Minor leaguers and the upcoming rule changes

charlieoscar

Member
Sep 28, 2014
1,339
Has anyone considered what the impact of limiting the September call-up from 15 players (25>40) to two players (26>28, with only one being a pitcher) will have on minor league players? Players were called up, sometimes from need, but also to give some a taste of the Bigs and to see how they handled it. They also got rewarded because their pay would go from minor league levels to major league minimum for that time.

The population of this country has about doubled since I was a kid; yet, I bet there were more boys back then who would have said, "be a baseball player," when asked what they wanted to do in life than you would find today. If MLB makes the minor leagues less appealing, we will have to import more and more players. You want to immigrate to this country? Learn how to play baseball well.
 

Plympton91

bubble burster
SoSH Member
Oct 19, 2008
12,408
I agree to some extent with the idea that limiting callups also defers a lot of dreams and squelches others. It’s important because I think spending 1 day in the major leagues qualifies you for lifetime health insurance, and after 20 days you qualify for a pension.

There’s some solace in the 26th roster spot, which makes 30 more full time jobs, which for a lot of teams will probably be split between multiple players on their AAA to majors shuttles.

Your larger point is interesting, but I bet the failure of MLB expansion to keep up with population growth and the opening of Japan, Korea, and Cuba plus increased flow from Latin America has already helped dampen demand for domestic players. Tie that together with the atrocious minor league salaries and indentured servitude of the draft system and I bet that’s another factor in kids not pursuing baseball.

I mean, last year a Red Sox minor leaguer gave up baseball to be a Port Authority Policeman in NYC. That pretty much tells you what John Henry’s pay scale looks like.
 

charlieoscar

Member
Sep 28, 2014
1,339
While there are a number of signings each June who get large bonuses, some of that money will go to agents and more to taxes. And after the first couple of rounds (roughly speaking), the money starts to drop off. Those who were in college probably did not get full scholarships, so they may need to pay off what they owe the schools, and others may may use bonus money to help their parents or their family if they marry young. Given that only a small percentage of all players who sign minor league contracts ever make the majors, it is surprising that so many will sign.

There were 247 players who made their MLB debut in 2018 with 87 of them not having a plate appearance and 45 of them not appearing before September. There are roughly 6500 roster spots for affiliated minor league teams in today's game. I sometimes wonder about the legality of the draft. Suppose you are drafted by a club you despise. You can decide not to sign but they still control your rights basically until the next draft. Or you don't like the area where you will be assigned. You have no choice. And we haven't even gotten to the point where the clubs in the farm system help build support for the parent club. Or money.
 

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
I agree to some extent with the idea that limiting callups also defers a lot of dreams and squelches others. It’s important because I think spending 1 day in the major leagues qualifies you for lifetime health insurance, and after 20 days you qualify for a pension.

There’s some solace in the 26th roster spot, which makes 30 more full time jobs, which for a lot of teams will probably be split between multiple players on their AAA to majors shuttles.

Your larger point is interesting, but I bet the failure of MLB expansion to keep up with population growth and the opening of Japan, Korea, and Cuba plus increased flow from Latin America has already helped dampen demand for domestic players. Tie that together with the atrocious minor league salaries and indentured servitude of the draft system and I bet that’s another factor in kids not pursuing baseball.

I mean, last year a Red Sox minor leaguer gave up baseball to be a Port Authority Policeman in NYC. That pretty much tells you what John Henry’s pay scale looks like.
43 games to qualify for the minimum pension per this.

Here is more in depth info:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kTYNlp6_DikJ:www.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/bhb/eng/mlb-0f0-pension-print.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-d

I can't find health insurance data

You do know that John Henry is a relative newcomer to professional baseball and that he isn't setting any pay scales. Not for major leagues and not for minor leagues, right?
 
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Fred not Lynn

Dick Button Jr.
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2005
5,253
Alberta
Playing pro baseball at any level can position you well to participate in the well-oiled Youth Sports Industrial Complex. The youth baseball world is littered with programs who have “former [insert MLB team here] player Fred Jones” as head coach (even though a quick Google shows that the aforementioned Fred Jones played a half-season of Rookie League before moving on with his life).

It’s not uncommon for an undrafted guy to sign and play in the Indy leagues just so he can add “former pro” to his eventual travel team website bio.