Who says finishing second doesn't pay? The Los Angeles Angels awarded full shares of $10,862 per player as part of the MLB postseason pool. The only problem is the Angels didn't make the postseason. But they did finish second, which meant they were rewarded.
The full information of the players postseason pool was released on Monday per the Associated Press. Per the collective bargaining agreement, the postseason players poll is derived from 60% of the gate receipts from the first three games of each divisional playoff series and from the first four games of each league championship series and the World Series.
The total pool in 2011 was $57.3 million, and it is distributed like so:
- 36% goes to the World Series winner
- 24% goes to the World Series loser
- 12% goes to both League Championship Series losers
- 3% goes to each of the four Division Series losers
- 1% goes to each of the four second-place teams that were not the wild card winners.
That last part is where the Angels come in. The Halos' players got something like $573,000, and they split it as they see fit. There are usually full shares, partial shares, and some cash awards distributed to the players and occasionally the clubhouse staff, all voted on by the players. For the Angels, a full share came to $10,862.
For someone like Hank Conger, who made the MLB minimum salary of $414,000 this season, his playoff share represents a 2.6% bonus. Of course, for Vernon Wells, who made $23 million, the extra ten grand is more of a drop in the bucket.
A full share for the World Series-winning St. Louis Cardinals was $323,170. It's good to be king.
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