And luckily it got a little better with a wage increase and teams now covering housing costs. But they still don't get paid much and will have to work a job in the off season while still committing to high level training to improve and stay in shape, which costs a lot of money and is NOT covered by the teams. I used to work as a mascot for the Salem Red Sox. I also spend a lot of time at minor league games and have talked with players and workers at the stadiums. It's not a fancy way to earn a living. They've since moved teams around and reshaped the minors so they're closer together, but they used to have very long bus rides between stadiums. College ball in the SEC and ACC have better facilities, uniforms, and camaraderie than what you'll find in the minors. So for high schoolers passing on college, you better be getting a fat check. Because it's a job. They expect you to work. It's not like college where you hang out and enjoy spending time with your buddies on the team at college parties and football games. You might have a couple friends on the team, but there's a lot of turnover with promotions and trades so you don't often get to see the same people all the time. The facilities can often be rundown. The food you get before games is provided by a clubbie, for both the home and away teams. The clubbie is expected to go to Costco on his own dime and buy all the food for each locker room. He then hopes to break even on money from the players that they leave for him. Housing used to be more difficult when players had to figure it out on their own. This meant 5 players to a room sometimes, because they didnt' have much money, and if you got promoted or traded you were still expected to cover your portion of the lease unless another player came and filled your spot. Now teams cover housing so this is no longer as much of an issue. Minor league baseball is a beautiful thing, but most players will watch their dreams die before even reaching AAA. Of players from the 2022 team that were drafted or signed, it's looking like only Tanner Schobel, Drue Hackenberg, and Carson DeMartini have a shot of making it to the pros.