MLB players value reaching 10-year service
SAN FRANCISCO – Throughout this summer, small but lively pregame celebrations will take place in several clubhouses across the baseball landscape.
The Rays will likely fete Sergio Romo on Monday, and the Cubs figure to recognize Brandon Morrow the next day. Max Scherzer’s acknowledgment will come June 29, and the next month San Francisco might pull off a rare second double tribute in the same season.
Just 12 days apart in the second half of July, Giants catcher Nick Hundley and infielder Pablo Sandoval will have reached 10 years of service time in the majors, joining teammates Johnny Cueto and Evan Longoria in that select group.
There are certain milestones big-leaguers treasure above others, with their first game in the majors and reaching salary arbitration and later free agency high on that list. Achieving tenure is right up there.
“It’s a goal of everybody who comes into the game to get fully vested, get your 10 years in and ride off into your sunset,” said Phillies reliever Tommy Hunter, who is in line to get there next season when he finishes his current two-year contract.
The tangible benefits of putting in 10 years of service — with a minimum of
172 days on the active roster or disabled list as the annual requirement — are significant even for players who earn millions of dollars a year.
The plan pays fully vested members a minimum of nearly $68,000 a year for those who start drawing at 45, with a sliding scale that goes up to $220,000 for beneficiaries who wait until they are
62. The payout is even more meaningful for coaches, managers and trainers, who are also eligible and have lower salaries.
But the 10-year mark goes beyond any monetary rewards, especially for those who battled long odds to even make it to the majors. Romo was a 28thround draft pick without the typical prospect’s fastball. Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, who achieved the milestone in April, had to overcome skepticism about his sidearm pitching style. Sandoval was a low-level prospect from Venezuela with a pudgy build.
“The pension’s big, but I think it’s more of a respect thing,” said Neshek, a two-time All-Star who has played for seven teams. “It’s like, ‘Hey, I put the time in, I had a little bit of success, I was a good teammate.’ If you do any of those things wrong, you’re not going to stick around.”
Romo, who owns three championship rings and closed out the 2012 World Series by striking out future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera, has been eagerly awaiting Monday’s arrival.
“I look at it as an awesome day,” he said. “It would be a huge accomplishment individually, but I just feel blessed. I’ve seen a lot of amazing things in that time. I’m thankful for it all.”
Romo will become the 82nd active major leaguer with 10 years of service, an achievement that comes into clearer focus when considering the average career lasts about 33⁄ seasons and 60% of
4 the players never reach salary arbitration, which in most cases takes three full years.
Some of the game’s biggest stars don’t last long enough because of injury, diminished performance or other reasons to put in 10 full seasons.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum was released Tuesday by the Rangers, and it’s questionable he’ll get the 140 days he needs to complete 10 years. 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton, a five-time All-Star, is short of that figure as well.
And with teams increasingly leaning toward younger players, leaving several veterans scrambling for jobs last offseason, the chances of achieving tenure have diminished.
No wonder, then, the players association is dedicating a new section of its website to recognizing fully vested players.
“These are all exceptional players who have not only demonstrated they can play at the game’s highest level, but that they can thrive on that stage and compete through injury and adversity,” the union said in a statement. “They offer irreplaceable knowledge and experience to their teammates, clubs and fans.”
The challenge of sticking around the majors for a full decade is even more daunting for many Latino players, who must adjust to the , culture and lifestyle in their new country to succeed.
Remarkably, eight of the top 10 players in major league longevity coming into the season were born in Latin American countries, led by Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon with more than 19 years each.
“It’s impressive to get there because you leave your country at a young age with a dream and you find out realizing the dream is the easy part. Staying in the majors is harder,” Sandoval said. “Through the ups and downs in your career, you have to remain dedicated and love what you do.”