Javier Betancourt injured in shooting in Venezuela

[Matt Breen]

Betancourt was reportedly shot and injured after getting into an argument with an unknown individual. He had surgery on his elbow. The team issued a statement that the injury is NOT life-threatening, and Betancourt is 'resting comfortably'.

 

https://www.brewcrewball.com/2017/11/26/16702666/milwaukee-brewers-prospect-javier-betancourt-wounded-in-shooting-in-venezuela

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm not sure I'd want any of my prospects playing in Venezuela these days.

[dacbrewers]

I'm not sure I'd want any of my prospects playing in Venezuela these days.

 

Taking bus rides to games with armed guards isn't the greatest situation. Problem is that these guys make more in 2 months playing down there than they did playing all year here. MLB needs to step up and pay the minor league guys a decent wage to make a living. I have always wondered if MLB continues drug testing of players in the Winter Leagues.

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm not sure I'd want any of my prospects playing in Venezuela these days.

 

Taking bus rides to games with armed guards isn't the greatest situation. Problem is that these guys make more in 2 months playing down there than they did playing all year here. MLB needs to step up and pay the minor league guys a decent wage to make a living. I have always wondered if MLB continues drug testing of players in the Winter Leagues.

 

Guys playing in winter leagues has little to do with money. They play for the love of their country and because their big league club wants them to get more PT.

[DHonks]

I'm not sure I'd want any of my prospects playing in Venezuela these days.

 

Taking bus rides to games with armed guards isn't the greatest situation. Problem is that these guys make more in 2 months playing down there than they did playing all year here. MLB needs to step up and pay the minor league guys a decent wage to make a living. I have always wondered if MLB continues drug testing of players in the Winter Leagues.

 

Guys playing in winter leagues has little to do with money. They play for the love of their country and because their big league club wants them to get more PT.

 

Not sure how you can come up with that. Players often get decent salaries during winter leagues. For minor leaguers making $2-4k per month, getting a salary and living stipend to play in another country can be as lucrative as their season in the minors.

[dacbrewers]

A guy at AAA is making around $2150 a month before taxes for 6 months, I've heard of players getting 4 to 5 thousand a month playing there. Not everyone playing in the winter leagues is playing for their country. Ask Tristan Archer why he is playing there. I'm sure it's for the money and not for his country.

[adambr2]

Yeah, it's stunning to me that a multi-billion dollar industry like MLB that throws oodles of money at big league players can't pay their minor leaguers a decent wage.

 

Here is the pay scale for minor league players prior to free agency or being on a 40 man roster:

 

First pro contract: $1,100 per month

Rookie league/ Short season: $1150 per month

Low A: $1,300 per month

High A: $1,500 per month

Double-A: $1,700 per month

Triple-A: $2,150 per month, $2,400 second year, $2,700 third year

The salary increases $50 per month each year when repeating a level.

Players also receive a meal allowance of $25 per day while traveling.

 

And mind you, this is only during the season.

 

The average MLB salary is $4.4M per season.

 

This is absurd and the fact that the latest CBA did nothing to address it is a pretty good indication that MLB and MLBPA, even though it doesn't technically represent Milb players, doesn't really give a rip about you until you make it.

 

Well, these guys are living at poverty levels. Some will toil in the minors for 10+ years and never make it and thus leave baseball with no money and no life skills.

 

I'm not saying they need to be rich, but is it really so much to ask that they live above the poverty line? Something like annual salaries payed year round at minimums of 40K a year for the lowest levels and 80K for the highest is a drop in the bucket for MLB and seems pretty reasonable.

[trwi7]

Minor league hockey players who play in the equivalent of AAA get a minimum of $42,375 per year (6 month season), a $65 per diem and the average salary is over $90,000.

 

There's no reason you can't pay minor leaguers say $5,000 a month at the lower levels and say $15,000 at the upper levels over the course of a 5-6 month season. Even $25,000 isn't a ton of money but you can at least work with that and get some kind of part time job in the offseason and not have to worry about how you're going to pay rent or utilities or for something like your car breaking down.

 

And it seems like the courts are going to need to rule in favor of the minor leaguers because for whatever reason the MLBPA doesn't seem to give a crap about minor leaguers. Not even willing to give up a tiny portion of their revenue to help 18-21 year olds trying to achieve their dreams or some career minor leaguer make a wage that he can actually support his family on.

[DHonks]

adambr2, thanks for the numbers. When I did a little work in baseball, minor leaguers were provided with apartments either by the team, or at an extreme discount. Often many players would live in the same apartment complex. Hopefully it's fully paid for these days.

[Jim Goulart]

Adam McCalvy tweet --

 

Brewers Minor League infielder Javier Betancourt, who was shot in the left elbow in Venezuela on Nov. 24, did undergo reconstructive surgery in Milwaukee. He is not expected to be ready for the start of the MiLB season.