In 2023, the average of players within each MLB team was between around 26-30 years old. This is considered to be the prime of a player's career, as they are typically at their peak physical and athletic ability at this age.

Who is the oldest player in the MLB?

In 2023, the average age of the players on the New York Yankees' roster was 28.3 years. Out of all the teams in MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the highest average player age. In the same year, the Toronto Blue Jays' average player age was 29.6 years.

What is Major League Baseball? Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada. It comprises 30 teams, 29 of which are located in the United States and one in Canada. The teams are divided into two leagues: the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), and each league is further divided into three divisions: East, Central, and West. The teams play a 162-game regular season schedule, with the goal of earning a spot in the postseason, which consists of the AL and NL Championship Series, and the World Series. The team that wins the World Series is declared the champion of the MLB.

Fans watch at home and live in the stadiums There are many ways to enjoy MLB games, whether you are a die-hard fan, a casual viewer, or a player yourself. You can watch games on TV, or stream them live online. In 2022, the average TV viewership of MLB World Series games stood at 11.8 million. Additionally, many teams have their own websites, social media accounts, and mobile apps that allow fans to stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, and player stats. It is also possible to purchase tickets to games and watch the action live at the stadium. In 2022, the average attendance at the games in the MLB was 26,808.

Major League Baseball is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in North America. The survey depicts the level of interest in the MLB in the United States and it showed that 33 percent of respondents aged 35 to 44 were avid fans of the league.

A January 2024 survey in the United States revealed that over one quarter of MLB fans who attended or watched games were aged between 50 and 64. Meanwhile, just over four percent of NHL fans were aged between 13 and 17.

Baseball is one of the most popular sports to watch and play in the United States and further afield. During an April 2021 survey in the United States, 22 percent of respondents aged 35 to 44 stated that they were avid fans of baseball.

As one of the biggest sports leagues in America with TV viewers reaching into the millions, Major League Baseball can afford to pay its players handsomely. The average salary for a player in the MLB stood at 4.98 million U.S. dollars in 2024. This marks a twofold increase on the average salary in 2005. Highs and lows of MLB salaries While the stars of every MLB team take home millions every year, there is still a minimum player salary in place to ensure that all players are compensated for their efforts. The 2024 MLB minimum player salary was set at 740 thousand U.S. dollars, a significant increase on the minimum of 300 thousand U.S. dollars in 2003. The league’s top earners The highest earner in the MLB in 2024 was the starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. The three-time All-Star took home an annual base salary of 70 million U.S. dollars in the 2024 season. Due to their prominent role on the team, it is unsurprising that a majority of the top earners in the MLB were pitchers.  

Major League Baseball has a minimum player salary in place to ensure that its athletes are fairly compensated for the work they do. The MLB minimum salary in 2024 stood at 740 thousand U.S. dollars annually, representing a steady increase each year over the last 15 years. Money to be made in the MLB MLB players are known to receive generous yearly salaries, in addition to performance incentives, such as prizes for games won. The average player salary in 2024 was over six times higher than the minimum salary, at around five million U.S. dollars. This also represents almost double the average player salary from 2005, illustrating the rapid boom of money in baseball. MLB's biggest earners Certain positions in the MLB, such as first base or starting pitcher, are usually better paid due to the important roles they are considered to have in the game. The highest paid players in the MLB in the 2023 season include Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer. In 2024, the New York Mets were the best-paid baseball team in the MLB, with an opening day payroll of 305.62 million U.S. dollars. The Oakland Athletics, on the other hand, were the most thrifty franchise, with an opening day payroll of just over 60 million U.S. dollars.

The opening day payroll of teams in the MLB is calculated by combining the base salary, incentives, and any signing bonuses. At the beginning of the 2024 season, the New York Mets had the highest combined payroll in the league, amounting to around 305.62 million U.S. dollars. At the other end of the scale, the Oakland Athletics had an opening day payroll of just over 60 million U.S. dollars.

Pitchers take home the money The MLB has a minimum player salary in place to ensure that its professionals are rewarded for the work that they do. In 2023, the minimum salary for an MLB player was 720 thousand U.S. dollars per year, a significant increase from the minimum of 490 thousand U.S. dollars ten years earlier. However, the average player salary in the league in 2023 stood at 4.9 million U.S. dollars, around seven times the value of the minimum salary. This figure is skewed by the fact that the top earners in baseball take home significant amounts of money. Typically, it is the pitchers within a baseball team that earn the biggest wages due to their integral role. Indeed, pitchers dominated the list of highest earning players in the MLB and the New York Mets' starting pitcher Max Scherzer topped the list. The eight-time MLB All-Star took home a salary of over 43 million U.S. dollars in 2023.

MLB Luxury Tax In order to avoid such wealth disparity amongst the teams, Major League Baseball implements a luxury tax (or competitive balance tax). This tax is paid by any teams whose annual payroll exceeds the league limit which, in 2023, stood at 233 million U.S. dollars.

In 2024, the total attendance at Major League Baseball games was just over ** million. This marked a slight increase on the number of fans who attended MLB games during the 2023 season. MLB is the highest standard North American professional baseball league comprising 30 teams competing for the Commissioner’s Trophy. How valuable are MLB teams? MLB teams rake in hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in revenue each year. In 2024, the New York Yankees were the MLB team which generated the most revenue, with the figure totaling almost *** million U.S. dollars that year. Meanwhile, the average MLB team valuation stood at over *** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Overall, the Yankees were the most valuable MLB franchise that year, with an estimated valuation of **** billion U.S. dollars. How expensive is it to attend an MLB game? Average ticket prices for MLB games have increased annually between 2006 and 2023. In 2023, the average ticket price to attend MLB games was ** U.S. dollars, with the Los Angeles Dodgers charging the highest average price from all MLB franchises that year. Despite this, the Dodgers were not the most expensive franchise to take a family to that year. The Fan Cost Index – which calculates the cost of taking a family to an MLB game – showed that attending Boston Red Sox games was the most expensive for families, with the experience priced at around *** U.S. dollars in 2023.

A January 2024 survey in the United States revealed that the highest proportion of MLB fans who traded or collected trading cards were aged between 18 and 24. Meanwhile, only nine percent of fans aged 65 or above participated in trading or collecting trading cards.

A 2024 survey in the United States revealed that younger MLB fans were more likely to buy licensed fan merchandise on a more regular basis. The survey revealed that one fifth of all fans bought merchandise every season, while this figure fell to 14 percent among fans aged 65 or older.

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are owned by a variety of individuals and groups. The Toronto Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications, led by CEO Edward S. Rogers III, with a net worth of 11.5 billion U.S. dollars. Individual owners of MLB franchises include wealthy individuals such as Mark Attanasio (Milwaukee Brewers), John Henry (Boston Red Sox), and Arte Moreno (Los Angeles Angels), who also have other business interests outside of sports ownership. There are also multiple ownership groups that own MLB franchises, made up of a mix of businesspeople, investors, and wealthy individuals who come together specifically to purchase and operate the teams. In rare occurrences, franchises have also been owned by the league, such as the Montreal Expos and the Texas Rangers in the past. The ownership process often includes the approval of the other MLB owners and requires significant financial resources.

Steven A. Cohen Steven A. Cohen's purchase of the New York Mets for 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 constituted a significant event in the sport. The purchase made him the wealthiest franchise owner in the league, with a personal wealth of around 16 billion U.S. dollars. Cohen stated that he planned to invest in the team to help bring it success on the field, as well as in its business operations. One of his main goals with the purchase was to renovate Citi Field, the team's stadium, and to invest in the team's player development facilities. He also announced plans to enhance the fan experience through technology and fan engagement, aiming to bring the team closer to its fan base. Billionaire sports club ownership The growing trend of wealthy individuals buying sports teams can have both positive and negative impacts. On one hand, wealthy owners bring significant financial resources to teams, which can improve the team's performance and overall competitiveness. However, there are also concerns such as concentration of wealth and power among a small number of teams and owners, a less competitive league, and owners prioritizing financial returns over competitive balance. Additionally, the high price of ownership can make it difficult for new ownership groups to enter the market and lead to lack of diversity among ownership group of sports teams. This can also lead to high-priced tickets and merchandise, making it harder for low-income fans to support their team.

The games of the 2024 World Series, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers achieved a five-game series win over the New York Yankees, were watched by an average of ***** million viewers. This marked the Dodgers' eighth World Series title in franchise history.

With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide. In second place is the Indian Premier League, an annual cricket competition contested each year between eight franchises representing eight different Indian cities.

Big money in the NBA Although the wages that players in the NBA take home are astronomical, the average annual salaries vary from one team to another. Whilst the New York Knicks pay their players an average of 7.08 million U.S. dollars a year, Portland Trail Blazers spent around 10.04 million U.S. dollars annually on each of their stars in 2019/20. NBA salaries have tremendously increased throughout the years reaching 8.32 million U.S. dollars in 2019/20 compared to 4.6 million U.S. dollars in 2015/16.