When Cal Mitchell experienced Single-A baseball for the first time, he lived with three teammates in a two-bedroom house while playing for the West Virginia Power. To create enough livable space, Mitchell and his buddies essentially waved goodbye to their security deposit, drilled beams into the wall and hung curtains, creating a few extra “rooms.”
During the COVID-19 shutdown of the 2020 minor league season, Jason Delay joined a few of his minor league teammates at the time for shift work at a supplement-packing plant, work he says he needed to make ends meet.
With Wednesday’s news that minor league players are now formally unionized, a move made possible when an independent arbiter validated union-authorization cards for enough of the 5,000-plus current minor leaguers players, Mitchell, Delay and plenty of other Pirates hope their struggles will be some of the last.
“We’ve all been in the minor leagues at some point,” Delay said. “We know the struggles of being a minor leaguer and what that entails. I think we’re all in support of it.”
Added Mitchell: “The amenities in the big leagues, especially the pay, are a huge departure from what you experience in the minor leagues. If there’s any way to close that gap a little bit, absolutely.”
There’s plenty that the unionization of the minor leagues could mean, and it starts — like Delay said — with the ongoing push for better pay.
MLB did a good thing before the 2021 season by raising weekly minimum salaries across the board, bumping up to $400 in rookie ball through $700 for players at Triple-A.
It was part of an MLB takeover of the minor league system, which included the contraction of dozens of teams, along with changes to how the surviving ones traveled and some semblance of consistency established.
None of it has been perfect. Annual salaries still lag, the logistics are challenging, and minor league players enjoy a fraction of the off-field treatment that their older brethren do.
Chase De Jong is OK with some of that. Players should have to earn their way to the big club, he feels. At the same time, how minor league players are currently treated isn’t nearly acceptable. Nobody should be making $10,000 (total) to work for six or seven months, then left in a lurch every offseason.
“I understand that it’s part of the grind,” De Jong said. “There’s a certain maturation process to it, and it teaches you delayed gratification. But this is something that has needed to be done for a long time. I’m happy it’s happening.”
Always one of the more insightful players in the Pirates clubhouse, De Jong wondered what effects this might have on the current MiLB outlay. His worst fear is that there might be additional contraction ahead, with minor league owners trying to balance their books and organizations shrinking from four affiliates to three.
The reliever also hopes like hell doesn’t happen, which runs counter to the reasons to unionize: better pay, a voice in employment matters and a way to take care of their own. De Jong experienced that last one this offseason.
As MLB and the MLBPA squared off over the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, a contentious fight that delayed the 2022 season, De Jong was a free agent and found comfort in the union’s willingness to have his back no matter what. He’s looking forward to seeing some younger players in the organization learn how that feels.
“I knew I was still represented by this group and the brotherhood that we have,” De Jong said. “That gave me peace of mind. I was able to take that home to my family and give them peace of mind.”
It’s unclear what immediate effects unionization will have. There’s been a push by advocacy groups to improve treatment of minor league players for years, but this latest step only gained meaningful traction about three weeks ago.
A drive to obtain authorization cards started on Aug. 28, and commissioner Rob Manfred said last Friday that MLB would voluntarily recognize the minor leaguers’ union, continuing what he believes has been an ongoing effort to work together with various unions.
The first CBA for minor leaguers is expected to be negotiated this offseason. MLB began requiring all teams to provide housing to minor leaguers this past offseason, which checked off the list an important element of minor league life and something that routinely drains paychecks. Still, there’s plenty of work to be done before minor league seasons begin next March 31 (Triple-A) and April 6 (lower levels).
As for the interplay between majors and minors, that, too, will play out over time.
The Pirates are currently represented by the combination of Wil Crowe and David Bednar. They took over when Chris Stratton was traded. Stratton took the baton from Jacob Stallings. Adam Frazier and Jameson Taillon held the role before they, too, were dealt.
When the season ends, it’s expected that the Pirates will vote to have Crowe formally installed their MLBPA union rep. Now entrenched as as integral part of Pittsburgh’s bullpen, Crowe has always followed union matters dating back to his time in the minor leagues and said he’s thrilled to assume the position, assuming it happens.
“I’ve always been intrigued by union stuff,” Crowe said.
The way Crowe expects it to happen, he’ll work on one side, and a Pirates minor league player will join him in representing that group. Together, they’ll work with the MLBPA writ large and communicate findings to teammates.
Representing those outside of major league clubhouses is hugely important, Crowe argued. Everyone’s experience with baseball is different, and what someone at, say, Double-A Altoona values is inherently going to be different than what’s needed in Pittsburgh.
But, as we’re finding out with Wednesday’s news, it’s certainly still important.
“We’ve all been there before, been through some stuff, probably in places that weren’t the greatest,” Crowe said. “It can all be better. Them being able to have a seat at the table and have someone fighting for their rights just like we have someone fighting for ours, it’s awesome. It’s nothing but a good thing.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: September 15, 2022, 11:35 a.m.
Updated: September 15, 2022, 12:03 p.m.