Baseball for Dummies
I’m writing this article for the person who knows nothing about baseball, the person who doesn’t know the difference between the Triple Crown and an unassisted Triple Play. I’m not going to write about the history of baseball so if that’s what you want look somewhere else, I’m going to tell you the necessary information so you can sit down on a Saturday afternoon and watch a baseball game. Even if you do know a lot I’m hoping you can learn a little.
Introduction
Baseball is a bat and ball sport played by 2 teams of 9 players a side. The goal of baseball is to score runs by hitting a ball that is thrown by the pitcher and run around the bases. The bases are arranged on the corners of a 90 foot square called the diamond. Players on the batting team take turns hitting while the fielding team tries to get them out. Once a player on the batting team gets on base he can choose to stop in the hope that a teammate will drive him in. The teams switch between batting and fielding when the fielding team gets 3 outs. Once each team gets 3 outs that is an inning, there are 9 innings in a MLB game. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
Major League Baseball
In the United States and Canada the professional baseball league is called Major League Baseball (MLB.) MLB is divided into 2 leagues, the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) which in turn, are divided into 3 divisions: East, Central and West. To determine the champion of baseball MLB uses an 8 team playoff. The teams that make it are all 6 division winners plus a Wild Card. The wild card is the team with the best record that isn’t a division winner. The first round is best of 5 while the second round and the World Series are best of 7. Each major league team has a farm system of minor league teams at various levels. These teams allow players to gain improve while playing against opponents with a similar skill level.
Equipment and Field
There are 4 basic tools in baseball: the bat, the ball, the mitt and the field
The bat is an offensive tool used by the batter that is either wood or aluminum depending on the league. It is a long stick maybe 35 inches long, 2 inches wide and 35 ounces heavy.
Reasons Why Independent League Baseball Is Worth Following
If you have heard about the professional independent minor league baseball teams and leagues, sometimes called the “indy leagues”, then you may have wondered why you should pay attention to them. Since the leagues are not affiliated with the Minor League Baseball teams, many people dismiss these leagues and teams without much thought.
Here are four reasons why you should pay attention to independent baseball:
First, independent baseball virtually guarantees that fans get something which they claim to want for a long time: seeing professional athletes who make less than the fans do! The players rarely receive any money during the off-season, and most have to work jobs from September through April in order to have the ability to play during the summer. Many people do not know this, but a Major League superstar making $20 million a year oftentimes makes more per game than the entire season’s player payroll of an independent baseball team!
Since many players in independent baseball get signed to contracts with affiliated Minor League teams, the perceived discrepancy in talent is not as wide as many may think. This means that fans get to see quality professional baseball at a great price and have the opportunity to cheer for the underdog player who may have been overlooked. Over 30 players who have MLB experience started their pro careers in the independent leagues, having never been signed to a Minor League contract before throwing their first professional pitch or at bat. Kevin Millar and Chris Coste are just two examples of players whose careers started in the independent leagues.
College Or Pros, What Pays For Young Baseball Players?
If your son is a professional baseball prospect, you might want to know what makes more sense for him: continue playing at the collegiate level, or turn pro right away. The price where it pays to go pro might surprise you.
Of the four major U.S. sports, only baseball and basketball draft high school and college players together. However, the basketball draft lasts only two rounds and includes players from overseas professional leagues, while baseball provides far more opportunities. The Amateur Baseball Draft lasts ten rounds and includes only high school and college players.
While baseball offers immediate professional opportunities to high school graduates, a minor leaguer ballplayer usually needs three or four years of seasoning to be ready for the major league roster. A player who signs a contract in 2007 and immediately reported to a Rookie League or Class A team should be on the major league roster on or before the 2010 season.
First year salaries for a minor league ballplayer range from $850 a month for the first contract season to $2,150 when the player reaches Triple-A, one level below the major leagues. Given the low salaries, the decision to skip college has to depend on the player’s signing bonus and the quality of the college programs that are offering scholarships. It might not pay for a ballplayer to pass on a top college program if the academics are strong enough to help them with life after baseball.
What is a good guideline for a signing bonus for a high school baseball player?
My rule of thumb is that the signing bonus should equal or exceed the projected cost of four years of college plus the major league minimum salary. This assumes the player would remain in college through his senior year-although it is common for baseball players to drop out without completing their degree. At worst, if the player does not make the major leagues, he should have the opportunity to save enough money to pay for college while he toils in the minors.
Following this rule of thumb, a high school player would need to receive a minimum signing bonus of $600,000.