Bonus baby

A bonus baby was a term used in Major League Baseball to refer to a player receiving a large signing bonus when turning professional. This derogatory term refered specifically to players signed by teams from 1947 until 1965 (when the amateur free agent draft was established) that were paid a large enough bonus that they were subject to the Bonus Rule. The rule was intended to prevent the most wealthy teams (primarily the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals) from throwing money at the best amateur players and having them toil in their farm systems. A second purpose was to discourage the signing prospects to greater and greater bonuses and thus keeping labor costs from escalating.

Related Topics:
Major League Baseball - 1947 - 1965 - New York Yankees - Los Angeles Dodgers - Boston Red Sox - St. Louis Cardinals - Farm

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The basis of the Bonus Rule was that when a team signed a player to a large bonus, that player had to stay with the major league team before being sent down to the minors for a specific amount of time. Failure to follow the rule would result in other teams being able to sign the prospect off of waivers. The rule was recinded, reinstated and modified several times during its history. The version of the rule most notable was in effect from 1953 until 1957. During this time, players who had signing bonuses that met the Bonus Rule criteria were forced to stay with the major league team for at least two years before being allowed to go down to the minors. This created friction with players that had already toiled in the minor leagues for years. Many felt that bonus babies were taking roster spots from much more deserving and proven players. One pitcher, Tom "Money Bags" Qualters, with the Philadelphia Phillies, sat the entire 1954 season on the bench, never playing at all.

Related Topics:
1953 - 1957 - Pitcher - Tom "Money Bags" Qualters - Philadelphia Phillies - 1954

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In an effort to circumvent the Bonus Rule, the New York Yankees worked out a deal with the Kansas City Athletics where the A's signed Clete Boyer to a bonus baby contract. The A's used him sparingly for the two years they had him and then just days after his the point were they could send Boyer down to the minor leagues, they traded him to the Yankees as the "player to be named later" from a trade the previous winter.

Related Topics:
Kansas City Athletics - Clete Boyer

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From 1953-57, when the bonus baby rule had its greatest effect, not one black player was given a large enough bonus to trigger the Bonus Rule.

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