I’m interested in speaking with Pro Talent about amateur advising or professional player representation services. What should I do next?

 

High School or College Players:

We encourage any player and/or their family members wishing to know more about our amateur advising services to please email us at advising@protalentsg.com.

We understand that many of you are confronting the complicated MLB draft process for the very first time and we are more than happy to assist you with any questions you may have. Additionally, we have included a section below that specifically addresses some common FAQ’s on advising.

 

Professional Players:

Professional players with inquires about the multitude of industry leading services that we provide to our clients are encouraged to email us at pros@protalentsg.com. At Pro Talent Sports Management we are dedicated to working hand in hand to help you reach your goals on and off the field.

I already have an MLB agent in the United States. Can Pro Talent still help me?

Yes! A player is not prohibited from retaining both a domestic AND an international agent. We routinely work with other MLB agents who can continue to handle your domestic interests while we focus 100% of our efforts on securing your international placement. For further information please email us at info@protalentsg.com

 

Does Pro Talent have any in-house financial advisors or money managers?

No. We are more than happy to furnish our clients with a list of financial planners that our clients have successfully worked with in the past, but respecting the fact that selecting a financial planner is a personal decision that is unique to each player’s situation we refuse to follow the trend of “steering” you to a planner which is a common practice of many other sports management firms.

I’m an MLB PA certified agent and would like to discuss working with Pro Talent to assist in the international placement of some of my current clients. What steps should I take?

We currently have a working relationship with a number of successful domestic player representation firms and would welcome the opportunity discuss future collaboration. Please direct all inquiries to info@protalentsg.com

 

Who should I contact about employment with Pro Talent?

For employment consideration, please submit your cover letter and resume to info@protalentsg.com. Please note that due to the high volume of inquiries it is not possible for us to respond to all applicants. If we are interested in interviewing an applicant we will contact you directly.

 

COMMON ADVISING FAQ’s

 

What should I look for in an advisor?

We firmly believe that selecting someone that you trust and feel comfortable with is the most important thing to look for in an advisor. An advisor’s background, reputation in the game, knowledge of the industry, ability to handle contract negotiations and arbitrations, accessibility/service, and an ability to resolve conflicts are other important factors to consider when choosing an advisor.

 

The bottom line is that the advisor you select is someone who is going to play a prominent role not only in assisting in your transition from an amateur to a professional baseball player, but also throughout the course of your entire career.

The period leading up to the MLB Draft is an important time in your baseball career and we believe that you should feel secure that the advisor that you ultimately select is someone whose advice you trust, someone who will be there 24-7 for you and someone who will thoroughly educate you on the entire draft process and every potential way to maximize your chances of being selected as high as possible.

 

Am I allowed to have an advisor prior to the draft?

Under the current set of NCAA regulations an amateur baseball player is permitted to have an advisor but prohibited from signing an agreement or hiring an agent.  An advisor can also assist with answering the many questions you and your family have regarding the draft and the contents of the contract that professional teams provide for signing professionally. However, an advisor is prohibited from speaking to teams directly about a player he is advising.

Additionally, an advisor can provide you with helpful information regarding the very tough “stay in school or sign professionally” decision that many draftees with remaining college eligibility routinely face. Lastly, as the draft approaches, an advisor will help you determine your draft value and educate you on what to expect from scout questionnaires, psych evaluations, meetings and private workouts.

 

What services should I look for in an advisor once I sign professionally?

Once you sign professionally, you are no longer subject to the restrictions imposed by the NCAA. The NCAA rules are only applicable to student-athletes at NCAA regulated institutions. As such, once you sign a professional contract you forfeit your remaining eligibility to play in college but you  may now authorize your agent to enter into deals, talk with teams on your behalf, speak to the media and manage all of your business and personal interests.

The word “Agent” is defined as:

 

“A person or business authorized to act on another’s behalf”

In its most basic sense, your agent will be the person who manages all of your off the field interests so you can concentrate on growing and reaching your maximum potential as a player. While specific needs vary from player to player, your agent should have experience with contract negotiations, understand the process of MLB arbitration, have strong relationships with the front office of each major league club and be willing to track down additional revenue generating avenues such as personal appearances, trading card, equipment and endorsement deals.

 

When should I select an advisor?

At least a full year before a particular player becomes draft eligible, scouts for each MLB club begin to generate lists of players that they are interested in following for the next year’s MLB Draft. These players will be followed during the summer and winter months and throughout the regular spring season. Because there are so many players to be seen and each team only employs a certain number of scouts, your first interaction with an interested scout could fall anywhere within this one year period if not earlier. Unfortunately as a player you never really can project when your first contact with scouts will be so selecting an advisor earlier rather than later will both allow you to begin your education ahead of the game and be fully prepared when you are approached by MLB scouts.

Being prepared for your interactions with MLB scouts is very important because of the prominent role they play in being drafted and signed by an MLB team.

 

In the most general sense, scouts are talent searchers for the company that they work for (their parent MLB club). Their job entails finding the best possible talent available to recommend to employer. As a player, you are a potential employee and while scouts may be impressed with what they see from you on the field, wouldn’t be doing their due diligence if they didn’t look under the hood and ask you personal questions in an attempt to find out who you are both as a player and person.

 

These questions can come in many forms. Questionnaires, personal meetings and psychological evaluations are all common tools used by scouts to learn more about what lies behind a player’s raw numbers.

By selecting a trusted advisor to educate you on the process and prepare you for these questions ahead of time you’ll know what’s coming and will be ready for that first scout interaction.

 

Are advisors allowed to charge a fee for services provided?

According to the NCAA regulations, an advisor is required to charge the “going rate” for services they have provided.  In addition, advisors cannot pay for any type of gifts or entertainment to student athletes prior to signing a professional contract. An advisor is not allowed to speak with professional teams on a player’s behalf and may not directly negotiate a player’s signing bonus. The generally accepted industry standard rate for advisory service is typically 3-5% of a player’s signing bonus.

 

What other services can be given to a player?

During the advising period while a player is still a student-athlete, an advisor may only provide you with education and advice on the draft in general, how to handle scout questions, where you stand in your draft class, your signability, whether or not to say in school and signing bonus negotiation tactics. However, once you sign a professional contract your advisor can then begin to work as your full-fledged agent.

 

If you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.