Baseball memories can often be some of the most treasured moments of a young boy's life. From the first game of catch, to getting his first hit, to learning the fundamentals of the game and the value of teamwork, little league experience is an important treasure for over 160,000 kids annually.
For a lucky number of that pool, they will go on to enjoy a high school baseball career. That number shrinks significantly for those who will earn a scholarship to play in college, and becomes fractional for those lucky enough to play professional baseball at the minor league level.
Long Odds
Less than 6 percent of kids who play high school baseball receive any type of offer to play at the college level. Once in college, less than 11 percent of that pool is drafted by a major league baseball team, while only 1/2 percent of high school seniors get drafted. Therefore, the number of minor league baseball careers is an extremely closed circle, much less those who advance to the major league level.
For The Love of the Game
While "professional baseball player" is the term assigned to all minor and major league baseball players, there is certainly a dramatic difference in compensation scales and average. While the average major league salary is north of one million dollars, some minor league players are barely making a living wage.
Specifically, the first contract season for a minor league player at the rookie level is $850 per month maximum as of 2011. A Class A full season player in his first year earns $1,050 per month. After his first year, it is no less than $1,050 per month. In Class AA, $1,500 per month is the first year minimum, and no less than that amount in following years. A first year player in Class AAA earns $2,150 per month. All minor league players receive meal money amounts of $20 per day at all levels, and that is on the road only.
College Baseball Invoking Its Influence On Minor League System
There have been numerous discussions among baseball pundits to consider the healthy nature of college baseball. While Major League Baseball and NCAA baseball schools often compete for top-shelf talent, there exists a certain level of cooperative spirit, especially in the areas of player development. Some discussions have even surfaced recently about Major League Baseball investing its nearly $20 million per team spent on its minor league system and funding college baseball scholarships.
This is viewed by some as a better investment in player development, as it eliminates having to negotiate higher education with a top-level high school player as leverage. Under this reform, the player would receive his degree while also being better developed in a better funded college baseball program, rather than double dipping in the minor league system of the professional team.
The Boys of Summer
Major League Baseball players routinely enjoy such luxuries as chartered flights on road trips, five-star hotels and more than $100 per day in per diem for both home and away games. Minor league players counter that experience with long bus rides, economy hotel stays, and per diem only when they are traveling for away games.
While it is certainly not a conventional way to make a living, it does fulfill a lifelong dream for so many of those ballplayers that began their careers with a snow cone at their home little league fields.
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