LSU's Coach Cain on What Makes Players Successful | Travis Chick, Will McGuffey | MLB Draft Series #13

02/23/22 • 47 min

We continue our MLB Draft Podcast with another installment of our College Coaching Series as we sit down with Louisiana State University Recruiting Coordinator Nolan Cain. In this episode, Coach Cain sharesexperiences and stories as both a player and coach at LSU and in professional baseball, as well as other advice gleaned from teammates and players that he has coached.

His journey from winning the College World Series as a player in 2009 to today as the Recruiting Coordinator at his alma mater gives him great insight into the realities of the day-to-day life and thought processes of individuals that have been successful both on and off the field. Coach Cain gives a fascinating look into several topics including the effects of Covid on their roster, why having a plan off the field frees you up as a player on the field, what a network is and why it matters, and how technology is constantly changing and shaping the game.

Having a cohesive plan that was formulated through education and preparation off the field has shown to be advantageous for players during both their college and professional careers. Coach Cain’s insider perspective continues to shed light on the importance of preparing yourself well in advance of the MLB Draft and surrounding yourself with the right people who can provide you the right information to make sure that you are making the best possible decision when it comes to choosing between attending college or pursuing professional baseball immediately out of college.

AWM Capital's Will McGuffey and Travis Chick interview Coach Cain and cover topics and questions like:

(1:00) Navigating how CoVid has impacted the MLB Draft and college roster construction.
(4:58) How to keep players focused on today and the pressures that players face.
(8:10) How to handle expectations and the perspective of players facing important decisions during their journey as a college player.
(12:10) Why having a plan and educating and preparing yourself off the field is important for players to be able to have success on the field.
(17:55) The negative impact of making an emotionally based business decision.
(20:00) How playing freely with little pressure can change your perspective and outcomes on and off the field.
(22:15) Market Value v. My Value...what is it?
(24:50) If you aren’t getting financial advice from someone in the sports world that understands your contracts and career, you aren’t getting the whole picture when making a life changing decision.
(26:28) Why is my network important and how does a college impact my network?
(30:15) Philosophies surrounding the MLB Draft and a different perspective on how to look at your career.
(33:30) Technology in baseball and how it has changed the way players are developed.
(40:20) The collaboration between MLB and NCAA Baseball, and how the two actually work together.
(45:00) Social media, perspective on who you are, and why every path is different.

AWM Capital's Will McGuffey and Travis Chick interview Coach Cain and cover topics and questions like:

(1:00) Navigating how CoVid has impacted the MLB Draft and college roster construction.
(4:58) How to keep players focused on today and the pressures that players face.
(8:10) How to handle expectations and the perspective of players facing important decisions during their journey as a college player.
(12:10) Why having a plan and educating and preparing yourself off the field is important for players to be able to have success on the field.
(17:55) The negative impact of making an emotionally based business decision.
(20:00) How playing freely with little pressure can change your perspective and outcomes on and off the field.
(22:15) Market Value v. My Value...what is it?
(24:50) If you aren’t getting financial advice from someone in the sports world that understands your contracts and career, you aren’t getting the whole picture when making a life changing decision.
(26:28) Why is my network important and how does a college impact my network?
(30:15) Philosophies surrounding the MLB Draft and a different perspective on how to look at your career.
(33:30) Technology in baseball and how it has changed the way players are developed.
(40:20) The collaboration between MLB and NCAA Baseball, and how the two actually work together.
(45:00) Social media, perspective on who you are, and why every path is different.

Previous Episode

Texas A&M’s Justin Seely on Navigating the Draft | Travis Chick, Will McGuffey | MLB Draft Series #12

Seeking qualified advice is the best way to remove emotion from the upcoming business decision you will be faced with when deciding to sign with the MLB team that ultimately drafts you. In this episode we sit down with Texas A&M University Recruiting Coordinator Justin Seely who shares experiences and lessons from players and families who have gone through the MLB Draft process over his last 11 years.

Coach Seely has had a front row seat to watch over 60 of his players from Texas A&M get drafted and receive over $37,000,000 in signing bonuses. He has also been involved with numerous others who had committed and signed at Texas A&M that were ultimately drafted out of high school and joined the professional ranks immediately. His insider’s perspective gives a unique view into the decisions that families face and the successes that he has seen.

Properly educating yourself and seeking qualified advice is the best way to remove emotion from the upcoming business decision you will be faced when deciding on whether to sign with an MLB team or attending college. While we often hear from families and agents that “we don’t want to put the cart before the horse” or that “hiring a wealth management team costs you leverage with teams”, this episode will show you that those lines of thinking are incorrect and that you need to fill your cart with knowledge and education to actually gain leverage and better prepare for making the most important decision of your life.

AWM Capital's Will McGuffey and Travis Chick interview Coach Seely and cover topics and questions like:

(00:35) Coach Seely’s background and experience navigating the draft
(3:38) How to properly value yourself as a player
(5:35) When should I start looking for financial advice, and who should I look to for that advice? How do I better educate myself about the financial implications of becoming a professional now?
(7:34) Where should I look for information about the business decision I am about to make?
(10:16) The importance of removing emotion from the decision making process
(11:23) What have players in my situation done that has helped them be successful?
(15:28) How do I place a value on the university that I plan on attending?
(21:28) How can I avoid mistakes in the MLB Draft process that will impact my life?
(25:59) What is the College Education Plan offered by MLB?
(29:30) Important qualities and experience in the professionals that a player surrounds themselves with when seeking advice on the MLB Draft
(33:05) Who has worked with people in your situation? Who understands what your career actually looks like?

Next Episode

Blue Jays' C.J. Ebarb on Preparing for the Draft | Will McGuffey, Travis Chick | MLB Draft Series #14

We continue our MLB Draft Podcast series as we sit down with the Toronto Blue Jays Midwest Crosschecker C.J. Ebarb. In this episode, C.J. pulls back the curtain to give players and their families valuable insight on the scouting process through the eyes of an MLB organization leading up to the MLB Draft, as well as what makes players successful once they are in professional baseball.

With so much information about mock drafts and rankings available through the internet and social media, it is sometimes hard to manage everything without being overwhelmed. C.J.’s insight into the evaluation process that an MLB organization goes through before the draft is invaluable and lends perspective on what is important, and how to take a step back and drown out the noise during the year before the draft. We also discuss how education and surrounding yourself with the right support systems before the draft and in professional baseball have helped similarly situated players be successful in their careers.

Passion, work ethic, and skill are all important attributes that MLB teams want to see and feel comfortable with before drafting a player. Throughout this podcast, C.J. talks about the importance of these characteristics, how they can ultimately positively impact the way that a team values a player in the draft enough to invest in them, as well as how these same attributes help a player achieve their full potential.

Episode Highlights

(2:30) Mock Drafts – What do they mean and do they actually impact where you will be drafted?
(3:54) Who are the different scouts that will come watch me from an MLB organization?
(5:37) What is the importance of the summer before your draft year?
(6:30) Is there an organizational philosophy on a certain type of player that you look for?
(8:30) Do MLB organizations think it hurts a player’s leverage to hire a financial team before the draft?
(11:30) In-home meetings with teams and the education process for a player - learning that baseball is a business and preparing yourself for it.
(14:25) Traits that show a team that a player is ready to handle the rigors of professional baseball.
(17:45) Is velocity the most important thing that MLB teams look at and should that be your main focus?
(21:45) The pressures that players face during the draft process from MLB teams, friends, and social media, and how to handle this.
(23:05) What makes a player have a successful transition to professional baseball?
(27:00) How MLB teams are helping develop their players in different ways to handle the workload more efficiently.
(30:55 Health is opportunity – Why and how you should invest in yourself on and off the field.
(35:08) Can my agent help me get drafted higher?
(37:40) Enjoy the process – Finding perspective in the last few months before the draft.