First player to earn 1m per year?

[Stratosman]

Some friends and I were having a debate as to who the first player in baseball to make 1 million per year was, (guaranteed contract)???

Nolan Ryan?

Any ideas?

[braves57]

If I remember right it was the hometown Minnesota Twins that first surpassed this mark! They gave Puckett the first $1million/year contract. Being a Braves fan I like to remind twinkie fans of this when they use the "payroll" excuse...

[Double D]

Wasn't it Dave Winfield when the Yankees got him from San Diego? Late 70s or early 80s I think.

DD

[AWH]

Quote:

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If I remember right it was the hometown Minnesota Twins that first surpassed this mark! They gave Puckett the first $1million/year contract. Being a Braves fan I like to remind twinkie fans of this when they use the "payroll" excuse...

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Actually, I'm pretty sure that Puckett was the first $3 million/year player. Not sure who the first $1 million player was.

Aaron

[Stratosman]

Yeah that is what we debated about. I also thought that it was Kirby, and then realized he was the first 3 mill per year guy, then we were trying to find out who the first was to make one million...someone's gotta know it.

I think there was a guy for the Pirates in the late 70's that had a big salary, can't think of the name though.

[WCT]

Dave Parker?

Just a guess. Old Sneller

[Double D]

I found this on baseballlibrarydotcom:

Q: Can you please tell me who received the first million-dollar-a-year contract in major league baseball?

-- Joseph G Kelly

A: On Nov 19, 1979, Nolan Ryan became the first player to sign a contract for more than a million dollars per year. Richard Moss, Ryan's agent, helped negotiate a 4-year, $4.5 million dollar contract for the future Hall of Famer, making him the highest paid player at the time.

Richard Moss was also involved in the first arbitration case that paid a player one million dollars. On February 19, 1983, he helped Fernando Valenzuela become baseball's first million-dollar arbitration man.

I was wrong: story of my life!

DD

[Stratosman]

On wikpedia it stated Parker as the first player to make a million per year in 1979 with the Pirates....seems to be some conflicting data out there?

Unless he was the first to make an even million and Ryan was the first OVER a million....

[genegodawa]

Forget who got it but in my mind, absent the black-eye afterwards, Pete Rose is the first to EARN his million per yr. Ryan, Parker, Puckett also earned their money in my opinion.

And I think they all need to thank Curt Flood kinda.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Geno,

Wasn't it Ernie Broglio??? LOL

We all know that famous Cubbie, don't we?

Windy

[zamboni]

Quote:

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On wikpedia it stated Parker as the first player to make a million per year in 1979 with the Pirates....seems to be some conflicting data out there?

Unless he was the first to make an even million and Ryan was the first OVER a million....

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Just remember- WIKIPEDIA.COM is an online encyclopedia that ANYONE can fill out information on, and should NOT be relied on for anything. I, too, thought I remember when Pucket signed that he was the first million dollar man in the Majors. I, too, could be wrong

[genegodawa]

Lou Brock owes his career to Broglio.

[PierBridge]

Parker was the first to make 1 Mill....and George Foster was the first to make 2 mill.

Kirby Pucket..

[Spinner1]

"Pete Rose is the first to EARN his million per yr. Ryan, Parker, Puckett also earned their money in my opinion."

Rose was the first NON-power hitter to make 100K, which he received for 1970. Rose never saw a million bucks until the very tail end of his career. We've come a ways haven't we? Need to get a grip on it in my opinion. I don't mind them getting wealthy, but I hate paying the $30 for a bad seat they get at most parks now.

[genegodawa]

I stopped attending in person several yrs ago ...only took my kids annually when they were young to give them the feel of Wrigley and to The Cell when we got free tix. I just can't stand paying for a seat and not seeing the action because of how many vendors keep walking in front of my line of sight. P's me off to no end.