Albuquerque Isotope Coco Montes signs autographs prior to Friday’s home game vs. Sugar Land. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal)
At the average Major League Baseball game, the dudes in the dugouts are usually the highest-paid humans at the yard.
At the average Minor League Baseball game, this dynamic is largely flipped. Many of the paying customers are banking a salary higher than the athletes they’ve paid to watch.
This topic reared its head again earlier this week, at the MLB All-Star Game, when Commissioner Rob Manfred was questioned about whether minor leaguers are being fairly compensated.
“I kind of reject the premise of the question that minor league players are not paid a living wage,” Manfred said before Tuesday’s midseason showcase in Los Angeles.
As the Albuquerque Isotopes returned home Friday night (losing a rather ugly 12-8 game to Sugar Land) after being away for 18 days – the longest stretch between regular season games in the franchise’s history – this topic was still somewhat fresh.
“I … disagree with his comments,” said former UNM Lobo DJ Peterson, an Isotopes infielder.
Things, Peterson said, are progressing for minor leagues.
Last year, MLB raised minimum salaries for players in the farm systems, for example. In Triple-A, the minimum was raised in 2021 from $502 to $700 per week, However, players are paid only for the duration of the five-month season. And they are paid by the parent club, in the Isotopes’ case, the Colorado Rockies.
In addition, papers recently filed in federal court show that MLB has agreed to pay $185 million to settle a lawsuit brought by minor leaguers. In that filing, MLB has agreed to “rescind any prohibitions against teams paying wages to minor league players outside of the season,” the Associated Press reported at the All-Star Game.
It is believed that as many as 23,000 players could share in that money, with an average payment of $5,000 to $5,500.
For minor leagues, their monthly housing bill has recently been added as an expense they no longer incur out of their pockets.
“I did see (what the Commissioner said); I’m not really sure how to react to it, just because this year they did start covering our housing, and that helps a lot,” said Albuquerque second baseman Coco Montes. “But, if you put the numbers together of how long we’re at the field, getting our work in, we’re definitely making under minimum wage.”
Montes, in many ways, is the prototypical minor league baseball player. In the offseason, he’s got to find other work to help pay the bills, even though baseball is a year-round endeavor for him.
“I have to go and get another job and keep working throughout my training, which is tough sometimes,” he said. “It’s tough on the body.”
Plus, Montes added, the offseason is vital for baseball players—they need money to live, but equal time to commit to their sport.
“I live in my mom’s house (in Miami in the offseason), and I’m 25 years old,” he said.
Peterson, because of his service time, makes more than the $700 per week Triple-A minimum. But he was once in that boat, and thus remains quite sympathetic to the cause.
“What the Commissioner is missing here is, maybe if they could do something with offseason training, maybe if the teams could pay for their living and give them lunch and dinner there, let them train at the facility, then we’re going in the right direction there,” Peterson said, adding, “If they want guys to work on their craft … not everyone is fortunate enough to go in the top 10 rounds, and they’re gonna need a little help.”
The top 10 rounds comment relates to the often hefty signing bonuses top prospects earn, a prize they can live off of for years.
“I think there still needs to be more,” Peterson said.
Montes said he makes around $12,000-$15,000 during the season.
“Then I don’t get payment in the offseason, so you gotta do what you gotta do,” he said. “It definitely fuels the fire, wanting to be financially stable. And you have to make it to the major leagues, that’s the main goal.”
Isotope Wynton Bernard connects on a double in the third inning Friday night vs. visiting Sugar Land.. He also homered in a 4-for-5 performance, but Albuquerque lost 12-8. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal)
‘TOP’S SATURDAY
Vs Sugar Land
6:35 pm, Isotope Park, 610 AM/95.9 FM
PROMOTIONS: Dukes Retro Night, ABQ Baseball Hall of Fame inductions (of Dave Stewart, Ron Cey and Richard Moots), postgame fireworks
PROBABLES: Space Cowboys RHP Peter Solomon (3-5, 5.09) vs. Isotopes RHP Corey Oswalt (0-1, 3.52)
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FRIDAY: Pedro Leon’s mammoth first-inning grand slam was one of four home runs for Sugar Land, which beat the Isotopes 12-8 as the Space Cowboys scored all their runs in three innings, including a five-spot in the first. (Box score: Sugar Land 12, Albuquerque 8)
Albuquerque got solo home runs from Wynton Bernard (who was 4-for-5) and Alan Trejo in the loss.
Albuquerque issued 10 walks and hit two batters.
NOTES: The Isotopes are coming off a 7-5 win Sunday and a six-game series split at Sacramento. Overall, they are 2-7-7 in 16 series. The two lone series they’ve won both came at Isotopes Park.
(Click here for Pacific Coast League standings.)
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