From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Kevin wrote:
What is the average amount of hours a professional baseball player works in a year?

From the Baseball Pro:
Kevin,
This is a hard question to answer because we do not have normal work schedules. Also we must work out at the gym so I guess you must count that as work also. On most day games you spend a minimum of 8 hours at the park. You get there at 2 for some early hitting or throwing, batting practice starts at 3:30 and the game is not over til 10 or so. Spring training days tend to be a minimum of 8 hours as well. So 140 something games a year plus 30 days of spring training bring us to 170 days. 170 days times 8 hours a day comes to 1360 hours. Add in 1 hour of gym time every other day during the season and you get 85 more hours. So from spring training through the last game you have close to 1500 hours of work. That is only in a six month span and does not include offseason workouts which usually are 5 days a week for 2 hours, as well as baseball ativity which begins in January and that takes a minimum of 1 hour a day until spring training starts.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Welllll, my observation is that baseball pretty much occupies a player 24/7 from the time they go to spring training camp in March through the end of the season in September/October. A player is either at the game, getting ready for the game several hours in advance, or doing his own personal conditioning at a local gym. There are also some team meetings, and promotional activities. A player is at the game every day, even if not playing, except the 2 or 3 days the team does not play during the month.

There isn’t much personal time, even for doing laundry or taking care of bills. Travel also takes a lot of time, particularly the bus rides in the minor leagues. Keep in mind that half of the baseball games are on the road, so the player is at the home city only half the time.

After the season is over, players get temporary jobs, preferably in something related to baseball. But most importantly, they need to have time to continue their conditioning and practice in the off-season, so they are ready for spring training.

Baseball is a passion, and the hours are demanding!
Host Mom, Jean

From Ask the Baseball Pro:
Luann wrote:
My son attends a private school that continues to the 12th grade. I would prefer him to stay here for high school to get the best education possible and he wants to be able to play baseball at the college level. Our school just started a baseball team and he is concerned that this will hinder his ability to play baseball in college. What can we do?

From the Baseball Pro:
Luann,
The way you make it sound to me is the baseball program at the current school is not nearly as good as others in the area. I am not sure if that is the case but I will assume it is. One of the ways to get a scholarship is to be a very good baseball player and everyone hears about you. Everyone wants you and everyone comes to see you. This is something very few players are capable of. The other way is to play on a good team where there are other good players. The coach comes to see some players and he also gets to see you at the same time. This is the category most players fall under. This situation also happens at high profile tournaments, such as the Easter tournaments for high schools. The coaches can come to one field and see 6 teams, all with good players. If it were me I would have to weigh how much better the baseball was going to be and how much worse the education would actually be. But in my experience, education is what you make of it. You can skate by in a private school or work hard in a public school, what you get out of it is up to you.
Your Baseball Pro, Steve Holm

P.S. Also consider the fit of the high school and type of college your son would like to attend. Achievement in high school and a high GPA can help!
Host Mom,
Jean