How Much do Professional Baseball Players Make Per Level in 2022?
There are a total of six professional baseball levels; Rookie, Class A, Class A Advanced, Double-A, Triple-A, and MLB. Each of these levels involves different experiences and salaries. Let’s explore how much baseball players make per level in 2022.
Rookie
The Rookie level is the first stop for young professional players. The season begins in June after the MLB draft. Their season is shorter and ends sometime in either September or October. This level consists of three leagues, the Arizona Complex League, the Florida Complex League, and the Dominican Summer League. This level of play is meant for players who need time to hone their skills and gain experience.
Rookie-level players make about $400 a week averaging about $6,400-8,000 a season in 2022. They are not paid for outside training during the off-season.
Class A and Class A Advanced
Class A is the lowest level of play with a full Minor League Season. Class A is organized into three leagues, the California League, the Carolina League, and the Florida State League. Players in Class A typically have specific issues in their playing style that they need to work out such as pitching control or batting consistency. Originally the Class A level consisted of Class A Short Season, Class A, and Class A Advanced. Yet, before the 2021 season began, the MLB reworked the minor league system and eliminated the Class A Short Season.
Class A Advanced is a level below Double A. Players play a complete season from April through September. Many Class A Advanced teams are owned by parent teams and can use their training facilities. This level is typically a stepping stone from the lower to the upper Minors.
Class A players typically make about $500 a week which is about $12,000 per season in 2022. These players make significantly more than Rookie players because they play a full season.
Double-A
A jump from the lower minor leagues to Double-A is typically a very big achievement and is believed to be akin to moving up to the MLB in terms of gameplay and skill level. There are currently 30 teams within the Double-A that make up the Eastern League, the Southern League, and the Texas League. While Triple-A is the closest Minor league to the Majors, players can also advance from Double-A to the MLB. Rosters are often more stable in the Double-A because players are not being moved as often from the Major league to the Minor league as is the case with the Triple-A. Though, many major league clubs often send players to the Double-A to rehabilitate them after injuries.
Double-A players typically make $600 a week which equates to $14,400 per season in 2022.
Triple A
Triple-A baseball is the highest level of play in the Minor leagues and is only one step down from the MLB. Two leagues make up the Triple-A, the International League, and the Pacific Coast League. Triple-A teams are located in smaller cities or in larger areas where there is no MLB team like Austin, Jacksonville, and Charlotte. The Triple-A also houses the MLB players on expanded rosters who are not on the current active roster. Similar to the Double-A, MLB players are also sent to the Triple-A when they are returning from an injury. Though, the Triple-A is mainly meant to prepare younger players from the MLB.
Triple-A players typically make around $700 a week which suggests a salary of $16,800 per season in 2022.
MLB
Major League Baseball is the highest level a professional player can play. The MLB is the oldest major sports league in the world, founded in 1876, consisting of 30 teams total. The MLB has two leagues, the National League and the American League with 15 teams each. The MLB is the second wealthiest professional sports league aside from the NFL.
Typically, every player experiences the minor leagues before being drafted into the MLB. They start by being drafted out of high school or college or by signing as an amateur free agent. The Minor leagues also often see MLB players move in and out of them as they are drafted, rehabilitated for an injury, or placed on the inactive portion of the 40-person roster.
MLB salaries vary based on player and team. Though, the average MLB salary is about $4.41 million in 2022.
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Author: Lindsay Pelliccia