Making Postseason $ When Missing The Playoffs

If you wonder why expanded playoffs won’t be coming until 2012, this explains a small part of it.

Yesterday, the league announced World Series shares for the 2010 postseason – an extra bonus for the players that make the postseason (for those wondering a full share for the Giants was $317,631.29 while the Rangers got $246,279.55 for winning the ALCS). But, it’s not just those that make the postseason that earn some extra green. Here’s how postseason shares are currently defined:

The players’ pool, formed from 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first three games of the Division Series and 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the League Championship series and the World Series, was divided among 12 clubs: the World Series participants, the League Championship Series and Division Series runners-up, and the four regular season second-place clubs that were not Wild Card participants.

That’s right. Those that came close to making the postseason, but not quite, get postseason bonuses even when they don’t make the postseason. So, this year the White Sox, Padres, A’s, and Cardinals were the beneficiaries. Here’s the breakdown:

Second-Place Finishers (Non-Wild Card Clubs) Chicago White Sox (Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $10,885.57) – The White Sox awarded 43 full shares, 6.33 partial shares, and 9 cash awards.

San Diego Padres (Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $10,118.84) – The Padres awarded 47 full shares, 6.75 partial shares, and 1 cash award.

Oakland Athletics (Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $9,832.05) – The A’s awarded 43 full shares, 12.5 partial shares, and 3 cash awards.

St. Louis Cardinals (Share of Players’ Pool: $549,021.64; value of each full share: $9,679.42) – The Cardinals awarded 44 full shares, 12.05 partial shares, and 4 cash awards.

So, even though the Rangers didn’t win the World Series, they’ve collected postseason shares three years straight. Here’s last year’s non-playoff teams and how much they made in postseason shares.

Chicago Cubs (Share of Players’ Pool: $590,731.16; value of each full share: $8,261.97) – The Cubs awarded 58 full shares and 13.5 partial shares.

Detroit Tigers (Share of Players’ Pool: $590,731.16; value of each full share: $11,137.62) – The Tigers awarded 42 full shares, 9.33 partial shares, and 11 cash awards.

Florida Marlins (Share of Players’ Pool: $590,731.16; value of each full share: $10,424.45) – The Marlins awarded 49 full shares, 7.28 partial shares, and 7 cash awards.

Texas Rangers (Share of Players’ Pool: $590,731.16; value of each full share: $9,276.38) – The Rangers awarded 58 full shares, 5.25 partial shares, and 4 cash awards.

Here’s the 2008 postseason shares for non-playoff teams:

Arizona Diamondbacks (Share of Players’ Pool: $511,593.28; value of each full share: $9,469.16) – The Diamondbacks awarded 45 full shares and 9.027 partial shares.

Minnesota Twins (Share of Players’ Pool: $511,593.28; value of each full share: $11,078.97) – The Twins awarded 40 full shares, 5.5 partial shares, and 14 cash awards.

New York Mets (Share of Players’ Pool: $511,593.28; value of each full share: $9,185.72) – The Mets awarded 40 full shares, 9.5 partial shares, and 23 cash awards.

Texas Rangers (Share of Players’ Pool: $511,593.28; value of each full share: $10,618.46) – The Rangers awarded 38 full shares, 9.85 partial shares, and seven cash awards

Here’s some other postseason share tidbits:

• The current record World Series share amount went to the Yankees in 2009 ($365,052.73) surpassing the 2006 mark that the Cardinals landed for a full share in 2006 ($362,173.07);
• In the feel-good department, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the American League Championship Series runners-up in 2009, voted a full share for the estate of the late Nick Adenhart;
• In the feel-good department (Part II), in 2007, the National League Champion Colorado Rockies voted a full share for Mandy Coolbaugh, the widow of Mike Coolbaugh, the former Major Leaguer who had served as the organization’s first base coach at Double-A Tulsa until his death in July of that year when he was hit in the head with a line drive ball.