The Baseball and Business Podcast

Current pro player Anthony Shew shares how he's climbed through the Cardinals organization and become a web developer along the way on Episode 37. 

Here are a few of the highlights from our conversation... 

1. How Anthony's first pro ball paychecks led him to develop to a second skill set to make money on the journey to the big leagues 

2. His story of being 1 of 400+ MiLB players "adopted" by a sponsor to receive financial support through the non-profit Adopt a Minor Leaguer 

3. One of the most important investment choices every baseball player will make 

4. Why Anthony believes doing something other than playing baseball makes him a better baseball player 

Anthony's story shows the power of going all in on developing a skill. 

Connect with Anthony on Instagram @anthonyshew. 

To learn more about Adopt a Minor Leaguer, visit the website at adoptaminorleaguer.com, follow on Instagram @adoptanmilbplayer or Twitter @adoptmilbplayer.

Former pro player Alex Farina shares how a line drive to the face abruptly ended his career and how he's bounced back in business on Episode 36.

Here are a few of the highlights from our conversation...

1. How sending letters to every GM in baseball his senior year cracked the door to getting two workouts and eventually signing with the Brewers

2. The unfortunate last pitch of his pro career that led to his mouth being wired shut for 4 weeks and forced him to put his attention 100% into business

3. Why relationships are the most valuable asset and how he's landed each of his jobs 

4. Alex's recommendation for anyone who is trying to figure out life after baseball

Alex's story shows the importance of controlling the variables that can be controlled and letting go of everything else.

To connect with Alex, you can find him on Twitter and Instagram @thealexfarina.

Former college player Tyler Scaturro shares how he began his business career working for Pocket Radar in the early startup days 8 years ago and how he's developed into a key player that has made it the established company it is today on Episode 35. 

Here are the highlights from our conversation... 

1. How going the JUCO route out of high school helped setup stability on the field and classroom 

2. How Tyler beat out other candidates despite having less experience to get his foot in the door at Pocket Radar which has developed into being the Brand Manager 

3. How social media and marketing evolving while the product itself continuing to mature both have taught him the importance of testing 

4. Why working for a startup can be an advantageous route for baseball players transitioning into business full-time 

Tyler's story shows the power of creating an opportunity and running with it. 

To learn more about Pocket Radar, visit their website at pocketradar.com or Instagram page @pocketradar.

Former pro player CJ Beatty shares how he used his God given talents and combined them with baseball after stepping off the field to build a business that's empowering the next generation to win on the field on Episode 34. 

Here are the highlights from our conversation... 

1. CJ's perspective on how to be prepared to transition from college to pro ball 

2. How CJ's voice was the spark to the global brand The Baseball Motivator has become 

3. Why CJ added making music to his brand and how he's grown to having 500k+ streams 

4. How Richard Petty and Evander Holyfield's brand manager recently became CJ's brand manager 

CJ's story shows how not being afraid of your haters and instead going all in on your gifts are the key to success. 

To learn more about CJ and TBM, visit his website at cjbeatty.com or Instagram page @cjbeatty44.

Oakland A's prospect Ryan Gridley shares how through the launch of his business ProCo+ he's created a solution to the financial challenges many minor leaguers face on Episode 32. 

Here are the highlights from our conversation... 

1. How Ryan went from being known more for his glove than bat as a freshman at Mississippi State to earning First Team All-SEC honors as junior hitting well over .300 which led to being drafted by the A's 

2. Different challenges playing in the minors has presented which created the idea to launch his business ProCo+ 

3. How the platform allows pro players to make money year round while giving amateurs direct access to pros during their season not just in a cage during the winter 

4. Ryan's biggest lesson learned from diving into entrepreneurship and his best tip for anyone else that desires to launch their own business 

Ryan's story shows the best way to deal with a problem is to create a solution versus hoping someone else comes along to solve it.  

To learn more about ProCo+, visit the website at ProCoPlus.com or Instagram page @procoplus. You can follow him on Instagram @ryangridley10. You can also email him at support@procoplus.com.

Former college player Clayton Gelfand shares how he's turned the page from winning 3 conference championships, a D2 College World Series appearance and playing in the Cape Cod League in undergrad to now maximizing the window of time as a current student in the J.D.-M.B.A. program at Michigan State on Episode 31.

Here are the highlights from our conversation...

1. How Clayton turned a resume after undergrad strictly with baseball and academic accomplishments into getting valuable hands on work experience including landing an internship at a Fortune 10 company

2. Why regardless of age or experience everyone should be on LinkedIn and how to use it to create networking opportunities

3. How a mentor's advice guided him on how to get his first tangible experience which created momentum for additional internships

4. How sending a cold email led to an internship being created that did not previously exist

Clayton's story shows that the opportunities that exist aren't always the ones obviously in front of us and that action always wins.

Tune into Episode 31 by clicking above or by going to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

The transition from playing baseball to business can be one of the most challenging situations that we as baseball players face. This week former college player and Founder of Baseball and Business Luke Melms shares a few questions that have been emailed in recently and shares his thoughts and perspective on Episode 27. Here are the questions that were discussed…1. How do I overcome the struggle with identity and the inability to see exactly what is in store for the future now that playing baseball is done? 2. How do I re-establish myself within a new business community after moving to a new city? 3.  How do I find my passion and/or niche after baseball having several interests but unsure which one to pursue? 4. How do I know whether to be patient about the potential to get promoted internally or look for new opportunities outside my current company?...We are all at different points in this journey on the field and/or in business. The beauty of the network is the ability to grow together in both areas.

Former big leaguer with the Red Sox Jonathan Van Every shares from his 8 year journey through the minors before making his big league debut on Episode 22. Here are the highlights from our conversation...1. His experience playing on a defending World Series championship team in Boston along with facing Araldis Chapman and Mariano Rivera 2. Going back to school at 31 to get a Bachelor's degree after pro ball ended 3. How the 8 year journey in the minors before getting to the big leagues helped in the process of navigating finding an industry where his interests and skills best aligned in the business world after experience in several industries 4. The risk Jonathan took to get into his current role in a new industry...Jonathan's story shows that persistence is often the key ingredient needed in order to get where we are ultimately trying to get to.
To connect with Jonathan, you can find him on LinkedIn.

North America Brand Manager of Nike Baseball and Softball Ryan Sudenga shares how playing and coaching college baseball built a foundation for success in business on Episode 18. Here are a few of the highlights from our conversation...1. What led Ryan to pivot out of coaching college baseball to pursue working in the sporting goods industry 2. How Ryan used the skills he developed coaching baseball players in the retail environment leading storefronts for Nike in several locations across the country 3. The move Ryan made that positioned him to earn an opportunity to work at Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon 4. Ryan's advice for anyone wanting to get into the business world within sports...Ryan's story will resonate because it gives an inside look at what it takes to move around the bases within a world class organization. Whether you are still playing or on the other side, there are many principles that can be taken away and applied in your life. To connect with Ryan, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Former college player Brad Marshall shares from playing two sports in college along with getting his undergrad and graduate degree before taking these experiences into the real world working with athletes in Episode 16. Here are a few of the key points we discussed...1. How a mentorship in college with a professor helped pave the path to going to grad school for sports psychology 2. Brad's experiences and process to help athletes and active military to maximize their performance 3. Why asking the right questions is the best way to build trust and how he does this working with teams at FOCUS Unlimited 4. How crossfit has not only allowed him to continue to compete but open doors in business...Brad's experiences as an athlete, student and business professional are all working together in his day to day and is a great example of how to take the investment of what was been done to create wins wherever you're at today. To connect with Brad, you can connect with him on LinkedIn. To learn more about FOCUS Unltd.com, visit their website at focusunltd.com.

Former college player and Founder of Baseball and Business Luke Melms shares what it takes to go about building a network in business the right way. It's no secret that winning in baseball requires a team. However it isn't as obvious in business how to surround yourself with the right people to build a powerful business network. On Episode 15, he shares his best tips on how to focus on this important topic. Here are a few of the key points covered...1. How to put "currency" in the pockets of those in your existing network and new business professionals you meet 2. Ideas to network by having fun versus it being an awkward and forced encounter with strangers 3. How to leverage the emotional connection with those who went to the same high school or college 4. The three types of people that are essential to having in your network to grow professionally long term...Baseball and Business was created to be a vehicle to help connect people and ideas. This episode will give you practical ways to meet the types of people you want to encounter in your day to day.  

Former D1 player and current college coach Lou Bernardi is our featured guest on Episode 8. In addition to coaching, Lou serves on the Board of Directors for the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award and Foundation. He shared the history of the award and how MLB players are using their platform to give back to those who have served our country along with their families. Now in his ninth year coaching, he shares his story of choosing between coaching and getting a "regular job" after transitioning out of playing. He also gives his advice for anyone aspiring to get into coaching. This episode is packed with a lot of takeaways from one of the most interesting coaches in college baseball. To learn more about the Act of Valor Award and Foundation, go to actofvaloraward.org.

Former college baseball player Jim Cavale shares from his experience as a successful entrepreneur on Episode 7. He is a 3-Time INC. 5000 Entrepreneur, an annual award that INC. Magazine reserves for America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies.  He is currently running his fourth company, Influencer. The company serves sports team brands by aggregating their internally-produced content and their current player, coach, recruit and former player social media channels.  He shares why he started the company, how he sees opportunities for current players to maximize their time while on the field along with the importance of building a complete team to win in entrepreneurship. This episode is filled with a lot of takeaways.  To learn more about Jim, go to JimCavale.com. To learn more about Baseball and Business, visit our website at BaseballandBusiness.com or our Instagram page @baseballandbusiness.

Former Stanford Cardinal and St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Andrew Summerville joined us on Episode 6 to share from both his journey in baseball and business. Here’s some of what you’ll hear by tuning into this episode… 1. How Andrew was able to leverage his on the field experience to get business experience while playing in the Cardinals organization 2. The transition to working for Pando full time after retiring recently due to injuries 3. How Pando has de-risked the careers of 150+ pro baseball players Andrew has a unique story that is valuable to players at any stage in their baseball or business career. Baseball and Business empowers current and former pro and college baseball players to win on the field and in business. To learn more about Baseball and Business, visit our website at BaseballandBusiness.com.

We dive into leveraging the platform that is LinkedIn. While most episodes will have a featured guest, there will be weeks where we hit on a specific topic that is actionable. Episode 5 covers two aspects of LinkedIn... 1. The basics of creating and maximizing your LinkedIn profile 2. A proven method to building and growing your network with business professionals you want to get to know 

Former college player Mike Karpinski shares from his journey of turning success on the field into success in business which includes reaching the six figure mark by age 24. Here are the highlights from our conversation... ⚾The challenges of figuring out if the first job after graduation was the right fit long term ⚾Learning the IT industry within a sales capacity ⚾His advice on finding long term success in business

Former St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Jake Gronsky comes on the podcast to share how baseball being a game of delayed gratification prepared him for playing the long game as a writer. Here are a few of the highlights...Jake talks about how a broken bone by a hit by pitch in the minors led to building a relationship that would come full circle after the game, how publishing A Short Season opened the door to partner with David Eckstein to be currently writing his memoir and why Jake believes passion isn't something anyone should blindly follow.

Former New York Mets minor leaguer Jeremy Wolf shares from realizing his dream of being drafted along with his journey in the minors. Due to some unique circumstances that included a career ending injury, he felt compelled to create More Than Baseball. It is an organization designed to help make sure minor league players have basic necessities. His vision is to see minor leaguers play the game without worrying about needs such as equipment among others. Tune in to this great episode with our first of many guests.