Bantz with the Seattle Mariners in 2013.
Brandon Bantz was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 30th round of the 2009 MLB Draft from Dallas Baptist University. He made his MLB debut on June 8, 2013 vs. the New York Yankees after quickly rising through the Minor League ranks. While acknowledging the economic plights of MiLB players, Bantz noted that he enjoyed his time playing Minor League Baseball and has some incredibly fond memories from those years. However, his living conditions during those trying times were less than ideal and noticed a substantial lifestyle shift once he got the the Big Leagues.
"You’re in this town of nothingness really and there are like six guys in a two bedroom house. We had people sleeping in all kinds of places. That’s just what it is. You don’t really realize the “inequality” because you don’t know any different. When you get to those upper levels you really get your eyes opened. Like, “Wow, how did we even survive that?”
Sometimes your clubhouse runs out of food and you have to go find something to eat. You’re in these nothing towns and you’re forced to eat McDonald’s because that’s all that they have. Once you get to AA and AAA you realize, “This is what it’s supposed to be like.” You look back on your time in the lower levels and think, “That was a grind.” Some of these guys spend ten years in those lower levels. That’s the real struggle.
My first check was for $1200 a month. That’s what pretty much everyone makes at that level. Whatever it is that you sign for is a bonus and you can live off of that. But, a lot of guys don’t get that and have to live off of the $1200. On top of that you have to pay your clubhouse dues which a lot of people don’t realize. As you move up levels, the clubhouse dues raise as well. In the low levels it was like $50 a check. Up in the Big Leagues it’s like $85 a day. The guys who are making millions don’t really care but you lose a significant amount to all of these fees.
In AAA, you’re in bigger cities where it’s more expensive to live. Rent is much higher and you’re only living off of $2200 a month. You basically are locked into your rookie deal. It only goes up $200 or so a month if you go back to that same level the next year.
I played short-season A ball for the Mariners in Everett, Washington. We had a trainer up there named Spider Webb. He would put out the pregame spread and it was nothing but cold cuts and PB & J’s sitting out in the hot sun all day long.
I always looked at it like a sacrifice that I needed to make to achieve my dream. It’s no different than an employee working his way up from the bottom of the barrel at a Fortune 500 company. You work hard, move up the ladder, and things get better.
The offseason part is the biggest struggle. Some guys can get a leg up if they don’t have to get jobs to pay their bills in the offseason. The guys with big signing bonuses train for the upcoming season and that’s all that they have to focus on; versus someone who has to pick up a job and not be able to put as much time and energy into their craft.
I have always looked at it as a process towards a bigger goal. As much of a grind as it is sometimes, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I remember more about the times in the hotels and on bus trips than any one game that I played. That’s what it’s all about. To me, it was always a means to an end, which is why I never looked at it as a grind too often. That’s where the fun is. It’s that journey and process that makes it all that much more fulfilling once you make it to the Big Leagues."
- Brandon Bantz