(Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake Bess players Paul McAnulty and Cory Aldridge are baseball veterans whose careers are coming to a close. Both understand the chances of them having another at bat in the big leagues is slim. They are photographed here at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City, Utah Tuesday May 29, 2012.

Salt Lake Bees: Minor league vets looking for one last shot at big leagues

MLB » Whether it’s money or glory, the dreams remain the same.

By martin renzhofer

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jun 11 2012 01:01 am • Last Updated Sep 11 2012 11:33 pm

It would take only a paragraph to summarize the totality of their major league careers.

Still, Paul McAnulty and Cory Aldridge, two free agents toiling in the daily baseball grind for the Salt Lake Bees, have reached a level that few who sign baseball contracts actually ever reach.

Only 10 percent of all players who sign a minor league contract will play one game in the major leagues, let alone make it to Triple-A.

McAnulty and Aldridge, true vagabonds of the professional baseball system that extends from coast to coast, haven’t lost hope of earning one more at-bat and one more big check.

One hot streak. One unfortunate injury for someone else. That’s all it would take.

However, both players also understand that the end of their baseball careers is fast approaching.

"If you’re 30 and not in the big leagues, you’re old," Aldridge said. "If you’re in the big leagues and 30, you get a 10-year deal."

Aldridge, taken by Atlanta in the fourth round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft, shrugged.

"I play because I like playing," he said. "I can’t say I love the game. The business part is not good. If you put in a full year in the big leagues and stay healthy, you have a chance."

Aldridge, who turns 33 this month, completely understands the business side of professional baseball. He played with the Bees in 2010, went looking for a big payday and played with the Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization.

Unless a player is a high draft choice with bonus money or a part of a major league team’s 40-man roster, typically, the Triple-A paycheck is $2,150 per month plus the $25 per day in meal money.

Aldridge enjoyed the Korean culture, the food and the people. Until he injured his shoulder, he was putting up good numbers. He wound up with 20 homers.

Wanting to return to the States, Aldridge signed with Baltimore. However, he was among several minor league free agents the Orioles released during spring training. He found a team in Mexico City but soon wanted out, and his agent worked out a deal that returned him to the Los Angeles Angels organization.

"Experiences are not why I play," Aldridge said. "I like Salt Lake. It’s a great city. But I don’t play to see Salt Lake. I play for the opportunity to go back to the big leagues or to make money in Asia.

"[Baseball] is a lucrative industry; unless you’re in the big leagues, you have to go overseas to make money."

So, Aldridge seeks more at-bats in order to produce the kinds of numbers that would be attractive to the Angels or a professional team in Japan, South Korea or Taiwan.

While Aldridge plans to keep chasing the baseball mother lode, the 31-year-old McAnulty is preparing for the end.

Originally a 2002 draft pick of the San Diego Padres, McAnulty, is close to earning his college degree online. "I play the game because I love it," said McAnulty, who calls himself a good-natured "dirt bag" from Long Beach State. "I’ve been playing a long time. As long as a I can keep playing, I’ll be perfectly happy. If this is my last year, hey, you know what? I’ve had a great career."

McAnulty likes to say that you have to be pretty good to suck in the major leagues. He can look at his big league numbers honestly — 47 hits in 234 at-bats with six homers and 23 runs batted in.

McAnulty batted .344 for Portland in 2005 and made his major league debut on June 22, 2005. On Sept. 6, 2006, McNaulty beat Colorado with a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. He has one call-up in two-plus seasons at Salt Lake, hitting one home run in 24 plate appearances.

With Salt Lake, McAnulty tries to set the same professional example afforded him by others when he was a mouthy, cocky kid. McAnulty eavesdrops on coaches, asks questions and continues his never-ending baseball education, even though he knows time is running short.

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