The average salary for MLB umpires is $190,000, with the highest-paid umpire earning approximately $400,000 per year.
MLB umpires are paid a base salary and receive additional compensation based on home attendance. They also receive a share of any postseason revenue. Umpires’ salaries are determined by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and its players’ association (MLBPA).
Base Salaries
The CBA states that umpires’ base salaries will be adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which measures price changes in household goods and services purchased by consumers. As of 2018, their base salaries are as follows:
Home Plate Umpire – $210,000
First Base Umpire – $200,000
Second Base Umpire – $200,000
Third Base Umpire – $190,000
Average salary for mlb umpires
If your dream job is to be a major league umpire, then you may have some competition. Competition comes in the form of experienced umpires who are looking for a promotion to the sport’s highest level, elite college baseball players who have aspirations to eventually move down and make the Major League team, and even devoted amateurs that may possess enough talent to one day make the cut. The competition should not prove discouraging though because opportunities exist for talented umpires willing to dedicate themselves to the craft of umpiring.
In the end, money will always be a factor when it comes to MLB umpires. It doesn’t matter how good you might be, your performance or legacy will never supersede the dollar value of your paycheck. These idiosyncrasies are part of what makes baseball the great game that it is.
MLB umpires have one of the most important jobs in baseball because they determine whether a pitch strikes the batter’s hands, hits the catcher’s mitt, or sails foul. Their role is to let players and fans know if they’re dealt a good hand or if they need to fold up their cards and start over again.
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