Jack Kenley had a nice debut last night for the Tigers’ affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. He was 3-for-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 4 RBI.
Kenley signed Sunday for $135,000, below his suggested value of $181,200.
Matt,
What does he make each year playing in the minors? I assume that $135,000 is the signing “bonus” not his total income for this year. After taxes, I would think he gets less than $100,000. He should come out with a car with no payments, pay off some college loans, and a little nest egg for the future. He is certainly not going to be “rolling in the money” at all.
Since I did not get a response, I did some research: <LINK_TEXT text=“https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredwylly … 86c5b33248”>https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredwyllys/2019/03/19/mlb-might-be-increasing-minor-league-pay-and-thats-a-good-thing/#4586c5b33248</LINK_TEXT> Keep in mind that minor leaguers get paid only when they play, not during the off season, pre-season, etc.
Minor league players are paid well below minimum wage. They get a pittance for meal money and several players often live together. Living off their signing bonus can be the only way for them to survive, that is, assuming they got enough of a bonus to help.
He should have returned to the Razorback BB program. if the money was less than expected.
Had he returned he would have been given a $10,000 signing bonus next year, maybe less. Juniors have to go pro if they are going to get any type of significant money from the MLB teams.
Jake Mangum was one of the best players in college baseball this year and a fourth-round draft pick by the Mets, who pay better than most MLB teams. His signing bonus was $20,000 for a slot value of $488,000.
MLB teams stick it to seniors.
I would also add that the money might not have been less than expected. In a lot of instances, the players and franchises come to terms before the player is drafted. Kenley might have told the Tigers he would accept under slot if it fit his asking price. Teams pay under slot all the time in the top 10 rounds in order to save money toward the bonus pool for the high-profile draft picks.
I’ve said it since about the first month of the season I think Kenley is a Logan Forsythe Matt Reynolds All-Star meaning autility guy that is sort of an afterthought that has a solid MLB career
I thought Marty’s response was sufficient, which is why I didn’t post anything. The signing bonus is meant to supplement the minor league income. What typically happens is that a player will give professional baseball 6-12 months and either invest or use the signing bonus as a cushion starting out in a different career field.
Update - through his first 3 games, Jack is hitting a cool .538 with a slugging percentage of .769 and OPS of 1.369. Playing both SS and 2B - no errors.
Not a bad start!
They got a steal with Kenley.
I think Kenley did the right thing by signing. He could have exploded with a huge year at Arkansas in 2020 and gotten zero - or a $20,000 bonus. He had to take that. No other way to say it. DVH knew he’d sign and planned for it. Every team in the NCAA tournament probably lost a junior like this.
To me, Kenley was the biggest surprise on the team. He had a great season. I hope he has a fantastic career.