Tim Pahuta Joins 32 MILB players to Sue over Wages

[MdSooner]

Types of Baseball Scholarships

Like all college athletics, baseball is regulated by the three national collegiate sports associations. The NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA set the rules by which baseball can be played at the college level. They also regulate the number of scholarships that colleges can offer as recruitment incentives for potential players. Unlike football and basketball, however, baseball is an equivalency sport. This gives coaches a bit more leeway in how they award scholarships, and often coaches will divide their allotted full tuition scholarships into a greater number of partial tuition awards. In this way they can attract a greater number of top players to their teams.

Full and partial scholarships are the norm for baseball players at the college level, and they can be hard to win. That being said, high school baseball players who want to play on a college team should also consider walk-on scholarships. These are in essence general academic scholarships that can get the student to the college they desire, where they can then try out for the team. Many well known professional ball players used walk-on scholarships to make their name in college baseball.

NCAA Baseball

For more than a hundred years the National Collegiate Athletics Association has been regulating competition sports at the college level. The NCAA regulates playing seasons, and sets the rules of conduct for players and coaches at all member schools. It also closely regulates the number of scholarships that any NCAA college or university can offer when recruiting players.

NCAA Division I

There are 297 colleges and universities participating in NCAA Division I baseball. Each school is allotted 11.7 full ride scholarships for its team. Because baseball is a designated equivalency sport, coaches are able to divide their 11 + scholarships into awards for up to 30 players. NCAA Division I baseball attracts only the very best, and it is not unusual for players to be pinched by the big leagues before they enter college. Consequently, students hoping to win a baseball scholarship to an NCAA college or university may be subject to last minute award notifications.

NCAA Division I Colleges

NCAA Division II

There are 242 schools participating in NCAA Division II baseball. Each school is allotted 9 full tuition scholarships per team. Partial tuition scholarships are common in Division II, as they allow coaches more flexibility in building a full roster.

NCAA Division II Colleges

NCAA Division III

NCAA Division III baseball consists of 408 programs at colleges and universities across the country. Division III schools are restricted from offering any baseball scholarships as a recruiting incentive. However, general athletic grants and academic scholarships may be offered by some schools as a way of bringing talented players to their campuses. In essence, these are walk-on scholarships and students will have to try out for the baseball team after they have been admitted to the college.

NCAA Division III Colleges

NAIA Baseball

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) represents smaller colleges and private universities throughout the country. While these schools may not have the high profile of their NCAA counterparts, they are home to some impressive college level baseball teams.

NAIA baseball consists of 214 member schools across the country. Each school is restricted to 12 full ride scholarships for its baseball program. These may be full or partial scholarships, administered as the coaching team sees fit. Students with strong academic backgrounds, who also excel on the baseball field, may qualify for a general grant or scholarship which will not count against the school’s 12 scholarship limit. Again, these are in essence walk-on scholarships and students will have to try out for the baseball team after they have been accepted to the college in question.

NAIA Colleges

NJCAA Baseball

The National Junior College Athletics Association regulates baseball at the junior college and community college levels. While junior colleges often get overlooked when students think about sports, NJCAA member schools are home to some of the most impressive college baseball teams in the country. Like the NCAA and NAIA, the NJCAA regulates all aspects of baseball at the junior college level, including the availability of scholarships.

NJCAA Division I

NJCAA Division I baseball consists of 188 teams from junior colleges across the country. Each school is limited to 24 full ride scholarships to cover all expenses including tuition, books, registration fees and housing. Partial scholarships are not allowed.

NJCAA Division I Schools

NJCAA Division II

NJCAA Division II baseball includes 130 two-year colleges around the country. Each school is limited to 24 baseball scholarships. These scholarships can only cover tuition, and can not extend to housing or other expenses. Partial scholarships are not available.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/scholarships/sports/baseball.htm

I think this proves my point. While some players may get full rides. The school is only allowed 12 scholarships at a time that must be used for 30 some players.

[weams]

I think this proves my point. While some players may get full rides. The school is only allowed 12 scholarships at a time that must be used for 30 some players.

I also think that the 18 that do not normally do not play minor league baseball.

[MdSooner]

I also think that the 18 that do not normally do not play minor league baseball.

2 things: the minimum wage is higher than 5 dollars. And the reference to 18 as opposed to 30 is beside the point. Must 'ship atheletes get some money.

And the "grants" that article was talking about are Pell grants from the Federal government. Trust me - they barely cover the cost of going to school. And books

[osfan83]

Doubt it. Possibly a FEW less positions in MiLB but when ONE guy in the Majors could subsidize the increase for a clubs entire minor league system and STILL be a millionaire several times over I don't think a reasonable salary for MiLB would destroy the entire system.

Not to mention MiLB positions are most definitely not and end game. They represent a significant sacrifice in both income (for many, not all) and the years in which the ROW is building their careers. It is not easy to come out of minors and reinvent yourself in a new career.

Don't know....but I do know that most minor league teams run on a tight margin. As long as the labor is cheap it's probably worth having several low level teams....but the odds of a middle round playing in low A making it are slim to none....if the costs of those teams get elevated, why continue to run them?

These guys should be told that there is little chance they will ever make good money at playing baseball, but if they still want to pursue it ok.

Personally I'm against any ort of a minimum wage in any industry. It's an artificial number. If you offer me $1 an hour to do a job, and I want to do the job for $1 an hour, it should be legal for me to take it. Livable wage is relative....anything under $50k maybe unlivable, so why not make the minimum wage $50k?

[weams]

2 things: the minimum wage is higher than 5 dollars. And the reference to 18 as opposed to 30 is beside the point. Must 'ship atheletes get some money.

And the "grants" that article was talking about are Pell grants from the Federal government. Trust me - they cover the cost of going to school

The base plus the five dollars makes the compensation sufficient under the law.

[weams]

2 things: the minimum wage is higher than 5 dollars. And the reference to 18 as opposed to 30 is beside the point. Must 'ship atheletes get some money.

And the "grants" that article was talking about are Pell grants from the Federal government. Trust me - they barely cover the cost of going to school. And books

I specifically believe that college players who are playing affiliated minor league ball do not have student loan debt. They had full ride scholarships. For the most part.

[MdSooner]

I specifically believe that college players who are playing affiliated minor league ball do not have student loan debt. They had full ride scholarships. For the most part.

We will just have to agree to disagree. When I was at the University of Oklahoma I know this was not the case.

[weams]

We will just have to agree to disagree. When I was at the University of Oklahoma I know this was not the case.

I understand your viewpoint and respect it. I think the minor league players that I have known that had a college degree made out ok.

[mdbdotcom]

I would like to see the Major League Baseball Players Association expand to cover all the minor leagues affiliated with major league franchises and become the Professional Affiliated Baseball Players Association. Guaranteeing players something in the area of $5,000 for partial season rookie ball, $15,000 for low A, $20,000 for high A, $30,000 for AA, and $40,000 for AAA would encourage gifted athletes to play baseball.

Suddenly, there would be far more paying jobs for baseball players than any other sport. Also, minor league players would be able to afford to eat better. As you may know, when Cal was in the minors his parents sent him extra money for food each month so he wouldn't have to subsist on fast food. That's not an uncommon story, but not all ballplayers come from families that can subsidize their dream.

To make this idea work, teams would have to increase their subsidies of their minor league teams by a million dollars a year or so. That means that major league salaries would have to come down (a very small amount).

Earned revenues do not adequately reflect the value of minor league teams to their parent clubs. We see that every time a star player is traded for three prospects, or when a player signs for a multi-million dollar contract and is assigned to a minor league team.

Raising minor league pay would help players get by, attract good athletes who might otherwise pursue other options, and improve the overall economies in minor league cities. I'm all for it.

[DrungoHazewood]

I'm absolutely stunned by this....

These minor league clubs are professional clubs, right? And these guys only derive income for playing for them, right? So they are professional athletes and should at bare minimum be getting minimum wage.

But the kicker for me is that the big league players are paid such outrageously obscene amounts of money, so there is absolutely no excuse why some of this money doesn't filter down through their affiliates to ensure a good quality of life.

And if this is commonplace across the game, then a club bucking the trend and paying their minor leaguers well, would by default obtain a competitive advantage against rivals as they would become a more attractive farm system to develop within. Unless there is some sort of cartel going on which would prevent this.

I am still just flabbergasted at this...

Question you may know the answer to: What to players in League 1 or League 2 or even the Championship make in the UK? My guess is that it's significantly more than baseball players in the Carolina League or Sally League, at least above the Championship.

The minor league model makes it possible to have moderately profitable organizations in places like Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

At the expense of having a real team with a real pennant race. They're profitable because they're heavily subsidized by the MLB team, just so long as the Harrisburg Senators agree to never having any control over what players they have, or whether their cleanup hitter is called up to the next level for no reason at all with them 1.0 game up in the standings and a week left in the season.

Personally I'm against any ort of a minimum wage in any industry. It's an artificial number. If you offer me $1 an hour to do a job, and I want to do the job for $1 an hour, it should be legal for me to take it. Livable wage is relative....anything under $50k maybe unlivable, so why not make the minimum wage $50k?

In theory, a country sets a de facto minimum wage with its level of public assistance. Few people will work for $3/hr if they can make more than that on food stamps and welfare and the like. Unless there is some other incentive, like a 1-in-1000 chance of becoming a major league player.

[DrungoHazewood]

I would like to see the Major League Baseball Players Association expand to cover all the minor leagues affiliated with major league franchises and become the Professional Affiliated Baseball Players Association. Guaranteeing players something in the area of $5,000 for partial season rookie ball, $15,000 for low A, $20,000 for high A, $30,000 for AA, and $40,000 for AAA would encourage gifted athletes to play baseball.

Suddenly, there would be far more paying jobs for baseball players than any other sport. Also, minor league players would be able to afford to eat better. As you may know, when Cal was in the minors his parents sent him extra money for food each month so he wouldn't have to subsist on fast food. That's not an uncommon story, but not all ballplayers come from families that can subsidize their dream.

To make this idea work, teams would have to increase their subsidies of their minor league teams by a million dollars a year or so. That means that major league salaries would have to come down (a very small amount).

Earned revenues do not adequately reflect the value of minor league teams to their parent clubs. We see that every time a star player is traded for three prospects, or when a player signs for a multi-million dollar contract and is assigned to a minor league team.

Raising minor league pay would help players get by, attract good athletes who might otherwise pursue other options, and improve the overall economies in minor league cities. I'm all for it.

My back-of-the-napkin guess is that 15,000 kids are currently on scholarship as D-I (or whatever they call it) football or basketball players. The vast majority of them are never going pro, and are probably trying to get their degrees. You could probably entice a fair number of them to play baseball if you made minor league salaries and educational opportunities more competitive with a the value of a 4-year scholarship.

[mdbdotcom]

My back-of-the-napkin guess is that 15,000 kids are currently on scholarship as D-I (or whatever they call it) football or basketball players. The vast majority of them are never going pro, and are probably trying to get their degrees. You could probably entice a fair number of them to play baseball if you made minor league salaries and educational opportunities more competitive with a the value of a 4-year scholarship.

It's hard to know how many kids are on a scholarship at any particular institution. My son was a relief pitcher on a D-1 team at a private university. His baseball scholarship averaged $1,000/year, which was a pittance of the total costs.

But aside from the kids at D-1 schools, there are lots of ballplayers out there who might be more willing to pursue their baseball dream if it didn't mean living in poverty.

[Ohfan67]

The minor league model makes it possible to have moderately profitable organizations in places like Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

Slavery made cotton production highly profitable under suboptimal conditions, but that's not a good justification for slavery.

[DrungoHazewood]

But aside from the kids at D-1 schools, there are lots of ballplayers out there who might be more willing to pursue their baseball dream if it didn't mean living in poverty.

I agree. But I wonder what the return would be on the investment. Historically, I'd guess that a very disproportionate percentage of top athletes have come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Maybe some of that has changed with the emphasis on expensive travel teams and camps and the like. But I've always had this suspicion that players with choices in life are (in general) less motivated than those who are a long slump from really being unemployed. Financial incentives like better pay in A ball will mainly draw in players from middle class backgrounds, who are much more likely to have options.

[Reboulet'sStache]

Further if the system is truly fair then eliminate the anti trust exemptions mlb gets and let them compete with other baseball organizations.

What do you mean? MLB is a monopoly to the extent that they have rules that govern the teams within the league. But MLB is not stopping you from forming a baseball league and paying players whatever you want.