Photo by Ed Delany
Major League and Minor League Baseball clubbies are some of the most hardworking individuals at the ballpark, besides the players themselves on the field. Clubbies are up early and at the stadium ahead of everyone, they make sure jerseys are clean, meals are purchased, prepped and ready for players, and that the clubhouse and dugouts are clean and ready for game day each day. In a new proposal by MLB, this role and the way clubbies are paid, is headed for change.
In past seasons, minor league players have had to pay dues that ranged from roughly $8 to $15 that would help cover the team clubbies’ cost for meals and snacks pre and post-game. However, in the most recent proposal, as outlined by Baseball America, MLB would eliminate clubhouse dues for minor league players, pay clubbies as MLB employees, and provide game day meals for players at no cost to the clubbies; this would include the MLB team now being responsible for providing meals, beverages, and snacks in the clubhouse. This elimination of clubhouse dues would save MiLB players roughly $40 to $100 a week.
As mentioned, in the most recent proposal, clubbies would become seasonal employees hired by MLB and would be paid by MLB as well. Even if a minor league team chooses to pay their clubbie out of the minor league affiliate’s budget, the MLB team will still be required to reimburse the minor league team for the clubbie’s salary.
Along with clubbies now becoming paid MLB employees, their seasonal role is also expected to change. Under the proposal, it will be mandatory for clubbies to not only perform their game day duties at home, but they will also be required to travel with the team as well, opposed to making sure the team has what they need before they leave, and staying behind for road trips.
Clubbies will now take their duties to the road and perform all game-day roles at both home and away series, including laundry and cleaning. This will also potentially mean that some clubbie roles will need to be handed to others in the organization at the end of a homestand after a clubby leaves with the team, including laundry and cleaning the clubhouses at the home ballpark in time for the next homestand after the team returns.
Clubbies once had off-days whenever a team was on the road, with this increase in their role, their season will look identical to that of a player, with off-days coming only when it is an off-day for the team and players. However, even on off-days, clubbies tend to have responsibilities that have to be handled in preparation for the next home or away series. For some clubbies, they’re used to traveling with the team during the season, for some they’re used to traveling during playoffs. Moving forward, clubbies will travel throughout the entirety of the season.
