Growing Your Career to Pursue a Job in Professional Baseball

By Frankie Wallace
Updated: November 18, 2020

During any given season, there are around 1,200 professional major league baseball players in the U.S. While that isn’t counting minor leaguers, that number is incredibly slim for the number of people who might want to play, or for those who simply love the game.

While you’re watching baseball on television, your focus might be on the players, but there are so many more jobs to consider in the baseball industry.

Whether you’re an athletic individual who wants to be out on the field when there’s a game going on or you’re more than happy to work behind the scenes, there are plenty of ways to use your skills, knowledge, and people you know to land a job in professional baseball.

Jobs for Former Players

Whether you were playing in the big leagues or you were once a minor leaguer, you don’t have to give up the game just because you’ve retired from playing. In fact, former baseball players can be major assets to the industry and current players and teams.

First of all, having experience as a player can help to strengthen your resume, no matter what type of job you want in the industry. Listing your experience and achievements as a player can help to get you noticed.

It’s normal to want to transition to a job that focuses on your interests. If you still have a deeply-rooted love for the game, you might consider:

Writing a book/autobiography about your career
Becoming a sports announcer
Purchasing/owning a team

If you’re a seasoned professional who isn’t ready to step away from the games, you might also want to consider coaching. Chances are, you learned a lot during your time as a player. Why not pass some of that knowledge onto others so they can continue to get better, too? The top qualities you need to teach others, no matter how experienced they already may be, include:

Empathy
Patience
Adaptability
Strong communication skills

If you combine those skills with your natural passion for the game, you could fit in perfectly as a coach for a professional, minor league, or even a younger team to shape them into the next generation of strong players.

Behind-the-Scenes Careers

If you’re more comfortable off the field but you still want to be a part of the industry, there are many different paths to consider. Baseball wouldn’t be baseball without so many people working behind-the-scenes to make things run smoothly.

If you have a love of computers, you might consider being a software engineer who works with different baseball apps or programs that can provide fans with real-time interaction. If you know what to look for in a strong player, you can become a scout. If you love writing as much as you love the game, you might find success as a sports writer.

These are just a few of the options that exist within the baseball industry that don’t often get the attention that some others get. So many careers in the industry don’t get a lot of attention. But, they are crucial for everything to function properly. Consider the skills you already have and how you can apply them to baseball. Chances are, no matter what you’re interested in, you can find a job that lines up with the things you’re already good at.

Being a Part of the Future of Baseball

Thanks to everything from advancements in technology to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, baseball continues to change, grow, and adapt. If you whole-heartedly embrace that change, then you might be well-suited for a job that keeps baseball moving forward.

For example, viewership numbers have grown exponentially in the last couple of years due to different streaming options for games. Before that, the numbers were struggling as baseball continued to only be featured on television and radio. People who find innovative ways to promote the sport will always be welcomed in the league.

If you have experience in things like social media, you might benefit from being a part of the MLB’s marketing team, or even work with a specific team to connect with their fans and develop stronger relationships online. The tech world is becoming a major player, including the use of Artificial Intelligence. Sticking with the marketing theme, AI is being used to promote fan interaction, offering real-time statistics, and much more. AI has also been used in baseball for things like:

Scouting
Recruiting
Training and health

Whether you’re a former player, a fan, or someone who knows the game like the back of their hand, there are many jobs in the baseball industry that don’t require you to pick up a glove on gameday. If you love the sport and want to be a part of it, consider some of these career options to move you forward.