Couch at Spring Training with the Red Sox in 2014.
Keith Couch was drafted by the Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2010 MLB Draft from Adelphi University (DII). Keith split time between A ball, AA, and AAA, having spent parts of seven seasons in the MiLB over the course of his career. He highlights of even a small signing of bonus, which many players do not even receive. Couch was fortunate to play in the Red Sox organization, known for their care towards Minor Leaguers and their development. However, like every player in the MiLB, he certainly had some hardships along the way.
"It was tough to live on our salary, especially if we had to pay rent for our apartments. We would clear $400-500 every 2 weeks, and rent, if you split a place, would be $400 if you were lucky. You wouldn’t have much to live off of. I lived off of my signing bonus which was only $50,000, but I was lucky. Some guys only get $1,000 and I also worked in the off season giving lessons, so that helped me save a lot.
If you complain, then you get cut or released because this is someone’s dream and you can be replaced easily, so you learn to just suck it up and deal with it.
We had 8 guys living in a 2 bedroom apartment in AAA, because we weren’t 40-man roster guys making enough money to live on our own. We got $2,500 for the month and lived in a major city (Providence, Rhode Island), so it wasn’t cheap."
- Keith Couch