A baseball agent is a sports agent who specializes in promoting the interests and careers of professional baseball players.
If you have a genuine passion for baseball, a good ability for sales, and stand out interpersonal skills, then you might like to become a baseball agent and get ready to show your clients the money!
There is a lot involved when you become a baseball agent, you will need to have a broad skills base.
Your role will be to identify up and coming baseball stars, recruit them to your firm, then provide them with the advice and opportunity to excel in their career.
Working as a baseball agent, you are also responsible for giving your clients legal advice, should they require it.
You will be in charge of their public relations, to make sure they are part of a good team and negotiate their contract, and also secure sponsorship deals for them.
Education Requirements to Become a Baseball Agent
If you would like to become a baseball agent, the chances are that you already know a lot about baseball and are passionate about this sport.
You will need to know the rules of this game from top to bottom.
You’ll also need to become familiar with leagues, teams, coaches, and players.
While you don’t need a college degree to become a baseball agent, many in this field have one.
Having a background in sales, marketing, public relations, or advertising will make getting a start in the industry much easier, as well as giving you a good knowledge base.
A four year college degree in any of the above mentioned fields is a good educational base.
In all states registration is also required for sports agents.
You will most likely need to pay an annual fee and also take an exam.
Baseball Agent Job Description
A baseball agent works to best represent the interests of a professional baseball player.
You will be the driving force behind their career, and could be responsible for helping them to really make it.
Of course, the first part of your role is to recruit upcoming players to your firm, and convince other players who are unhappy with their representation to work for you.
When you become a baseball agent, you will help your client improve their skills by making sure they have access to the best training opportunities.
You will also negotiate contracts with sporting teams for them, as well as conditions like salary and benefits.
You will be in charge of their public relations, and also be on hand to give legal advice.
Basically, as a baseball agent, you need to take care of promoting your client so that they can simply focus on being their best.
Here are some of the responsibilities of a baseball agent
- Keeping up to date with current baseball news
- Enlisting new clients
- Negotiating contracts for clients
- Negotiating sponsorship for clients
- Managing legal affairs for a client
- Organizing training and development for an athlete
Baseball Agent Salary and Career Path
When you become a sports agent, your first role will probably be for a large agency or firm.
To begin with, you may work as someone’s assistant, or only given the opportunity to prospect for new clients rather than manage current ones.
As your experience grows, you may be given more responsibilities.
As time passes you may be able to manage higher profile athletes, or even attract them to your services in your own right.
The baseball community is close knit, and you will gain a reputation quickly, good or bad!
Here are some similar jobs to a baseball agent you might also consider:
- Sports Agent
- Sports Coach
- Marketing executive
- Public Relations Manager
Working as a sports agent, the median salary achieved is $94,000 a year.
It’s important to keep in mind that you will be paid commission only as a baseball agent.
Your earnings will be a percentage of what your clients earn in most instances.
The better you are at your job, the more money you can make.
If baseball is your passion and you have great salesmanship, then working as a baseball agent may be a perfect career choice for you.
When you become a baseball agent, you’ll need to put in a few years of work in this competitive industry before you can make the big money, but for those who have talent and are willing to persevere can make a lucrative living.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a baseball agent do?
A baseball agent is someone who represents the interests of a professional baseball player (in contract negotiations, in most cases).
Baseball players that are signing their first contracts while they are still very young cannot understand the legal complexities involved, while experienced athletes need guidance handling the contracts for hundreds of thousand or even millions of dollars.
The typical duties of a baseball agent usually include handling sponsorships, public relations, and financial planning; negotiating contracts; collecting data and analyzing statistics; having expert knowledge of baseball; networking, and so on.
In a nutshell, a baseball agent is the professional who is selling his or her clients’ worth to teams in the league.
How much do baseball agents make?
On average, a baseball agent can make a little less than $53.000 per year in the United States.
In case you decide to follow this career path, you can expect to earn anywhere between $29.000 and $98.000 annually.
The salary would certainly depend on a variety of factors – your education and experience level, the client, the location and so on.
In the past, around 4-5% of the Major League Baseball salaries went to baseball agents (that’s about $500.000); however, most agencies charge no more than 1.5% nowadays.
How much does it cost to become a baseball agent?
Baseball agents can have all sorts of educational backgrounds.
A lot of aspiring baseball agents complete sports management courses (between $192 and $673 per unit).
Some choose to go for a law degree (otherwise, you would have to hire another person to deal with the legal aspects of the job).
A year in a university can cost you anywhere between $8.000 and $45.000 (and more); the cost depends on a variety of factors (the books, supplies, and accommodation expenses are not included).
Most clients would prefer you to have a Master’s degree in Sport Management (around $12.000).
The fee for the Major League Baseball Players Association certification examination is $2.000.
What is the demand for baseball agents?
Between 2018 and 2028, the agent and business manager of artists, performers, and athletes job markets are expected to grow by 10%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That is faster than the national average for all occupations in the United States.
The candidates that possess a graduate degree and are certified will have better job perspectives.
Bear in mind that the competition in the field is extremely high.
How long does it take to become a baseball agent?
It will take you 4 years to obtain a bachelor’s degree (preferably, complete a sports management program).
You can also choose to major in communications, business, finance, law, administration, or accounting.
A master’s degree will typically take you 2 years to obtain (experts recommend going for the Master’s in Sports Management, in case you want to increase your chances of getting hired).
To apply for the MLBPA certification, you must be designated as the Agent of a Major League Player, by a General Certified agent as a Recruiter or Expert Agent Advisor.