Baseball agent Kent Matthes has left his position at the well-established CAA Sports agency and joined the WME Sports crew. Matthes is a certified MLB player agent that will bring a valuable skillset to WME, which has erupted into the sports sector of client representation in recent years.
Matthes represented highly touted Toronto Blue Jays prospects Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk while at Creative Artist Agency. Bichette has proven himself to be a more than capable shortstop with a powerful bat over the last two seasons. Catcher Alejandro Kirk got his first crack in the major leagues in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and remains a promising prospect. However, both Bichette and Kirk will remain clients of CAA Sports and will not accompany their former agent to WME Sports. Nonetheless, Matthes has proven his capabilities to attract clients, and his career as a professional athlete gives him experience and insight to establish new relationships as an agent for WME Sports.
Matthes was a four-year letterman playing baseball for the University of Alabama. From 2006-2009, Matthes played outfield while completing a degree in financial planning and services. Through his excellent play on the diamond, he achieved honors as an All-American and SEC Player of the Year. Matthes pursued a seven-year career in the minor leagues, primarily playing for the Colorado Rockies’ and Oakland Athletics’ organizations following graduation from college. After hanging up the cleats, he joined CAA Sports as a baseball agent, where he worked for over three and a half years. In January of this year, Kent decided to take his services to the William Morris Endeavor Sports agency.
CAA Sports has accrued an impressive compilation of baseball clients, as the numbers confirm. With 55 first-round draft selections, 3 MVP’s, 4 Cy Young award winners, and 98 all-star appearances, CAA stands to continually attract additional talent to join their clientele. CAA’s competitor, WME, is relatively new to the sports representation game. The William Morris Endeavor agency makes its money primarily through the Hollywood and music business. Acquiring IMG in 2013 was a significant stepping stone in entering the athlete representation space. Still, baseball remains a niche they have yet to conquer. WME Sports didn’t even have an MLBPA-certified agent before 2019. Adding Kent Matthes’ experience, coupled with his expertise in the baseball industry, demonstrates WME is persistent in becoming more competitive in its athlete representation division. In turn, Matthes will also be granted the opportunity to further showcase his proficiency as an MLB player agent.