Athletes who do not come from riches often have more hurdles to jump on their paths to a professional career. Before becoming one of the best players in baseball, Andrew McCutchen confronted those hurdles when he was faced with demanding financial hardships.
In an article posted Friday at Derek Jeter’s The Players’ Tribune, for which McCutchen serves as a senior editor, the Pirates center fielder wrote about his experience growing up. McCutchen also discussed the various expenses associated with playing for a traveling teams, including equipment, hotels, gas and tournament fees.
Thankfully, an AAU coach by the name of Jimmy Rutland noticed me during an All-Star game when I was 13-years-old and asked my father if I'd ever been on a travel team. At that point, I had barely left the county. My dad told him that it was just too expensive, and coach Rutland basically took me in as if I was another one of his sons. He helped pay for my jerseys and living expenses. My parents took care of what they could, which was basically just money for food.
And you know what's crazy? Even despite all the breaks I got with baseball, I probably wouldn't be a Major League player right now if I didn't tear my ACL when I was 15. I thought I was going to play college football. Why? Economics. If I could've been a wide receiver for a D-I school, I would have chosen that path because of the promise of a full scholarship. The University of Florida offered me a baseball scholarship, but it only covered 70 percent of the tuition. My family simply couldn't afford the other 30 percent. The fact is, no matter how good you are, you're not getting a full ride in baseball.
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Before rising to MLB stardom in the Steel City, McCutchen grew up in a lower-income household in Fort Meade, Fla., which a 2010 census indicates had a small population of just 5,626. Growing up, his family could hardly afford to buy him new equipment.
For many kids from low-income families, an athletic scholarship is the best chance to not only continue playing baseball, but also to attend college. Baseball scholarships, however, are not easy to come by. Colleges are allotted 11.7 scholarships for baseball, according to scholarshipstats.com, though most schools don't finance that many and scholarship money is spread among mutliple players. In fact, baseball gets fewer scholarships than football (85), basketball (13), cross country (12.6), lacrosse (12.6), hockey (18) and women's softball (12). The minor leagues are no better financially, as players are paid less than minimum wage, according to former major league pitcher Dirk Hayhurst.
McCutchen also discussed the financial disadvantages amateur players in the U.S. and Canada face in comparison to international players.
Fixing (the economic) problem is complicated, but when I was a kid, I looked at baseball players growing up in Latin America with a lot of envy. If you're a talented kid in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico, a team can come along and say, “We're going to sign you for $50,000 and take you into our organization and develop you, feed you, take care of your travel.” To me, as a 14-year-old kid whose family was struggling, that would have meant everything to me. I would have taken that deal in a second.
(Ed. note: While there are private baseball academies in Puerto Rico, players from the commonwealth must go through the MLB Draft, unlike players from the Dominican, who are free agents.)
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McCutchen, 28, was selected 11th overall by the Pirates out of Fort Meade High in the 2005 MLB Draft and received a $1.9 million signing bonus. He soon became a big league star and quickly became one of the most likeable and genuine players in the league. He was named NL MVP in 2013 and finished third in the NL MVP voting in 2014. He signed a six-year, $51.5 million contract with Pittsburgh in 2011.
McCutchen led the majors with a .410 on-base percentage and the NL with a 168 OPS+ last season. He also batted .314/.410/.542 in 146 games.
Contributing: Tom Gatto