Why MLB managers who play 162 games make the least money.

Why MLB managers who play 162 games make the least money.

After signing a five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, Craig Counsell became the highest-paid manager in MLB history.

The revelation of Counsell’s (53) $8 million annual salary confirms that MLB managers are among the lowest paid of the four major American sports. Despite playing the most games in a season (162), the salaries are relatively low.

The highest-paid MLB manager in 2023 was retired Cleveland Cavaliers Terry Francona at $4.2 million. He was followed by Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers and Bob Melvin of the San Diego Padres at $4 million. Most managers in MLB make less than $1 million. Counsell earned a very high salary of $3.5 million with the small-market Milwaukee Brewers. Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes $3.25 million.

The NFL, America’s most popular sport, is a different story when it comes to top salaries by sport. Six-time Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick makes $20 million a year. Even coaches in the NFL make well over $1 million. 캡틴토토

In the NBA, winless Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams, 52, makes $13.05 million. He signed a six-year, $78.5 million deal with Detroit after being fired by the Phoenix Suns last offseason. After Williams, the San Antonio Spurs stroked their egos by signing head coach Gregg Popovich (74) to a five-year, $80 million extension, but Popovich is not only the head coach, he’s also the president of basketball operations.

In Canada’s top sport, the NHL, Todd McClellan (56) of the LA Kings makes $5 million.

College sports coaches also make a lot of money. Of course, they’re limited to the popular sports of football and basketball. Nick Saban, who has led the University of Alabama to national championship contention for more than a decade, is the highest paid coach in college football at $11.4 million.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari is the highest paid coach in college basketball at $8.5 million.

In terms of games played, MLB 162, NBA and NHL 82, NFL 17, college football 13, and college basketball 30-33.

The reason baseball managers are paid less is because they have less impact. At its core, baseball is a player’s game. There’s not much a manager can do to make or break a team. However, in other sports, the manager’s impact is absolute. They play with tactics and strategy.

Football, in particular, has a small number of games, but this is commensurate with its popularity and the intense work involved in a short season. The amount of pre- and post-game video work is enormous. Once you get into the regular season, it’s all-nighters. The NBA and NHL also have an absolute need for video analytics.

Football makes promised moves with a playbook the thickness of an English dictionary. It’s not easy to get fired if you don’t perform well in the middle of the season. Basketball and ice hockey rely heavily on the tactics of their coaches, who are often held accountable for poor performance. College basketball coaches have their own tactics. Naturally, they have a big impact.

MLB managers don’t pull all-nighters during the season. In recent years, sabermetric records have made managers almost puppets of their GMs. The hardest part is being away from your family during the long season, from spring training in mid-February to October.