Minor League Internships

DISCLAIMER: This is just what I have seen from my own organization, and what friends have told me about their minor league internships. It by no way extends to all teams. It is all my opinion and has no facts to back it up.

So you landed an internship with a minor league team. Awesome! Now here is the catch. You have basically become an errand boy for the team - doing the tasks that those above you don't want to do. Answering phones, stuffing envelopes, and doing the most mundane tasks. Many hours of the day you will not be doing much. You won't really be learning skills needed to advance you in the organization. You may think you are, but it seems to be pretty rare that those in that type of position actually get to be hired full time by the organization after the internship. Many minor league internships seem to be very generalized and doesn't give you the necessary experience to become a full time staff member.

You think it will get better with the season? Think again. You will be pulling tarp (all of us full time staff pull tarp as well mind you), and once again filling the roles that nobody else wanted to fill.

Also, the pay is miserable. Many Minor League Baseball jobs are unpaid. UNPAID. You are PAYING to do these tasks with all the gas money and long hours you will be putting into the job. Even those that are paid are not enough to live off of. Jobs like this are the reason that a minimum wage was created, but teams are getting away with it by calling it a stipend instead of paying hourly.

Now, not every internship is like this. I would suggest making sure that you are getting a specific internship which will give you experience in one aspect of baseball. Experience is key and is really what teams are looking for. As good as it is to learn about all different aspects, in the end you want to gain a specific skillset that will impress your team. You don't need to learn everything, but learn the basics so that when you are looking to be hired full time they know that they don't have to start from the beginning with you.

Finally, I suggest finding a smaller team that needs more help from you. Getting more responsibility will help tremendously in advancing your career in baseball.

Not all minor league baseball internships are bad. I do know people that have been hired full time, however I do also know a lot of people that are left afterwards with that what now feeling.

Thanks for reading this post! Spring training has begun, and minor league baseball players will start reporting very shortly! Winter is finally over.

Jane Doe

Always the introduction first

I have loved baseball for as long as I can remember. Starting in the mid-90s my love for the sport became a sort of obsession and it took over my life. As a female fan, however I have always had to deal with the pre-conceived notion of Pink Hat fans . They make those of us that are actually knowledgeable about the sport want to throw up. 

I would have loved to play baseball, however I was born a female and without any athletic skill in the least. Growing up I played soccer but that ended in high school once those around me started to become  and I did not advance in skill in the least. Thus I was relegated to permanent fan status, or so I thought. 

I never dreamed about working in baseball as I never thought that it would be possible for me. This changed when I became an intern for a non-affiliated baseball team. I never had such a great summer in my life. I realized that I was good at what I was doing, and that I could possibly keep doing this in affiliated baseball. 

I applied to a lot of teams in various positions. I probably sent out about 75-100 of my resumes and only heard back from a very small handful of teams. In the end, I interviewed with two teams and got both jobs. My dream had come true. 

After I decided which team I wanted to work for, I gave my 2 weeks notice to my job, packed up, and moved far away from home, and I have never been happier with my decision. 

Please be sure to follow my twitter account where I will hopefully convey in 140 characters or less what my life is like in the minors as a Minor League Jane. I'll use this blog to discuss the bigger picture happenings so that I can really go into detail about everything. 

Living my life with love, happiness, and the pursuit of a baseball dream, 

Jane.