Dirk Hayhurst does what he does best today, and that’s to tell us how the vast majority of minor leaguers live. As in: on a shoestring, with a long, long road between where they are on draft day and when they get to the big leagues. If they get to the big leagues.
Today it’s the dos and don’ts for the new draftee. As in: don’t buy a fancy car with your signing bonus, don’t go around talking about your college days, make sure you get an agent and things like that. The agent bit is one a lot of people aren’t aware of. We all think of them as taking a cut of a big league contract, but most of the time these guys spend all of their time more or less playing nurse maid to minor leaguers. As Hayhurst explains:
Yes, they’ll take their cut if you sign a big contract, but most of the time they’ll be sending you new spikes, fresh bats, new sports underwear, and even a pair of trendy sunglasses if you can make a strong enough argument for why you need them. By the time they get their percent of you (if they get their percent of you) it will be like paying them back, not letting them suck you dry.
I once went to an evening college football game with a fairly well-known agent who has big time clients. He spent most of the second half of the game texting various minor leaguers in his stable, seeing how their games went, how they were doing that day, did they need any equipment, etc. etc. This wasn’t altruism — he’s hoping that if he takes care of these guys that they’ll stick with him if and when they sign that $75 million deal — but make no mistake, it’s work.
Anyway, this is a good piece from Hayhurst. And yes, it’s in slide show format, but don’t let that deter you. The explanations under each slide are lengthy and substantive so it’s not like it’s mere click bait. It’s quite interesting and informative, actually.
