MLB Annual Salary Leaders 1874 - 1945

[Chuck9788]

Please share any thoughts/surprises on the baseball "annual salary leaders" listed below.


MLB Annual Salary Leaders between 1874 - 1945




Year Salary Player(s)
1874 $2,800 Fergus Malone (Chi NA)
1875 $2,200 Rich Higham (Chi NL)
1876 $4,000 Al Spalding (Chi NL)
1877 $2,900 Al Spalding (Chi NL)
1878 $3,700 Bob Ferguson (Chi NL)
1879 $1,800 Frank Flint (Chi NL)
1880 $1,800 Adrian Anson (Chi NL)
1881 $2,000 Jim O'Rourke (Buf NL)
1882 $2,400 Monte Ward (Prov NL)
1883 $3,100 Buck Ewing (NY NL)
1884 $3,100 Buck Ewing (NY NL)
1885 $4,500 Jim O'Rourke (NY NL)
1886 $4,500 Fred Dunlap (StL/Det NL)

1887 $4,500 Fred Dunlap (Det NL)
Charles Radbourne (Bos NL)

1888 $5,000 Fred Dunlap (Pit NL)
Buck Ewing (NY NL)

1889 $5,000 Fred Dunlap (Pit NL)
Buck Ewing (NY NL)

1890 $4,000 Hardy Richardson (Bos PL)
1891 $2,000 Paul Cook (Lou/StL AA)
1892 $2,800 Joe Gunson (Bal NL)
1893 no data
1894 no data
1895 $2,400 Jack Glasscock (Lou/Was NL)
1896 no data
1897 no data
1898 no data
1899 $1,800 Victor Willis (Bos NL)
1900 no data
1901 no data
1902 no data
1903 no data
1904 $5,000 Joe McGinnity (NY NL)
1905 no data
1906 $8,500 Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)
1907 $8,500 Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)
1908 $8,500 Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)
1909 $9,000 Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)

1910 $9,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)

1911 $9,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
Nap Lajoie (Cle AL)

1912 $10,000 Roger Bresnahan (StL NL)
Jimmy Callahan (Chi AL)
Hugh Jennings (Det AL)
Honus Wagner (Pit NL)

1913 $15,000 Fred Clarke (Pit NL)

1914 $15,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
Tris Speaker (Bos AL)

1915 $15,050 Fred Clarke (Pit NL)
1916 $20,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
1917 $20,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
1918 $20,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
1919 $20,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)

1920 $20,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
Babe Ruth (NY AL)
Tris Speaker (Cle AL)

1921 $25,000 Ty Cobb (Det AL)
1922 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1923 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1924 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1925 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1926 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1927 $70,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1928 $70,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1929 $70,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1930 $80,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1931 $80,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1932 $75,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1933 $52,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1934 $35,000 Babe Ruth (NY AL)
1935 $31,000 Lou Gehrig (NY AL)
1936 $36,000 Mickey Cochrane (Det AL)

1937 $36,000 Mickey Cochrane (Det AL)
Lou Gehrig (NY AL)

1938 $39,000 Lou Gehrig (NY AL)

1939 $35,000 Lou Gehrig (NY AL)
Hank Greenberg (Det AL)

1940 $35,000 Hank Greenberg (Det AL)
1941 $55,000 Hank Greenberg (Det AL)
1942 $43,750 Joe DiMaggio (NY AL)
1943 $27,000 Joe Cronin (Bos AL)
1944 $27,000 Joe Cronin (Bos AL)

1945 $25,000 Lou Boudreau (Cle AL)
Joe Cronin (Bos AL)

[darwinbulldog]

I assume it's been pretty much flat since 1945.

[Chuck9788]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I assume it's been pretty much flat since 1945.

LOL,


2016 $33,000,000 Clayton Kershaw (LA NL)

[sycks22]

Pretty good gig for Cliff Lee too, he still gets $25m / yr and hasn't pitched in 3 years.

[midmo]

I've never seen this list before. The war years stick out to me when the top guys were basically making half what Ruth did 20 years earlier. I'm not sure if that's because of the war or because Ruth was the exception. Or maybe a little of both.

[packs]

These lists are great because it really shows that athletes have nothing to complain about when it comes to money even before today's huge contracts. Look at Cronin in 1944. He made $27,000. Doesn't sound like a lot, right? Well, consider that while he made his $27,000, the average family took in $2,600.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by sycks22

Pretty good gig for Cliff Lee too, he still gets $25m / yr and hasn't pitched in 3 years.

Lee got a buyout from his 2016 salary and was released, then retired prior to the 2016 season. He last got $25M in 2015

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by z28jd

Lee got a buyout from his 2016 salary and was released, then retired prior to the 2016 season. He last got $25M in 2015

Well, I guess he will have to find a way to live on that, huh?