Minor League Baseball Players Can't Afford Rent or a Decent Meal

Major League Baseball owners are worth billions of dollars, but minor league baseball players make just $7/hour, are forced to sleep on the floor, and are denied adequate meals. The horrific treatment has lead to substance abuse and severe depression for some minor leaguers, explains Kieran Lovegrove, a minor leaguer in the Los Angeles Angels organization.
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[danielplainview]

How hard can it be for the owners to at least construct dormitory style housing for a team of 30 players and some half decent food?

[dogsbark]

A friend of mine was a AA starting pitcher. He got injured and called up the same day. He is now a trainer, sending kids to D1 and recently 3 kids to Williamsport. He trains my boys and 20 others, along with camps and group training. He makes more money training kids into stud pitchers than he did as a stud pitcher in milb.

[jektonoporkins]

I'm an airline pilot and I sat to a single A minor league player one time when I was getting deadheaded in the back of a plane. We had a great conversation and I sympathized with him greatly. After I graduated with my aviation degree I worked as a flight instructor for a nominal wage of $15/hour but half of that went to the school, so I was really making $7.50/hour. But that figure is derived from the time the engine starts running until the engine stops running and doesn't count any other time. So if I worked from 8-6 realistically I'm getting paid $7.50/hour for 5 hours of flight time. Luckily I was living in a town with 10, 000 people and sharing a rent house with two other guys so my rent was a manageable $183/month. I used to think that was the most exploitative job until I talked to this single A minor league guy. Holy shit. The difference between me and him is that once I hit 1000 flight hours I was pretty much guaranteed a job at a regional airline...this poor bastard had to COMPETE with everyone else to move up the ranks. That's just awful.

[mysteryboxreviewschannel]

Unfortunately this has been an issue for a long time. Too many former major leaguers end up in poverty as a result of this.

[thomaspaswater]

If an employer requires you to work, you should be compensated. Milb players get no pay for spring training, extended spring training or playoffs. In effect milb players are required to work seven months and get paid for only five.

[pjbuma]

Not sure how true the AAA average salary of $14, 700 is but it’s definitely not true anymore as of the 2023 season. Minimum salary in complex leagues is now $19, 800/year and low A minimum is $26, 200. Plus they are required to be provided with room and board or a stipend to pay for rom and board if not provided. Also players are additionally paid $625/week during spring training and $250/week for off season workouts at home.

[briggsc]

We have a minor league team where I'm at, the Dust Devils an Angels affiliate, I had no idea these guy's had it this bad and they are always happy to sign my sons baseballs, I'm going to start tipping these bros!

[marciablackman]

MLB players should be in full support of the demands of minor leaguers. They were there themselves and should do what’s right for their baseball brethren. G_d knows the owners can afford to pay living wages.

[showcaseSampa]

As soon as Minor Leagues had their demands in part met on salaries ( not quite up to par yet ), Owners voted for contraction of Minor League at A Ball Level in number of affiliates.

Some affiliates are outright owned by the Major League Baseball Club, while others are affiliated but independently owned.
The player and training personnel payroll expenses are picked up by the Major League Club. ]

as of now, at least Minor Leaguers have Union Representation, but they are still represented by the MLBPA, whose minor league ballplayers might not be at their heart.

Since all of the in Ball Park revenue in operating a Minor League Ball Club is kept by the Franchised Minor League Operator, it means, Major League Owners have little to no interest in the welfare of minor leaguers. They see the whole thing as a feeder and at that, they want to keep the expenses at a fixed bracket. Minor League, short of player transactions, it is seen as a cost center, not a profit center.

If you, as a Bal, l Player, are signing up for a pro contract, and your bonus does not meet your projected living expenses, then just walk away. At some point, the owners will get the message and start making due adjustments. Depth and options is what they want, it must then come at a price.

[georgemarsh]

Those owners with extreme wealth should share it with minor leaguers. It's morally right and can keep going minor league ball, which can best prepare players for the big leagues. Not everyone wants to see pro baseball guilty of exploiting minor leaguers.

[wallacemusic]

Wow this is a harsh way to treat the players who go on to either make the show or flounder until being beat into submission.

[drew]

Ironically, my friend's dad is a part owner of a minor league team and we were talking about this and he said that this is why he is on the business side of baseball and not the player side because the lifestyle is brutal to get to the big leagues.

[agame]

So upsetting. Minor leaguers need better stuff yet alone pay

[edc]

I've only paid to see MLB twice in over 60 years.
TWO TIMES TOO MANY. I will never PAY DIRECTLY EVER AGAIN, bad enough i watch some games on cable.
In a letter to Manfred I said PAY YOURSELF $14K STARTING **right now**, SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT.

[fleabaglane]

Read alot on this subject, and he's not making this up, and it is a horrible way to treat players that make you millions in the stands speak up America

[michaelpyatt]

At the end of the day the players union should be speaking up for these guys and demand at least a liveable wage

[Last_Tryy]

crazy cus im playing career on the show so currently im a trash panda well actually I moved up to AAA im in the the salt lake bees team waiting for my shot at angels its sad seeing the reality of baseball hopefully there can be organizations in place to help these guys

[serafinacosta]

I recall a former farmhand for the SF Giants, who got his law degree, Garret Brosius, leading a class action lawsuit against Major League on the account of these exploitative practices.

Every major league team covers on field payroll at the minors , from the lower levels and up. Affiliate minor league teams only meet payroll for administrative and ballpark personnel. Players coaches, are given minor league prorated pay rates, outside the 40 man playing roster. In the paper a $50, 000 a year contract looks good, only it is only paid a portion of it.

The lawsuit wrang some concessions, but it also forced the minor league development programs towards contraction, mostly at the lower levels. Which sends borderline talent into independent ball leagues. With lower pay rate.

It’s a losing proposition. Only 5 % make it to the show. And yet, young fortune seekers bank to the odds.

[pointuout]

I’m to the point in hearing about all kinds of career paths through growing up. That theirs nothing you can do to get a real career any more! Now we are all just rats and slaves to the very few who have more money than they know what to do with it… truth hurts!

[slayermcrx]

instead of paying the big league players the extremely exorbitant pay they get, they should set some of that aside for the minor league systems