Astros' postseason share announced
Club votes to issue 53 full shares, 8 1/2 partial shares and nine cash awards
HOUSTON -- To the victors go the spoils. And the money.
The Astros, who beat the Yankees in the American League Wild Card Game before losing to the eventual World Series champion Royals in the AL Division Series in five games, will split a players' pool of $2,271,169.85 between the players, coaches and staff as a result of their October playoff run.
In information released Monday by Major League Baseball, the Astros voted to issue 53 full shares of $36,783.25, as well as 8 1/2 partial shares and nine cash awards.
The players' pool is formed from 50 percent of the gate receipts from the Wild Card Games; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first three games of the Division Series; 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the League Championship Series; and 60 percent of the gate receipts from the first four games of the World Series.
The breakdown of the shares is voted upon by the players, and those players who were on the team the entire season will receive a full share. Players who weren't with the team the entire season and other members of the staff, including coaches and trainers, could get anywhere from a full share to a cash award, depending on the players' vote.
The players' pool was divided among the 10 postseason clubs: the two World Series participants, the two League Championship Series runners-up, the four Division Series runners-up and the two runners-up in the Wild Card Games. The 2015 players' pool was a record total of $69,882,149.26, topping the previous high of $65,363,469.22 of 2012.
The Royals, who beat the Mets in the World Series, had a players' pool of $25,157,573.73, with the value of each of full share at $370,069.03. The Mets' players' pool was $16,771,715.82, with full shares totaling $300,757.78.
The average share value for the Mets was a record high for a World Series runner-up, eclipsing $291,667.68 for the 2006 AL champion Detroit Tigers. Last year's share amounts were an all-time record $388,605.94 for the 2014 World Series champion San Francisco Giants and $230,699.73 for the 2014 AL champion Royals.