Unionization of baseball's minor leagues beginning

[LadyStanley]

MLB Players Association takes first step toward unionizing the minor leagues, sends authorization cards to players

A historic move to unionize the minors comes after years of independent agitation both by and on behalf of the low-paid players in MLB farm systems.

sports.yahoo.com

Considering some of the horror stories of housing and low pay, and the total reorganization without any player input, this might be a slam sunk for union.

Click to read more...

 

[Kirk Van Houten]

Hopefully they get it

 

[TheRumble]

Always found it strange that they weren't subject to even minimum wage laws. America is a weird country sometimes.

 

[Flukeshot]

This is really interesting. It does seem minor league baseball players have to fewest rights and lowest compensation of the pro leagues.

I'm really not familiar with pro baseball finances. Do AAA teams typically make a profit or are they entirely subsidized by the MLB affiliate?

 

[KevFu]

This is really interesting. It does seem minor league baseball players have to fewest rights and lowest compensation of the pro leagues.

I'm really not familiar with pro baseball finances. Do AAA teams typically make a profit or are they entirely subsidized by the MLB affiliate?

They traditionally do make a profit because the salaries of the players are (a) small and (b) paid for by the MLB teams who own their contracts. Minor league teams don't get the big TV money checks like major league teams do, but they have very small or zero player payrolls.

It's all travel and stadium operations expenses; and paid for by tickets/concessions/parking.

 

[SoupNazi]

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Long overdue. MiLB is the backbone of the pro game, and the longtime and lifer minor leaguers have been shafted for far too long.

 

[SoupNazi]

Long overdue. MiLB is the backbone of the pro game, and the longtime and lifer minor leaguers have been shafted for far too long.

Agreed. Paying guys who work seven days a week for seven months a year a measly $400 per week is nonsense, particularly when until recently they didn't even pay for their housing. I realize most minor league owners aren't billionaires but the guys who own their affiliate big league teams are, and can afford it. I don't care how much poverty they cry.

 

[StreetHawk]

MLB teams get access to their drafted guys pretty early. Basically right after the draft vs the nhl which won’t see their kids for 1-3 years as they continue to play in the chl, ncaa or Europe pro leagues.

Figure if you want your kids to develop you have to invest in them with nutrition, facilities, coaching, proper rest. Have them get used to watching video of the opposing pitchers and hitters in their league.

Need to fund them properly to get the most out of them. Figure something out between mlb club and the minor league affiliate. That’s one of the reason mlb overhauled their affiliates to keep clubs closer together between tiers and leagues.

Going pro is a hard road. Most don’t make it. No financial windfall for those who don’t. Unless they go overseas to Japan or something to carve out a career.

 

[LeHab]

MLB teams get access to their drafted guys pretty early. Basically right after the draft vs the nhl which won’t see their kids for 1-3 years as they continue to play in the chl, ncaa or Europe pro leagues.

Figure if you want your kids to develop you have to invest in them with nutrition, facilities, coaching, proper rest. Have them get used to watching video of the opposing pitchers and hitters in their league.

Need to fund them properly to get the most out of them. Figure something out between mlb club and the minor league affiliate. That’s one of the reason mlb overhauled their affiliates to keep clubs closer together between tiers and leagues.

Going pro is a hard road. Most don’t make it. No financial windfall for those who don’t. Unless they go overseas to Japan or something to carve out a career.

MLB has a pretty generous signing bonus structure for the first 10(?) rounds of the draft. 1st rounders can earn millions without ever seeing an MLB game. Guys with potential (early draft rounds) have it good while honing skills. Everyone else lives dreaming of some day, maybe...

Wish there was a better balance between the "have" and "have not", maybe a union will achieve just that.

MLB spends about $300m on signing bonuses each year.

 

[LadyStanley]

MLB says it will voluntarily recognize a minor league union

The decision comes less than two weeks after the MLBPA said it was working to incorporate minor leaguers into its existing union.

sports.yahoo.com

And league says they will recognize union

 

[golfortennis]

MLB teams get access to their drafted guys pretty early. Basically right after the draft vs the nhl which won’t see their kids for 1-3 years as they continue to play in the chl, ncaa or Europe pro leagues.

Figure if you want your kids to develop you have to invest in them with nutrition, facilities, coaching, proper rest. Have them get used to watching video of the opposing pitchers and hitters in their league.

Need to fund them properly to get the most out of them. Figure something out between mlb club and the minor league affiliate. That’s one of the reason mlb overhauled their affiliates to keep clubs closer together between tiers and leagues.

Going pro is a hard road. Most don’t make it. No financial windfall for those who don’t. Unless they go overseas to Japan or something to carve out a career.

MLB teams do not see their prospects real early. Far more NHL players play right after being drafted than MLB players come up after 3 years.

Maybe college players get there a smidge faster, but then they are already 21 or older. High school players can be a crapshoot because their stats may be legit, or inflated because they were competing against kids who are basically filling out a team.

And while there was some logic used in how the final overhaul came out, there was only one reason MLB did what they did, and it had nothing to do with geography,

 

[sabremike]

Am I just being cynical thinking that this is going to lead to further consolidation of affiliated minor league ball (like all low A ball getting axed)? If the miserly owners just restructured MiLB to save peanuts why wouldn't they do so again when faced with increased cost?

 

[adsfan]

Am I just being cynical thinking that this is going to lead to further consolidation of affiliated minor league ball (like all low A ball getting axed)? If the miserly owners just restructured MiLB to save peanuts why wouldn't they do so again when faced with increased cost?

You might be onto something.

My wife's uncle used to play Class D ball for 1 year, followed by Class C ball for another year before he hurt his shoulder. One of those contracts (I believe the first one) was for $500, but that was about 65 years ago. That was probably less than the minimum wage, which must have been about $2 an hour in the late 1950s.

 

[DaGap]

The way I see it is within 5 years there will be a MLB minor league that is unionized and is solely MLB controlled. The rest of the leagues will most likely fold and it will just be the new MLB minor league

 

[Sparty]

MLB teams do not see their prospects real early. Far more NHL players play right after being drafted than MLB players come up after 3 years.

Maybe college players get there a smidge faster, but then they are already 21 or older. High school players can be a crapshoot because their stats may be legit, or inflated because they were competing against kids who are basically filling out a team.

And while there was some logic used in how the final overhaul came out, there was only one reason MLB did what they did, and it had nothing to do with geography,

OP isn't talking about length of time to get to majors, they're talking about when they begin playing for ("get access to") team affiliated clubs.

In hockey, drafted players can stay in junior or go to college. In baseball, if a player decides to go to college, they can't sign a pro contract and the team which drafted them doesn't retain their rights

 

[golfortennis]

OP isn't talking about length of time to get to majors, they're talking about when they begin playing for ("get access to") team affiliated clubs.

In hockey, drafted players can stay in junior or go to college. In baseball, if a player decides to go to college, they can't sign a pro contract and the team which drafted them doesn't retain their rights

OK, if that's what he was referring to, I agree. I took it to mean playing for the big club.

To be technical, a drafted player who has signed a CHL game sheet *can't* go to college and play, but that is NCAA eligibility.

I do think that a drafted player should be able to be sent to the AHL team rather than have to be sent back to a junior team, but there are too many vested interests making too much money for that to happen.

 

[StreetHawk]

MLB teams do not see their prospects real early. Far more NHL players play right after being drafted than MLB players come up after 3 years.

Maybe college players get there a smidge faster, but then they are already 21 or older. High school players can be a crapshoot because their stats may be legit, or inflated because they were competing against kids who are basically filling out a team.

And while there was some logic used in how the final overhaul came out, there was only one reason MLB did what they did, and it had nothing to do with geography,

I mean In terms of directly overseeing their development. They send the kids to their minor league affiliates whereas the nhl picks play for chl, Ncaa, And European leagues not in the clubs affiliates in the echl or ahl until they complete their obligations or are able to leave their club/league to go pro.

 

[golfortennis]

I mean In terms of directly overseeing their development. They send the kids to their minor league affiliates whereas the nhl picks play for chl, Ncaa, And European leagues not in the clubs affiliates in the echl or ahl until they complete their obligations or are able to leave their club/league to go pro.

Yeah I see what you are saying, and I agree. Much more control. Which is what you really should want if this is your future lineup. Supposedly the NHL teams have a lot of sway over CHL teams that have their players, but still....