Mama, let your children grow up to be baseball players. The average salary for a MLB player has surpassed the $4 Million mark for the first time.
At a time when minor league players are fighting to earn every last dime, there are no such struggles in the majors. According to the Player’s Union, the average salary for a MLB player topped the $4 Million mark for the first time.
This is a number that has a bit of fluctuation over the course of the season. As players are released or brought up to the majors, that final average salary changes. As such, the average annual salary gets calculated at the end of the year in order to determine what the players made.
The average salary is also determined based on the players on the roster as of August 31st. While those players on the disabled list count towards the total, those players called up when rosters expand do not. After all, the majority are making the major league minimum, and would skew the average dramatically.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
With an average salary of $4,097,122, major league players saw a 3.3% increase in their pay from last year. That increase will continue next year as well, as the major league minimum salary will go up from $535,000 to $545,000 in 2018. It’s definitely not a bad payday if one can get it.
As salaries continue to increase, more athletes may be attracted to baseball. The NFL has a problem with concussions and former players dealing with CTE. Given that those salaries are not guaranteed, unlike MLB salaries, younger players may find themselves steered towards baseball in an effort to retain their health. That increased average salary certainly helps as an enticement as well.
Next: Fun facts about AL ballparks
According to the Player’s Union, the average salary for a player on the major league roster surpassed the $4 Million mark. That’s a pretty good payday for a guaranteed salary.