What were the average salaries of baseball players in the 1800's?

Answer 1

The average salary of a major league player was $5000, a considerable sum but not equal to today's millionaires. The highest salaries were around $20,000, which made the $80,000 paid to Babe Ruth in 1931 an extraordinary expenditure.

Answer 2

During the 1880s salaries averaged around $2,000 but stars were paid as much as $10,000. Contracts at that time contained what was known as the Reserve Clause which stated that theteam 'reserved' the rights to the player's servicesonce the contract length had expired, hence, no free agency. The only way one could play for a new team was to be traded or be given an unconditional release.The first union was formed in 1885, in partdue to theReserve Clause,and five years later formed itsown league called the Players League. This made three major leagues: the National League, American Association, and Players League. All three lost big money. The Players League folded after one season, the American Association folded the following season, and in 1892 the National League became the sole Major League. They immediately implemented a strict contract salary cap of $2,400.

Answer 3

Baseball players are millionaires today. The average salary is for a baseball player today is over three million dollars per year. However, back in the 1950's, the average baseball salary was only around $13,000 per year.