How Much Do Minor League Baseball Players Get Paid?

How much do minor league baseball players get paid? It’s a common question, and the answer may surprise you. Read on to learn more.

Introduction

In addition to the love of the game, one of the main motivators for minor league baseball players is the hope of one day making it to the majors and earning a spot on a 40-man roster. Major League Baseball rules dictate that players must be at least 23 years old or have played in professional baseball for at least five seasons before they are eligible for free agency, so most minor leaguers are grinding it out in hopes of catching on with a big-league club.

The pay for minor league baseball players has long been (and continues to be) a controversial topic. While it’s true that most minor league baseball players don’t earn salaries commensurate with their major league counterparts, it’s important to remember that minor league baseball is very much a developmental system designed to prepare players for the rigors of a 162-game major league season. With that said, let’s take a look at how much minor league baseball players get paid.

How Much Do Minor League Baseball Players Get Paid?

Player salaries in minor league baseball have long been a controversial topic. In recent years, however, the issue has come to a head, with both players and team officials speaking out about the low wages minor leaguers receive. So, how much do minor league baseball players get paid?

Minimum Salary

All players on a team’s active roster, disabled list, and 60-day injured list at the end of a season are paid during the entire off-season and receive an additional stipend each spring training. A small number of players may be invited to “major league” spring training camp before being reassigned to the minor leagues.

The minimum salary for minor league players is $11,400 for the 2019 season, up from $10,800 in 2018 and $5,750 in 2007. Players at short-season and rookie levels have their salaries pro-rated based on the number of days they play. For example, a player on a short-season team playing 76 days will earn approximately 38% of the short-season minimum salary.

2019 Minor League Baseball Minimum Salaries
Rookie:$290 per week
Short Season A:$590 per week
Class A:$850 per week
Class A Advanced:$1,150 per week
Double A:$1,700 per week
Triple A:$2,150 per week

Salary by Level

The minor league salary isn’t as simple as you may think. While there is a standard pay scale across all of baseball, there are disparities between the game’s highest and lowest levels.

For instance, a player in rookie ball – the lowest level of the minors – will earn $290 per week during the season. That number jumps to $500 per week for players in short-season Class A, and $1,100 per week for players at full-season Class A.

Players at high Class A will earn $1,500 per week, while those at Double-A will make $2,150 per week on average. Triple-A is where salaries start to show some variation, with the average player earning anywhere from $2,150 to $7,000 per week.

And finally, major league salaries vary widely – from a minimum of $545,000 up to tens of millions of dollars per year for the game’s elite players.

Salary by Position

The following table shows the salary range for each position in Minor League Baseball:

POSITION SALARY RANGE
Pitcher $3,000-$7,500
Catcher $1,800-$4,500
Infielder $1,800-$4,500
Outfielder $1,200-$3,000

How Does This Compare to Major League Baseball Players?

According to Spotrac, the average MLB salary for the 2018 season was $4,097,242. In contrast, Minor League Baseball players make much less money. According to MiLB.com, the average player salary in Triple-A was $2,834 per month, or about $34,000 per year, in 2017. Players in Double-A made an average of $2,150 per month ($25,800 per year), while Single-A players made an average of $1,150 per month ($13,800 per year).

Conclusion

Minor league baseball players are paid according to a strict set of rules set by the Major League Baseball organization. In general, players at the lower levels of the minor leagues (such as Class A and Class AA) earn much less than those at the higher levels (such as Triple-A). However, even the highest-paid minor league baseball players are still only earning a fraction of what major league players make.