After three years of college baseball and nearly another three in the minors, Aaron Judge burst onto the major league scene, immediately establishing himself as one of the game’s brightest stars at age 25. Four years later, he’s made just over $5 million (not including his $1.8 million signing bonus), and won’t hit the open market for another two seasons. By then, he’ll be 30-years-old and years removed from his peak potential market value. Even if he’s able to finally secure the generational wealth one could have easily predicted he’d earn since his full-time call-up when he finally enters free agency, it will have been at the cost of some time and money he might have earned earlier in his career.
Baseball’s cannibalization of its youth is a black mark for the sport
