. As long as we do that, that will always be proud of you no matter what and whether you make it to the pros or not. And trust me, I told him a million times Plan B, plan B, plan B, plan B, plan B.

Because look, dad didn't play professional baseball, but guess what? I'm involved in professional baseball and I love what I do, so just keep that in mind as you continue to keep advancing and doing what you love to do because you now entered into a situation where you could take his potentially to the next level, but the odds are totally against you.

Mark Corbett: Well, I gotta tell you, I'm, I'm so proud of you as a, as a dad for being able to, to bring, share the game with him, but also to keep some perspective to it because, um, Mat and I have talked over years. I think about, I. A lot of us have had coaches or we've seen parents. Mm-hmm. Where that [00:31:00] ain't the case. No.

Phil Terrano: It's they push. And that's what I learned too from being in this business. 'cause I've watched some dads, I've watched certain situations and I was like, I'm gonna be that guy. Everybody's like, yeah, right. You're Mr. Baseball, you love baseball if you wanna watch your buddy. No. Why? Because I've watched some of the best players not make it, and I understood how hard it was for them to get to the top.

Even those that I thought should have been there lot more than some of the other guys that were there at that time. Um, but that's me as a person and that's what I've endured and I've learned to treat my kids that way. Of understanding that this game could be great to you, it could be and not so great to you.

And you can get, you can be the hardest working guy out there. Doesn't necessarily mean you're always gonna make. Your next adventure into, uh, another situation of professional baseball. You could get up to the top and only play one game and never play again. So, but you got to the top and that's a lot more than somebody else did.

So you [00:32:00] just take it all in stride and, and understand it. 

Mat Germain: You do have to be measured, like I always use the Mike Brosseau example as. One minute you're hitting a home, run off Aroldis Chapman after one of the greatest at bats in Ray history. And the next minute you're trying to find a job in Major League baseball.

That's how fast it 

Phil Terrano: Absolutely. You hit the nail right on the head, hit the nail right on the head. You can't, you can't predict a, a career any more faster than you could predict how fast you're gonna get traded or, or released, right? So, and it happens in a matter of seconds. I've had it happen to me at three o'clock in the morning.

I got the call, Hey, I got released. Hey, what am I doing next? You know? And, and then I've had those hard conversations where maybe it's time to, you know, and, and worse conversation. I had never quit on my players. I worked for them until they tell me I'm done. So what I've always told my guys is when you tell me it's over, I stop looking.

Mm-hmm. But I'm not coming up for that [00:33:00] decision for you. You gotta be able to come up for that decision. And there's a time when, when the game does tell us you can't play it anymore. So that's a good theory. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Well, let me bring you back the, all three of us for that matter. And the question becomes how do we make this better for the youth of today in the game?

If there's so much moving toward the money, what can we individually do to make it better in, in our own communities or just any, any ideas guys. For me. 

Phil Terrano: Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, please. No, please go ahead. Always the guest first. That's right. I appreciate it. Um, for me it's just stop and remember what the game meant to us as children.

You, at one point in time, that coach or that evaluator or that guy that's making money off of lessons was a kid. Yeah. And he played it at a level of T-ball, and then he went to a level of [00:34:00] coach pitch and then so on and so on. So on. And so forth. So just remember what it meant to you back then, and then remember what you're doing when you're trying to make a living off of this game and how you can do it right?

Make it in an honorable way. Be be forthcoming, be truthful, be realistic. Don't tell everybody you're gonna be the next Derek Jeter. 'cause why there was only one Derek Jeter, right? 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Phil Terrano: Don't tell everybody you're gonna be the next Nolan Ryan. There was only one Nolan Ryan. Just be honest with them.

And no, I, you'll never have a hear a peep out of me if you're honest with a kid. And just give it to 'em straight how hard it is. Don't mean you have to stop what you're doing and and quit because somebody says it's hard. Work hard, but understand how hard it is to get to that next level. And you have to put in that work.

And sometimes it happens and sometimes it works out in your favor and sometimes it doesn't. 

Mat Germain: My, my take on it has always been that sports [00:35:00] should be free for one sport for every kid, depending on what sport that they want to do, and, and chase down the furthest. Across the board until they're 12 years old, that that should be, that that will propel them to get the best out of them.

And in that case, you're also funding, you know, it doesn't have to be a crazy amount, but at least enough to cover gas or to cover whatever for the coaches that do show up and do these things so that they are not out of pocket to, to actually, you know, take part and lead these kids around. Yeah. If you do those two things, I think the level of, of, first of all, the competition is gonna increase.

Significantly the support and the, you know, the 'cause you're gonna be growing up with the same kids generally in terms all the way through. And you're gonna have a wider array of kids with wider array of skills. And that's what I'm finding with baseball now in a lot of ways, is everybody is gunning for the same skill set.

So there's, there's one mold almost where you know, you have to have at least this and you, [00:36:00] or. You may be able to have that, but it's not as widespread as it was in the past, I find. And, and so we, we need to get back to that and actually promote, you know, a lot of different styles and a lot of different ways to get, to get the game, uh, you know, to be fun again.

Phil Terrano: Look here. Here's what I'll tell you. Look at these innocent kids right here. Look at that. Here's the innocent kids playing a game that's happened to be my son. That was the first one I picked, by the way. That's awesome. Uh, there's a bunch of these kids in, in a dugout that are just having a blast right now.

They're playing in a playoff game, but guess what? Tomorrow when they walk out of this dugout, they're not gonna remember anything other than they just had fun. Yep. Because the, the game moves in that direction. Especially from a youth level. No, no questions asked you. They, they're more excited about go getting a slushie after the game than actually if they won or lost.

Yep. And that's the truth. And that's how it's supposed to be treating. Yeah. Coaches all have to remember that. Kids have to remember that. Us as adults have to remember that [00:37:00] Yes, that is a kids, it's a kid's game, right? Yep. 

Mark Corbett: Uh, I think both of you guys really hit it there and man, that it's really encouraging, you know, as you showing your son and the team there and the, the enjoyment they're having today.

And that should, you know, fulfill any of us who wanna participate in any capacity. I mean, I. As a coach, a volunteer. If heck, if they need somebody to come out there and, and clean up the field or underneath the bleachers, you know, participate. Uh, I remember at, uh, an organization I was with in the past, that was it.

Parents, you get, yeah, look at, look 

Phil Terrano: at this. We gotta walk off right now. Look at it. The kids just walked off and they just won a game. That's what it's all about, guys, right there. That'd be my son's team. Look at that. 

Mat Germain: Oh, way to go, dad. Talking 

Phil Terrano: to kids. I mean, you gotta 

Mat Germain: get on there and dump a cooler on them.

Yeah, 

Phil Terrano: that's it. We're gonna let you get to man. We gonna let get No, I look, get up. I'm having more fun talking about it while I'm watching it, that we're talking about this and [00:38:00] that just happened right in front of my face. I love it. You know, and to see the smiles on these kids' faces now and you know, but they'll be at the slushie machine in two minutes after that big win.

You know what I mean? So, and that's it. 

Mat Germain: That's really cool. Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. That's, that's amazing. That's, oh, I'm so happy for you. I really am. I, I know you've got some challenges trying to get everything going with, with the ball fields and getting people to understand what it's going to take to, to make sure the kids have a chance to play and, and the, the work that you're doing.

And I admire you for all that as well. My friend and I, I wish you continued success with that. 

Phil Terrano: I appreciate it. Yeah, we're, we're getting close. Uh, it, you know, never, never stop believing, you know, don't, it's not a cliche, it's not a song. It's don't stop believing. It's for me, it's never stop believing in the hard work and a dedication of, of doing something that's positive and just continue on every single possible way you can to make your dreams come true.

And this is my dream, this is my passion [00:39:00] to help these kids, to make them realize how. How much it of a game, of a great game it is and how much I love it, how much I adore it, and how much I wanna instill that on them. But just also remember, be a kid, be fun. Have fun, go get your sussy afterwards. We're gonna probably head to Chick-fil-A here in a minute to go get our dinner.

'cause we're here at nine o'clock at night on a, on a Wednesday, you know? And, and that's, and that's my dinner for tonight. But you know what, I, I wouldn't rather be any other place in the baseball field watching my kids enjoy it with their friends. Enjoy being a kid, because what happens later, gentlemen?

We all become adults and, and real life happens. 

Mat Germain: Sadly true. Sadly true indeed. 

Phil Terrano: Here, talk to the umpire. That, that, that just called the game. No, I'm on a podcast, so you can't, you can't.

That's the blue that just called the game right here. Mike, say hi. Seriously. What's up? Hey, how's it going, Mike? Glad to have you here buddy. Thanks for all you do with the kids. [00:40:00] He just witnessed history. A father actually, actually giving credit to the blues. 

Mat Germain: There you go. 

Phil Terrano: Mike's a great guy. And, and, and that's a guy who dedicates his, his Wednesday night and could be with his family, but guess what?

He's out here for kids for free. That's what it's about for me. That's what it's about. Yeah. That's great, seeing that smile and you saw the smile on his face. He just, all he wanted to do was just smile and tell me to get out of his face for real quick. He really realized what I was doing. Then he wanted to be on camera,

Mark Corbett: but we're, we're using an audio show, man. I may have to find a way to make this one a video. We'll see. 

Phil Terrano: Yeah. You know, it's, you might have to put some clips there and during it. During it. Yep. You know, it's, it's, um. It's just, again, you see the smile on my face. I wasn't even playing and I'm just happy for these kids tonight.

Oh yeah. So it's, that's all I care about. That's awesome. 

Mark Corbett: Well, Phil, I'm gonna let [00:41:00] you go have a good night with Chick-fil-A and your son and a rest of the team. And, uh, I remember going to get pizza so many times I got sick of it. So Chick-fil-A sounds pretty good 

Phil Terrano: here. Here's my beautiful, here's my beautiful wife who also.

Is a big supporter of everything that I do, and, and I couldn't be doing everything without her. She's, she's my rock. She's probably wandering while I'm walking around and pacing around a field right now that she knew I was on a podcast, but at the same time, um, you know, that's, that's a support system that I have, so God bless.

Right. 

Mark Corbett: Thank you. Thank you both. And all righty guys, well enjoy the rest of the evening and, uh, I can't, again, I can't Thank you both and everybody else there enough for. You know, contributing. I mean so much of your time in helping these young folks. So enjoy the, the rest of the night and look forward to catching up again real soon, my friend.

Phil Terrano: Mark, thank you so much. I appreciate it. It was a pleasure meeting you guys, uh, or seeing you guys again being on your show and, uh, have me back anytime. I love talking to you guys. Alright, brother. Take care. I [00:42:00] appreciate it. Take care. Take care.

Mark Corbett: Wow, that was fun. 

Mat Germain: We saw history. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. I, I mean, I always record the video. I never use it, but my, I might have to for this one brother. That was, that was too good. It was, uh, it was pretty cool. 

Mat Germain: Oh, that's awesome. Like, it's great when you, you know, every little moment that you have with your kids and, and deep ones like the walk off, the stories that come out of that and that you'll remember and you'll bring up, you know, once in a while, all the way through life.

Um, they're special regardless of what age and how long ago it was and how big in reality the moment was, you know, in the realm of the world to you, that moment was significant, right. It's awesome. 

Mark Corbett: Exactly. And we got to see that moment with a 9-year-old walk off. 

Mat Germain: Yes. Love it. Oh, it's just, that's heartwarming.

Oh, that's the sandlot playing out in real life right there. [00:43:00] 

Mark Corbett: That's it. But you know, , I think there's a lot of encouragement as far as making sure to contribute your time, uh, with some of these free leagues or a small amount. I mean, there's a lot of these little leagues where you had to put up some money, but we're not talking thousands upon thousands of dollars and, you know, have realistic expectations.

Have that plan B that, you know, Phil was talking about because it's, it's critical because otherwise there is. Uh, there are such a limited number of spots for someone to get to the game, to get to the show, the top of MLB, and it's unrealistic for all of us to get there. So when somebody doesn't, they shouldn't live in shame or pain.

And I think that happens sometimes. So. Yep. Anyway. 

Mat Germain: , I think, it's good once in a while to step back and, and look at it from a, a grand view of like, from the beginning of when your kid first picks up a [00:44:00] baseball and throws the ball with anyone. Could be your mom, could be dad, could be your sister, brother, anybody to the point where they're 70, 80, 90 years old, throwing a ball with a grandkid, like all the way through that journey.

That's, that's one of the things that I gravitated to baseball because of, because it is a family sport. It is a, a gathering community, spending time together, uh, with these highlights that keep popping up along the way that, you know, that are, that stand out. I still remember sitting there in the, in the, you know, um.

And like right after it rained like a big rainfall, throwing the ball with my dad in front of the house and like you could smell the pavement and you could hear just the ball whizzing, like, yeah, hitting the mitt and yada. And. Playing it on the field with just three friends and they have to go shag balls and everybody complains about going to get the balls and, but you're still out there playing it [00:45:00] and, and, and, you know, whatever format you need to enjoy it, you do.

So I think that's what he was just talking about. And what that, a lot of that is, is the opportunities need to be out there, first of all to make it fun, enjoyable, stress free, and uh, to promote. Happy, you know, active lifestyle, but also because it's something that you can literally be a part of your entire life and it should be a positive thing.

It shouldn't be constantly like, oh, what didn't I accomplish? It should be more about how much have I improved and what do I need to do next? I think that shift in mentality is huge. And when you interview a lot of baseball players, a lot of minor league players, you can tell the ones that are, are self-deprecating almost, where they're, they're kind of beating themselves up constantly.

And the other ones that are kind of saying, you know what, I'm, I'm just satisfied being what it is, and I'm looking for that next opportunity. And there's a [00:46:00] lot of differences in those mentalities and sometimes it's. Comes out in the product on the field. So, uh, something to monitor. If you have kids out there and they're part of the youth baseball and, and you're looking for agents, look for the ones that are gonna promote them for the good things and, and not necessarily, you know, push the buttons because you're not achieving X, y, z.

Mark Corbett: Well said Mat and. , I'm really encouraged when I see somebody like Phil Terrano out there doing all that he is with his own kids and with others, and, and trying to make sure that they, again, have a plan B. So baseball's great. Enjoy it with your friends, enjoy it with the community, but have something else in your life too.

Oh man. Well, I haven't got anything else. I mean, we could, we could talk about, uh. I think we pretty much got to put the cap on this one right here, my friend. 

Mat Germain: Absolutely. I think we, we've talked enough, we've, we've blabbered on and on. I will say that the [00:47:00] rays are getting, uh. Or no hit by a rookie, uh, making his first MLB start through the seventh.

So, uh, you know, that's an interesting tidbit for the end of the, of the show. Uh, you never know what to expect when a new pitcher comes up. And, and the rays tend to have a hard time when they don't have the data. Yeah. So they're learning a lot. 

Mark Corbett: All right, Mat. Well, I'm gonna catch up and get FanDuel on and see if I catch the last part of the game.

So thank you all for joining. Mat and I here again today on Baseball Biz on Deck, and hope you enjoyed it. I hope you got a good message from Phil and hope you're enjoying it with your kids as much as we do our, our games with the sports. So take care and we'll talk with you again real soon.

 You have been listening to BaseballBiz On Deck with special guest, MLBPA Agent, Phil Terrano.

Just a reminder, if you enjoyed this show, go ahead like and subscribe to BaseballBiz On Deck. Also you can find Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B Sky social. That's Mat at M-A-T-G-E-R-M-A-I-N dot B, Sky social or Mark at  Baseball Biz on Deck dot B Sky Social. You may also find Baseball Biz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot com

Special Thanks to XTaKe-R-U-X for the music Rocking Forward,