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Professional baseball players do not always live in or even close to the city that they are based out of for the team that they are playing for at any point in time. With the uncertainty of a player’s tenure, it isn’t easy to set roots, yet it is also essential. So, where do MLB Players live during the season?
Like everyone else, professional ballplayers need a place to call home. Maybe more so than other people. They will undoubtedly have one. Some players live in permanent residences there, some will rent houses or apartments, but they will have a nice, secure home to go to at the end of their day.
The players’ differences in living situations are often based on their contract length with a team and personal preference. How does one player to the next decide exactly what their living situation during the season will be? It depends on what will give them the most security and be at peak performance.
Different Housing For Different Career Stages
If there is a real determiner for a player’s seasonal residence’s level, it will likely be tenure with the team. People like the Jeter’s and Ripken’s of the game will not be living in the same situation that rookies are. They will likely have more prominent and more expensive residences – and they also are more apt to have a permanent residence around their home stadium, even if they only occupy it during the season.
This also plays into many aspects. The more seasoned a player, the more likely they are to have a long-term contract and less likely to be traded during the season. Therefore, they will go through the motions of putting down roots and making their lives around where they work – just like anyone else.
Early On With A Team
The most unstable time of a player’s living situation with any particular team will be at the beginning of their time with them. If a player begins their career with a team as a young rookie and is called up before the season, they will likely have a living place worked out before the season begins.
Often at this stage in a person’s career, they are young and unattached. Often they will have a small apartment or rented house within a certain mileage radius around the team’s stadium. You have to remember that professional ballplayers spend almost as much time on the road as they do at home.
When the teams are home, they are still going in and practicing, stretching, strategizing, and getting ready for their games – both on game days and off days. Their homes are places that will help them relax and keep themselves at peak performance.
Middle of Career
Often at this point, the player has their home base near their team established. Most of the time, the player is going to live within 50 miles of their home stadium. They may only have a small residence, one that they stay at and give up during the offseason when they travel to the place they call home.
If the players have decided to not make the place around their stadium their permanent residence, likely it will be an apartment or small house, depending on the area and the market. More prominent players that have long-term contracts are likely to have larger and more extravagant homes.
Either way, at this point, the player will have a place of their own to call home, even if it changes a bit from season to season.
End of Career
If a player is coming to the end of their career in the majors, they may be ready to change their residence. Maybe when they play their last game, they will go with their family into a home that their spouse and children have lived in full-time without them. Perhaps they are going to build a first-time permanent residence.
Whatever the reason, likely they are going to say goodbye to their team and whatever home they have at that point. It again will depend on the player and how they have lived up to this point. Some have made their lives at that residence and may choose to stay there and live their retired life close to their last team.
Other Factors
What happens if a player is brought to a city where they have no place to live during their career? Often the teams have a residence within walking distance that they can put players up in until they get set up in their own home. This helps alleviate the stress of a player coming into a team after the season has started.
If a player is a first time pro or traded, it is essentially like moving for a job and having nowhere to go when you get there. You have to get there and start working, and you also have to have a place to rest and recharge. This is why they will have a location for players to live until a residence can be established.
Related Questions
Do the players have to pay for their own homes during the season?
Yes. Though there are many types of assistance that players will receive for traveling and daily stipends, the place that they live is often going to be their responsibility and choice.
What if a player is cut?
If a player is cut, the usual procedure is for the team to provide them with lodging and travel expenses to get back to their home.
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