Date of Award
12-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
Economics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. Raymond D. Sauer
Committee Member
Dr. Curtis J. Simon
Committee Member
Dr. Scott L. Baier
Abstract
In route to the Majors, there are two major pathways. Talented players may either sign with a Major League Team to start their careers in the in the Minor Leagues, or play NCAA Baseball. Using ordinary least squares (OLS), the career differences between NCAA and Minor League players will be examined. Major League players whose careers began after 1985 are included and are divided into quintiles by the player's career mean. Dividing the players into quintiles increases the accuracy of the analysis because the career path varies according to player ability. The College Players are divided into eras with particular emphasis placed on those who played college after 1999. This paper determines that significant career path differences exist between college and non-college Major League Players. There are also slight differences between the different college eras in the effect on a player's productivity profile. Overall, former NCAA baseball players retire a little later in age, but have shorter careers. A gap also exists between when college baseball players peak versus their counterparts. The differences are substantial.
Recommended Citation
Arnette III, Gerald, "The Path to the Top: How Career Paths Differ Between College and Non-College Major League Baseball Players" (2014). All Theses. 2045.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2045