What Position Pays The Most In Baseball?

Wondering what position pays the most in baseball? Here’s a breakdown of MLB salaries by position.

Pitching

Pitching is the most important position in baseball. A pitcher’s success or failure can make or break a team’s season. Pitchers are also the highest-paid players in baseball, with the average major league pitcher making $4.36 million per year.

Average Salary

While most people know that professional baseball players make a lot of money, they might not realize just how much the top players in the league are paid. The average major league baseball player made $4.47 million in 2019, according to Spotrac.com. But that’s just an average. The top 25% of players made more than $7 million a year, while the bottom 25% earned less than $2 million.

So, what position pays the most in baseball? That would be pitcher, which has an average salary of $5.14 million. That’s more than $1 million more than the next highest-paid position, first base, which has an average salary of $4.03 million.

Highest Paid

The following is a list of the highest-paid baseball players in Major League Baseball, including both base salaries and total earnings.

1. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees – $36 million
2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels – $33.25 million
3. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals – $30 million
4. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals – $28.07 million
5. Zack Greinke, Houston Astros – $27.5 million
6. Justin Verlander, Houston Astros – $27 million
7. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – $26 million
8. Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox – $15 million
9 Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals – $14 million

Catching

Catching is one of the most important positions on a baseball team, and it is also one of the most dangerous. A catcher has to be able to block the plate from the runner, and he also has to be able to throw out runners who are trying to steal bases. Because of the importance of the position, catchers are often the highest-paid players on a team.

Average Salary

The average major league baseball player’s salary was $3.2 million in 2017, according to the MLB Players Association. The median salary — meaning half of players earned more and half earned less — was $1.9 million.

There are huge disparities between the game’s top stars and everyone else. The average salary for the top 10% of earners was $8 million, while the bottom 10% averaged just $650,000.

The highest-paid player in baseball is Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who makes an annual salary of $34.083 million. The sport’s second-highest earner is former Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who retired in 2016 but is still making annual payments on his 10-year, $275 million contract. Fellow retired Yankee Derek Jeter is third on the list, with an annual payment of $22 million from his 2014 contract extension.

Current Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is the fourth highest earner in baseball, with an annual salary of $20 million. Rounding out the top five is Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, who will make $21 million in 2019 as he enters the final year of his contract before becoming a free agent.

Highest Paid

In baseball, the catching position is one of the most important on the field. Not only are they responsible for calling pitches and directing the defense, but they are also typically some of the strongest hitters on the team. As a result,catchers are often some of the highest-paid players in baseball.

The highest-paid catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) is Yan Gomes of the Washington Nationals, who earns an annual salary of $9 million. Gomes is followed by Francisco Cervelli of the Pittsburgh Pirates ($8.27 million), Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants ($8 million), Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals ($20 million), and Wilson Ramos of the Tampa Bay Rays ($10 million).

Infield

The most popular position in baseball is the infield. The infield is where the action is and where most of the money is made. The average salary for an infielder is $4.5 million. The top 10% of infielders make $8 million or more. The bottom 10% make $1.5 million or less.

Average Salary

The average salary for all MLB players was $4.47 million in 2019, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Of course, that average is skewed by the huge salaries of the game’s top stars. The median salary — or the salary at which half of players earn more and half earn less — was $1.25 million.

There is a wide range in salaries among MLB players, from the league minimum of $563,500 to the record-setting contract of Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who will make $37.67 million in 2020.

While Trout is the highest-paid player in baseball, he doesn’t hold the title of highest-paid infielder. That spot goes to Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, who will make $35 million in 2020. He’s followed by Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ($32.67 million), Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado ($30 million) and Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia ($29 million).

Of course, salaries don’t tell the whole story when it comes to position players’ earnings potential. In addition to their base salary, many position players receive signing bonuses and performance-based incentives that can significantly boost their earnings potential. For example, Goldschmidt received a signing bonus of $5 million when he joined the D-backs on a five-year extension worth $130 million in 2019.

Highest Paid

The following is a list of the top five highest-paid baseball players2020. All figures are based on the average annual value of their contracts, as reported by Spotrac.

1. Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels – $35.54 million
2. Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees – $36 million
3. Stephen Strasburg – Washington Nationals – $35 million
4. Zack Greinke – Houston Astros – $34 million
5. David Price – Los Angeles Dodgers – $33 million

Outfield

According to Spotrac.com, the average annual salary for an MLB outfielder is $5,349,817. The highest-paid outfielder in baseball is Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets, who makes an annual salary of $27,5 million.

Average Salary

The average major league baseball player salary is $4 million annually, a figure that has remained relatively static over the past decade according to USA Today. Outfielders make up the largest percentage of Major League rosters at 34 percent and their salaries reflect that with an average salary of $4.5 million, which is the second-highest average in MLB behind only first basemen. The large number of outfielders on rosters and their high salaries are largely due to the fact that teams are allowed to have only four starting infielders (excluding the catcher) but can carry as many as seven or eight outfielders.

The table below shows the average salaries for each position in Major League Baseball. As you can see, outfielders are well compensated for their services with an average salary that is nearly $1 million higher than the MLB average.

Position—————-Average Salary
Pitcher—————–$3.38 million
Catcher—————–$2.99 million
First Baseman———–$4.58 million
Second Baseman———-$2.61 million
Third Baseman———–$3.22 million
Shortstop—————-$3.14 million
Outfielder————–$4.47 million

Highest Paid

When it comes to baseball, the outfield is where some of the game’s best athletes play. These are the athletes that can run down fly balls and throw out runners from deep in the outfield. They also have the potential to hit for a high average and lots of power. As a result, they tend to be some of the highest-paid players in baseball.

In 2019, the highest-paid outfielder in baseball was Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees. Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Yankees in 2014. In 2019, he made $26 million dollars in salary and bonuses. The second-highest paid outfielder was Seattle Mariners’ slugger Nelson Cruz. Cruz made $24.125 million dollars in 2019, which was the final year of his four-year, $57 million contract.

Several other outfielders made over $20 million dollars in 2019. These included Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout ($33.25 million), Detroit Tigers veteran Justin Upton ($22.125 million), and Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts ($20 million). Betts is currently in line for a massive payday as he is eligible for salary arbitration this offseason. He is expected to become one of baseball’s first $30 million-per-year players.

While there are many highly-paid outfielders in baseball, there are also several who make close to the minimum salary. In 2019, the major league minimum salary was $550,000 dollars. Several young outfielders who had yet to establish themselves as regulars made close or just above this amount in 2019. These included Houston Astros’ outfielder Derek Fisher ($568,400), Cleveland Indians’ rookie Oscar Mercado ($565,600), and Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Austin Meadows ($563,500).