Former minor league player sets up organization to help out young baseball players
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Boston Red Sox in the team's home opener Friday night.
The Boston Red Sox is known as a team that has the highest payroll in baseball. Its 25-man payroll is an astounding $222 million, according to the MLB Team Payroll Tracker
Questions remain, however, as to how much the players who haven't made it to the major leagues yet are paid. Those players, also known as the minor leaguers, are not paid much. For non-roster invitees, the entire spring training is unpaid. Extended spring training is also unpaid. Players do get three meals a day and housing, but from April to September, these players would only get food before and after games, with no housing and zero equipment.
However, a former minor leaguer has established an organization to help young ball players with financial aid that the big leagues don't provide.
Jeremy Wolf is stepping up to the plate for minor leaguers Morethanbaseball.org.
"They're not being paid much. That is not going to change for another couple of tears," said Wolf. "We are doing what we can to house them and feed them and equip them."
If anyone knows what it's like to pay their dues in the minors, it's Wolf. It wasn't that long ago when Wolf was literally living that life in the New York Mets organization.
"I played two years, and I love every second of it. I started these conversations, it is amazing. We love it. At the end of the day, we have to pay for our own equipment. We have to pay for our own housing and food. It is just the way things are. Some say it's a rite of passage," said Wolf. "I knew there was something we could do to help guys from sleeping on an air mattress in the kitchen. Seven guys in an apartment are going to bed hungry. We know that collectively, we can actually make a difference for the minor leagues now and in the future. What we are doing is being proactive in saying this kid needs bats. We can get him a case of bats. This kid needs gloves, we can get him a gh=love. If this kid needs a place to live, we can help find him a place to live."
The concerns Wolf has expressed have been heard, and it's a reason why at events, there are people looking to join the team. However, some people still won't play ball. Employees are hoping they can one day make the big buck, and play on and in the field of their dreams.
As for the Major League Baseball teams, some are starting to come around, in terms of minor league pay. The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to raise minor league salaries by 50%.
More Than Baseball
https://www.morethanbaseball.org/