Thursday, December 13, 2001
Average salary passes $2 million
Reds' average ranked 21st at $1.4 million
The Associated Press
BOSTON — Baseball's average salary broke the $2 million barrier for the first time this season, and the New York Yankees led the major leagues with an average of nearly $4 million.
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Salaries By Position |
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| Position | Average | Plyrs |
|---|
| DH | $5,650,019 | 6 |
| First base | 4,622,617 | 24 |
| Outfield | 4,473,863 | 57 |
| Shortstop | 3,399,184 | 24 |
| Third base | 3,381,638 | 21 |
| Starting Pitcher | 3,228,719 | 115 |
| Catcher | 3,196,350 | 19 |
| Second base | 3,070,815 | 21 |
| Relief Pitcher | 1,510,904 | 170 |
| Salary Comparison by Club - CLICK HERE |
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SOURCE: Associated Press; Major League Baseball Players Association |
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The final average salary of a major-league player in 2001 was $2,138,896, according to final figures released Wednesday by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
The Reds had the 21st-highest average of $1,358,813. That was up slightly from the 2000 average of 1,298,459.
The Reds' average salary has moved little over the past five seasons. The average salary in 1997 was $1,295,491.
That 2001 average salary for all major-leaguers was up 12.8 percent from last year's average of $1,895,630 — the lowest rate of increase since 1998. Still, baseball passed the $2 million mark just nine years after reaching the $1 million mark. Twenty-five years ago, in the last season before free agency, the average was $51,501.
The Yankees, who won their fourth straight American League pennant but failed to win the World Series for the first time since 1997, paid an average of $3,930,334 to the 31 players on their Aug.31 roster and disabled list.
Seven of the eight playoff teams were among the top 12 in average salary. The exception was the Oakland Athletics, 23rd among the 30 teams at $1,310,084.
Minnesota and Montreal, the teams most likely targeted for elimination by commissioner Bud Selig, had the two lowest averages for the second straight season: $1,128,470 for the Twins and $926,333 for the Expos.
The Yankees had the highest average for the third consecutive year and the seventh time in eight seasons.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, who rallied to beat the Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, were ninth at $2,701,205.
Los Angeles, which finished third in the NL West, was second at $3,755,511, followed by Boston ($3,565,027), which wound up 13 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
The 12 biggest spenders all had winning records, but only four others did: Oakland (102-60), Philadelphia (86-76), Minnesota (85-77) and the Chicago White Sox (83-79).
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Average salary passes $2 million
