Million-Dollar Players Now Routine: There Were 225 in Baseball in 1991

NEW YORK — Nearly one third of the players in the major leagues earned $1 million or more in 1991, according to a study by the Associated Press, and the number of players making $3 million rose from one to 34.

Of the 750 players on Aug. 31 rosters and disabled lists, 225 were at the million-dollar level, up from 162 in 1990. The number of $2-million players rose from 29 to 127.

The Oakland Athletics, who had the largest payroll in baseball at $39.2 million, had 16 players making $1 million or more, the most of any team.

The Angels, the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants each had 12 players at $1 million or more.

At the other end of the salary scale were the Houston Astros, who had the lowest payroll at $12.5 million, including a little more than $1 million in termination pay. The Astros had only three players at the million-dollar level, the fewest of any team. Of 100 players at the major league minimum of $100,000, nine were Astros.