MLB Off-Topic

[BigOscar]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Hey man, but he didn't "intentionally consume this steroid." Give him a break. He ordered the #1 at McDonalds and they gave him SteroidBurger instead of Big Mac. Could happen to anyone.

Probably regretting going to that BBQ at Canelo's house.

[Trapper700]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Part of the government spending bill that Congress is going to be considering this week includes a provision that exempts minor league baseball players from federal labor laws. This is coming from years of lobbying by MLB due to lawsuits from minor leaguers who claim that they are being illegally underpaid (some teams only pay their players $1,100 a month). Screw Manfred and the MLB.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/powerpost/spending-bill-could-quash-minor-league-baseball-players-wage-claims/2018/03/18/d31cd76e-2b0a-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html?utm_term=.9e895a1640a7&__twitter_impression=true

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Part of the government spending bill that Congress is going to be considering this week includes a provision that exempts minor league baseball players from federal labor laws. This is coming from years of lobbying by MLB due to lawsuits from minor leaguers who claim that they are being illegally underpaid (some teams only pay their players $1,100 a month). Screw Manfred and the MLB.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/ampht...mpression=true

Screw the owners, not Manfred. He works for them.

[Trapper700]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Screw the owners, not Manfred. He works for them.

Do you know what Manfred did before he started working for the MLB? Pretty much the same thing he does now. He's a career lawyer who spent his entire pre-MLB career working at a firm that was primarily known for representing corporations that wanted to screw over their employees and break their unions/organized labor. My stance on him does not change just because he is doing what the owners want. But yes, screw the owners, too.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Do you know what Manfred did before he started working for the MLB? Pretty much the same thing he does now. He's a career lawyer who spent his entire pre-MLB career working at a firm that was primarily known for representing corporations that wanted to screw over their employees and break their unions/organized labor. My stance on him does not change just because he is doing what the owners want. But yes, screw the owners, too.

I did not know that. Touché. **** Manfred, too

[ShowTyme15]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Welcome to corporate America.

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Part of the government spending bill that Congress is going to be considering this week includes a provision that exempts minor league baseball players from federal labor laws. This is coming from years of lobbying by MLB due to lawsuits from minor leaguers who claim that they are being illegally underpaid (some teams only pay their players $1,100 a month). Screw Manfred and the MLB.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/ampht...mpression=true

What MLB does to its minor league players is absoutely abysmal.

[Sportsforever]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

What MLB does to its minor league players is absoutely abysmal.

Agreed. I have said for a LONG time that it's borderline criminal.

I have a friend whose nephew was drafted out of high school. The kid played 14 years in the minors, never made more than $25K/year (this was in the late 1990's/early 2000's), lived in apartments/road buses, ate fast food, never had enough to support a family. After all of that, he never got called up to the show...retired at age 32 with very little in savings. Since he hadn't gone to college and wasn't trained in any other area of work, the only job he could get was coaching baseball.

I am willing to bet that this is the story of 90% of these guys in the minors...there is so much money in baseball that MLB should be taking care of them. I would like to see the following:

1) Pay them. I get that they aren't going to get "millions", but they should be able to make well above poverty level.

2) Provide a pension system that's worth something. I read an article recently where a minor leaguer who spent 19 seasons bouncing around retired and got his "lifetime" pension check. It was $651...that's it. Criminal.

3) Provide education. So many of these guys skip college to go right to the minors. MLB should be providing an opportunity for these guys to get classes done in the off season, tech training, etc, so they have other options outside of baseball when they hang them up..

There are other things they could do, but these are the big ones, IMO.

BTW - since 1976 the "salary floor" in the MLB has gone up over 2,500%. In that time, the Minors salary has gone up 70%. The average minor leaguer is making between $7-15K.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

3) Provide education. So many of these guys skip college to go right to the minors. MLB should be providing an opportunity for these guys to get classes done in the off season, tech training, etc, so they have other options outside of baseball when they hang them up..

I completely agree with the rest of your post, so I'll only touch on this. I know a lot of players in minor league baseball that work into their contracts that the organization will pay for school if they don't make a certain amount of money (usually if they can't get to a 6 figure yearly salary).

Four of my former teammates that were drafted/signed had this, as did my older brother. I don't know that it should be mandatory, but many players that I know have worked this out and the organizations were happy to oblige. Maybe it should be expected for organizations to offer this to players if they want it, instead of the player and their family having to ask for it.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I completely agree with the rest of your post, so I'll only touch on this. I know a lot of players in minor league baseball that work into their contracts that the organization will pay for school if they don't make a certain amount of money (usually if they can't get to a 6 figure yearly salary).

Four of my former teammates that were drafted/signed had this, as did my older brother. I don't know that it should be mandatory, but many players that I know have worked this out and the organizations were happy to oblige. Maybe it should be expected for organizations to offer this to players if they want it, instead of the player and their family having to ask for it.

Yeah, shouldn't be mandatory in the sense that draftees have to do it. Frankly, some aren't exactly college material or inclined toward college at all. But, you're right, it should be an option for any player that gets drafted into MLB and wants to go to college. It's a pittance for MLB to guarantee college to 40 rounds x 30 players = ~1200 players in each draft. Even with college prices the way they are.

Not sure how to handle the international guys though...is it even required for them to have a high school education before they play minor league ball or engage in MiLB-related activities?

[duke776]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Not only would it help the players get by and support a family, but it would help the clubs themselves as players wouldn't have to get off-season jobs. More time to train, get the most out of every players ability.

The guys who get big bonuses or who have parents who can support them financially, they can dedicate their time fully to training and taking care of their body. The others have to work, which can take away development time.

IMO the return of producing a couple more major league quality or all star players would be worth the $5-$10 million it'd cost each owner to pay the minor league guys a decent salary each season.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Totally agree with everything said in this discussion. I'm surprised more light on the plight of minor leaguers hasn't been shed to the public at large. I think if more people knew what goes on in the minors they'd be shocked and appalled.

[CMH]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

This is part of my signature.

MLB will spend millions on facilities but act budget conscious with their prospects. They don't even feed the guys that are supposed to be developing.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

You know who also shares part of the blame for the current state of minor league's salaries?

The MLBPA.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

You know who also shares part of the blame for the current state of minor league's salaries?

The MLBPA.

So true, the people involved in that union have no concept of what a real union is really all about. All they do is try to take care of the upper crust while they don't give a damn about anyone below them.