(FORTUNE Small Business) – It pays to know people in high places--or at least, as B.B. Abbott will tell you, someone playing the hot corner at Turner Field. Abbott grew up shagging baseballs in cow pastures with Chipper Jones, now the third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. Later Abbott quit his job as an associate at one of the nation's largest law firms to pitch himself as Jones's agent.

If you think basing a business on your best friend's career in Major League Baseball sounds risky, consider that in 2004, Abbott brought in revenues of about $300,000, netting more than $150,000. And even as the 2005 baseball season draws to a close for players, he'll be getting busy negotiating on behalf of clients who have filed for free agency.

The 35-year-old Abbott, whose dreams of making it as a player in the big leagues were dashed in college, founded his business, Tampa-based Jet Sports Management, in 1999. A year later he negotiated a contract for Jones that was then the biggest in Major League Baseball's history--worth $120 million over eight years. Since then Abbott has used his relationship-building skills and eye for talent to sign up-and-coming players, including Jeff Mathis of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Brian McCann of the Braves, and Doug Waechter of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "I cannot think of anyone I would rather have handling my money, contracts, or my career," says Jones, referring to Abbott. "Many times doing what is right for the player gets lost in the sports-management industry."

Among Abbott's 32 clients, Jones, who has won both a World Series Title and a National League MVP award, generates the vast majority of his income. In addition to negotiating Jones's contracts, Abbott manages his endorsements and directs his philanthropic activities. But Abbott is building his client base. He signs two to four new players each year as they are drafted from high school or college and receives 3% to 5% of their minor-league contracts, amounting to between $15,000 and $50,000 a player. Abbott doesn't get another payment until his clients reach the majors and hit a certain level of income. That breakthrough takes about eight years, but "the pot of gold can be really good," he says.

Abbott invests heavily in equipment--bats, gloves, jerseys--for his clients, and in the T&E required to spot and sign new ones. He used more than 4,000 cellphone minutes a month last year. Recently he signed his first employee, a veteran agent who will help spot young talent. "If we can get a couple of Chippers, we're in really good shape," Abbott says. "The problem is, there aren't many of them out there."