On Tuesday night, the Mets faced off against the Kansas City Royals in game one of the World Series. Tied for the longest game in World Series history, the Royals eventually beat out the mets 5-4 after 14 innings and thanks in part to Royals’ outfielder Alex Gordon.
There were two clutch moments that led to the Royals’ victory. Morale was low for the Royals when the Mets were just two outs away from winning the game; however, just in the nick of time, Gordon hit a home run at the bottom of the ninth. This kept things going with a score of 4-4, and after five more innings, Royals’ infielder Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to right field that ultimately clinched the game at 5-4.
Though there is much discussion about what’s next in the World Series, there is something else being ignored: disparities between these players’ net worths. Let’s compare. Alex Gordon has a net worth of $24 million, while Eric Hosmer’s net worth is just $2 million. Why the difference of $22 million?
Gordon was drafted into the MLB in 2005, and he’s been with the Royals ever since. That makes a 10 year-long career thus far. He was a second round pick and signed a four-year contract for $37.5 million in 2012. Eric Hosmer, alternatively, has been with the Royals since his MLB debut in 2011, just four years ago. Room for Hosmer on the Royals’ roster had to be made by putting catcher Jason Kendall onto the 60-day disabled list, and in February of this year, Hosmer signed a $13.9 million two-year contract.
To calculate net worth, liabilities are subtracted from all of a person’s assets. So, why is Gordon’s net worth so much higher than Hosmer’s? Well, Gordon is eligible for free agency if he declines his $13.25 million player option for 2016. This opens up the possibility for a nine-figure contract with the Royals. With the immense wealth surrounding sports, the ceiling for athlete’s salaries continues to rise. Considering the MLB lacks a salary cap, the possibilities are endless.
The disparity in net worth between Gordon and Hosmer – both of whom were quintessential to Tuesday night’s game – needs to be discussed. In an office environment, no such disparity exists, except perhaps between the CEO of a major corporation and a person in an entry-level position at the same company. And even then, these people have very different jobs. Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer have different responsibilities, but they both do the same thing: play baseball. Contracts and timing should not dictate what a person is worth in the world of athletics, but that is, for now, the sad truth.