MLB draft to bitcoin—identifying value in baseball and markets with Sean Buckley

In this episode, Sean Buckley, former professional baseball player and scout, shares his journey from college baseball to being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. He reflects on the challenges of transitioning from the minors to the majors and the mental toll of playing the game at a high level. Sean discusses his shift from player to scout, offering insights into player dynamics, scouting's impact on his view of baseball, and how it influenced his approach to investing. He explores the parallels between identifying value in baseball and in markets, particularly bitcoin. Sean also touches on the difficulties of generating market alpha, the reasons behind his interest in capital allocation, and how he introduced the concept of bitcoin to other players.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:17 Sean’s intro into college baseball and MLB draft

00:03:00 How did you get started with baseball?

00:03:58 Ever feel burnt out playing too much baseball?

00:05:40 What was Sean’s college major?

00:07:49 Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds

00:10:55 Did you think you could be one of the best players?

00:12:35 Minors vs majors—big difference?

00:14:39 Transitioning from player to scout

00:18:39 Player dynamics and drama

00:20:38 Did scouting change your perspective on baseball?

00:23:05 Investing vs scouting

00:24:57 Has identifying value become more difficult?

00:26:55 When did you get interested in capital allocation and bitcoin?

00:33:16 Generating market alpha—why bitcoin?

00:38:00 Did you tell players about bitcoin?

00:40:22 Did other minor league players buy gold and single family homes?

00:42:10 What’s the catalyst for players to get interested in bitcoin?

00:44:19 What is the player’s union?

00:45:41 Should the union do anything about bitcoin and personal finance?

00:47:45 Retiring after professional sports

00:50:58 What podcast or books do you recommend?

00:53:30 Closing thoughts

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