As my brother and our families and some friends finished this past Saturday night’s trivia game at a local sports bar (as we do most every week), the final question came across the microphone: “Put these Major Leaguers in order from most to fewest career stolen bases.” Normally, we do not get a sports question to end the game, but I nailed this one: Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, Billy Hamilton, and Ty Cobb. We won first place.
The Billy Hamilton in the question is not the Cincinnati Reds’ speed demon of today who has 24 career steals. This Billy Hamilton played in the Major Leagues from 1888-1901. He stole 914 bases according to Baseball Reference, placing him third all-time behind Henderson’s 1,406, Brock’s 938, and just ahead of Cobb’s 892. Baseball Almanac, though, lists 912 for Hamilton (98 in 1894 as opposed to BR’s 100).
When I got home, I checked Baseball Reference. I then wondered how much money Hamilton made in his career. Scrolling to the bottom of his page revealed that Hamilton made a high salary of $3,400 in 1892 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Comparing him to Henderson, the all-time leader, shows that Henderson’s highest salary was $4,800,000 in 1994.
I found something very interesting on the bottom of each player’s page: a salary converter. I converted Hamilton to 1990, the closest year available to Henderson’s highest salary. Hamilton would have made $37,690 in 1899 for his biggest paycheck.
Then, I wondered how much money the most legendary baseball player ever — if not overall sports figure — Babe Ruth — would have made today. Ruth made a career high $80,000 for the New York Yankees in 1933 and 1934. Converting that salary to 2014 dollars shows Ruth with a 1933 salary of $1,457,481. Many of us cannot imagine making that much in our lifetimes, but Ruth would have for one year. He would have made a career total of $15,651,753.
Finally, realize that many of today’s bench players make far more than that $1.4 million that Ruth’s biggest payday would bring. Robinson Cano‘s $24 million salary of 2014 would equate to $1.7 million in the 1930’s. In addition, Cano will make 1.5 times as much money this year alone as Ruth’s 22-year projected total. Cano is a great player of today, but in no way does he even compare to the Babe, who did it all on the mound first and then at the plate. Not even Mickey Mantle‘s high of $100,000 would top the $1 million mark of today. Mantle made an actual total of $1,128,000 and a projected 2014 total of $8,718,625 in his 18 years from 1951 to 1968.
Here are a few more MLB legends and their highest salaries in both actual and projected 2014 value:
Walter Johnson, 1925: $20,000 = $268,956
Joe DiMaggio, 1945: $100,000 = $991,189
Willie Mays, 1959: $160,000 = $1,294,429
Hank Aaron, 1975: $240,000 = $1,051,874
Nolan Ryan, 1992: $4,200,000 = $7,058,430
These legends and more also did not have the television markets, endorsements, and merchandising revenue that today’s stars get.
I cannot understand how today’s players can continue to say they are underpaid. We have some great players today, but these listed are just of few of the game’s best ever. If these legends’ projected salaries for a career would not have reached even half of what today’s players now actually make in one year, then today’s players need to quit complaining.
