Tip Of The Cap To Toronto’s Front Office
5 years ago
Last year, I interviewed Jays prospect Brayden Bouchey. After I got off the phone with the young pitcher, I thought about how most minor-league players don’t sign big contracts, or have a MLB royal bloodline like Guerrero, Biggio, or Bichette. Most of these young men are working hard to make ends meet while chasing their big-league dreams. The reality is that only 10 percent of these players will set foot on MLB grass. Once I finished talking to Brayden last summer, I went outside with my laptop and typed up this introduction to our interview:
The new trend right now for Jays fans is gushing over prospects in the farm. At this point in time, the future is all there is to talk about. But, many of the prospects that we gush over don’t have parents who are in the baseball Hall of Fame, believe it or not. And some don’t even have parents who had MLB careers either.
Most of these players struggle financially making a starting salary of$1,100 per month before taxes and fees. They sacrifice their early twenties for training and living on the road, all to play the game that they love. The only difference is now there is a lot of pressure that comes with being a professional. A lot of pressure that is going to define who they are and if they will set foot on an MLB field and live out their dream.
Most of the Jays prospects come from humble families like you or me. They just so happen to be born with a baseball gift that so many kids wish they had.
I think it’s important to note that MiLB players are only paid during the season – some lasting only three months.
Anyway, the reason I’m talking about this is because the Jays’ front office is going to increase minor-leaguers salary by more than 50%, according to The Athletic’s Emily Waldon and Ken Rosenthal.
Hopefully, Toronto’s organization is the first of many that will make room in its billionaire MLB budgets to pay its prospects. In a world where the rich eat the poor, it’s good to see the rich do the right thing here.
I remember Mark Shapiro being confronted about this topic at Pitch Talks last year.
So, around the same time that Shapiro was sort of asked about this issue, the front office was already discussing this topic as a group. As Ben Cherington said that this was a conversation that probably started last spring training, reflecting on just where they were as an industry in terms of compensating minor-league players.
A tip of the cap to the front office for doing this. I have interviewed Mark Shapiro a couple of times now. He seems like a really great guy, to be very honest with you. Every time we have spoken he has come across as a genuine person. I know that it doesn’t seem that way when you read interviews, or listen to him. I know it’s hard to look beyond his executive jargon at times.
I questioned the front office with the recent signing of a certain bullpen pitcher who I don’t think reflects good culture. I still don’t understand why they would sign a racist wait, I mean, human trash. But, this news today is a step in the right direction. A good cultural step for the organization.
Clearly, the Jays culture is the bottom line as it is in any business, especially in the cash-rules-everything-around MLB. But, the bottom line is that paying minor-leaguers more money doesn’t hurt any MLB bottom line.
It’s good to see the Jays front office do the right thing here. Let’s hope more organizations do what Toronto’s front office did. That’d be good for baseball.
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