There are hundreds of MLB players, and even the least-paid players on a team’s 25-man roster still rake in lots and lots of money (to the tune of around a half-million bucks per year). What’s a guy to do with such a fat bank account? While it’s easy to snap up all the fancy tech, rides, and mansions, some ballplayers instead plan ahead for their futures and keep their personal spending on the low side.
We took a closer look at three of the MLB’s most thrifty players. Check out how they pinch their pennies below.
Frugal MLB Role Models
Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
While this up-and-coming hard hitter is raking in the dough, he doesn’t always drop tons of cash on fine dining. Instead, he uses his “free Chipotle burritos for life” card, guaranteeing he can get a jam-packed burrito whenever he wants gratis.
Harper has only been playing in the major league since 2012, and has quickly made a prominent name for himself on the field. In just four years, this star has played a total of 549 games with an impressive 108 home runs hit and 277 runs batted in.
Ryan Roberts, (formerly) Boston Red Sox
When Roberts was sent down to the minors, he decided to basically live in the locker room. His wife and daughter were living in an apartment in another city, so instead of doubling up on housing expenses, Roberts says he hung out until his manager left, then he bunked down, watched the clubhouse TV, and made sandwiches in the kitchen.
Roberts served several teams during his career on the field. He played 518 games throughout nine rewarding years (2006–2014). He sure knew how to pinch a penny when it came down to his living situation while on the road.
Daniel Norris, Detroit Tigers
This Tigers pitcher received a $2 million signing bonus along with several of his teammates, and they headed to the mall. Instead of dropping thousands of dollars on expensive goods, he instead plunked down a mere $14 on a simple Converse henley T-shirt. Reports say he lives on a budget of under $1,000 a month and prefers to drive a 1978 Volkswagen van. He has even lived in his vehicle to save on rent!
Daniel Norris has only been in the league for 2 years, and certainly knows how to cut costs where it’s needed. Norris has only played in 19 games, starting in only 14 of them, and has pitched a solid 49 strikeouts.
Saving Cash
Major League Baseball athletes are some of the highest paid sports players in the world. Even the lowest paid stars are still raking in a hefty six-figure salary. Some players, especially the younger ones, enjoy the spike in income since their amatuer days and tend to blow their earnings on luxury cars, high-end jewelry, and expensive dinners. When it comes to spending money wisely, we salute those who are able to manage their wealth in a successful manner.
It’s not always easy to squirrel away money for a rainy day, especially when you’re earning hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars every year. These guys, though, really know how to save a few bucks. Having too much money can sound like a dream come true (and not a problem at all), but new MLB players should keep these guys in mind as they sign on to their new team.
As the MLB season marches on and you’re looking to save a few bucks before heading to the stadium, check out the clearance section of Fanatics.com.
In this serie:
Sources
- http://deadspin.com/2015-payrolls-and-salaries-for-every-mlb-team-1695040045
- https://twitter.com/bharper3407/status/314137894656815104
- http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Ryan-Roberts-lived-in-Reno-s-clubhouse-during-mi?urn=mlb-267942
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/norrida01.shtml
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberry01.shtml
- http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/33199/daniel-norris
- http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/30951/bryce-harper
- http://www.criticalcactus.com/heres-why-this-million-dollar-baseball-player-lives-in-a-van/
