Hardball Stitches Reporter: S1 Fat Wallets: The Top 5 Earners in Every Position

Eli Cash - contributing reporter

In the hallowed dugouts and under the bright stadium lights of Hardball Stitches, where mythic plays and crushed dreams converge, there's one question that echoes as much as the crack of a bat: Who's raking it in? Baseball has always been a game of stats, strategy, and style, but in this league of diamond kings, the salaries are as eye-popping as the homerun arcs.

I'm Eli Cash, your loyal chronicle of chaos and lore, here to pull back the curtain on the financial heavyweights of Hardball Stitches. From catches calling shots to outfielder with rocket arms, we're taking a tour through the league's most lucrative contracts by position.

Think of it as a grand expose, equal parts awe and absurdity. Some names you'll expect - icons as unshakeable as the seventh-inning stretch. Others might surprise you, new talent bursting onto the scene with a bat in one hand and checkbook in the other. What drives these numbers? Is it skill, charm, or something more arcane like a fictional budget?

Grab your popcorn, baseball fans, because it's time to see who's cashing in and how they're leaving their mark on Hardball Stitches. Let's get started.

Catcher

$7.5M - Sammy Kelly - Trenton
$6.5M - Benny Le - Tucson
$5.6M - Ellis Curtis - Colorado Springs
$5.0M - Lyle Lush - Los Angeles
$4.2M - Brad Randolph - Salt Lake City

First Base

$8.0M - Rajai Johnstone - Durham
$5.2M - Terrell Robinson - Cleveland
$5.0M - Wayne Pennington - New Orleans
$4.4M - Larry Albers - Colorado Springs
$4.4M - Chick Wood - Trenton

Second Base

$8.5M - Vin Nunez - Syracuse
$8.0M - Mark Harper - Scottsdale
$8.0M - Geoff Munoz - San Antonio
$7.5M - Davey Dawkins - Charlotte
$6.9M - Santiago Tapies - Cleveland

Shortstop

$9.2M - Arquimedes Villanueva - Chicago
$8.3M - Joe Winston - Baltimore
$7.5M - Wilfredo Melendez - Texas
$6.8M - Steve Ricarrdi - Mexico City
$6.8M - Oswaldo Candelaria - Scranton
$6.8M - Junior Gonzalez - Cleveland

Third Base

$11.5M - Alex Martin - Trenton
$9.3M - Jim Smith - Boston
$6.3M - Brendan Craig - Vancouver
$6.0M - Jimmie Lee - Los Angeles
$6.0M - Alexi Chirinos - Montgomery

Leftfield

$9.5M - Rubi Veras - Syracuse
$9.3M - Harry Feliz - San Antonio
$8.8M - Edgar Nunez - Tacoma
$6.5M - Corey Smalley - St. Louis
$6.0M - Walt Swindell - Cleveland
$6.0M - Tex Baxter - Philadelphia
$6.0M - Edgmer Pena - New Orleans

Center Field

$9.8M - Juna Mota - Tacoma
$8.0M - Bump Newsome - Texas
$8.0M - Allie Walls - Mexico City
$7.5M - Zephyr Daly - Scranton
$7.5M - Adrian Sexson - Charlotte

Right Field

$20M - Koji Katou - St. Louis

Our first max contract!

$9.0M - Benji Richardson - Charlotte
$7.0M - AJ Bour - Mexico City
$5.0M - Curt Dunn - Cleveland
$4.6M - Len Priest - St. Louis

Designated Hitter

$5.3M - Benito Gonzales - Montgomery
$3.6M - Tony Gentry - Philadelphia
$3.4M - Mendy King - Vancouver
$3.2M - Cliff Johnson - Boston
$1.5M - Babe Houston - Montgomery

Starting Pitcher

$17.5M - Shae Grossman - Durham
$17.5M - Javier Nieves - Cleveland
$12.0M - Kiki Ozuna - New Orleans
$12.0M - Louie Vizquel - Salt Lake City
$8.0M - Anthony Crow - New Orleans

Relief Pitcher

$13.8M - Armando Ceda - Durham
$8.3M - Bono Grant - Chicago
$7.8M - Vic Mesa - Charlotte
$7.3M - David Gzonales - Salt Lake City
$6.0M - Rico Polanco - Baltimore