Retired Major League Baseballer needs advice

HI! I am a soon to be retired Major League Baseball player, looking for insight regarding my career prospects.

I graduated from a top 20 undergrad business program with a B.S. in Finance. For the last 5 years i have been playing professional baseball, and in 2015 I pitched in the major leagues. My career was extremely promising (high draft pick, all star in the minor leagues, low ERA in the majors, etc...) , but sadly at the age of 26 injuries have completely ended my career.

I'm wondering how my unique life experience will be perceived in the job market. My dream is to work in either investment banking, PE or some sort of financial consulting. I have been told by numerous people that my experience as an athlete is a huge positive and carries significant weight on a resume. I hope this to be true, but am unsure. Baseball has been something I have completely dedicated my life to in the past 7 years or so. It has given me some amazing experiences and looking back I can say I wouldn't trade it for anything. Unfortunately my obsession with my possible baseball career distracted me from actually trying in college. I finished undergrad with a 3.1 GPA. Not good, but certainly not bad compared to my teammates and your average athlete.

I would love to hear what you guys have to say. Is it possible for me to enter the finance/banking field in my current situation? Or, would I be better suited pursuing an MBA first? I have been contemplating this, but would rather not go back to school if I don't have to. Luckily I have a pretty good amount of money saved up right now, so income in the next 5 years or so is not important to me and I would be able to afford any B-school without loans. What is the play to get my foot in the door and get started with a career in banking? I am hungry and will do whatever it takes if it is possible.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Yeah absolutely you see former athletes pop up all the time in finance and professional/college baseball experience is definitely a plus. It will help you network with alums big-time because everyone loves college sports and its just interesting to grab lunch with a former mlb player.

Former athletes college or pro tend to end up in entry-level sales and trading desks because they value the competitive instinct of an athlete and s&t interns generally just sit there and watch the action/get coffee.

Sorry to hear about your injuries and good luck on the job hunt. Try to use linkedin to find former pro/college athletes at firms you are interested in and reach out to them.

 

Not sure what the pay is but have you given any thought to trying to be an analyst at one of the sports networks? If you were to "hit it off" with the audience that would be a pretty sweet opportunity it seems.

 

You will do well. I interned with an ex MLB pro with a very similar background (top draft pick, big $ contract, but promising pitching career ended due to injury)

He ended up at a top b school and a great internship. Had his pick of full time offers. Recruiters will love the background because they can all appreciate the hard work getting to your position.

 
ToWhomItMayConcern:
My advice would be wealth management, some of the most successful advisors in my office are ex-athletes and you certainly do not need an MBA to get started. If you have some money saved up and do not mind sales, seems like the perfect spot for you.

lol it's the perfect spot for him and you don't know if he likes sales

very few people thrive at sales

I suck at sales

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Thanks for the MS, guys. I can't tell this guy what I want to tell him, which I think will be helpful, without outing him. I'd rather not, hence the request to start a private chain.

"Son, life is hard. But it's harder if you're stupid." - my dad
 

I've got a buddy in my MBA class who was a pro Football player. He's doing an internship at an Investment Bank and had an internship offer faster than most of the other students in the class.

Quick story:

Last year, those who were interested in high finance went around and visited banks and Asset Management companies in Chi and NYC. There was always a point were you had to introduce yourself and give a little bit about your background to make people actually interested in hearing questions from you.

It was pretty hard to beat "Hi, I'm ******* and I was a Pro NFL linebacker."

 
YungMonc:
If you have money, why would you get a job like everyone else does to support themselves?

Start a company. Become an investor. You have a ton of options.

Because this guy wants to become an MD and crank out 7 figures for the next 30 years

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Guessing he is ~27 Post MBA-> Associate, 30. VP, 32-34 Principal/Director, 35-37 Managing Director, 38-41

You think this guy wants to be working in banking until he's 68????

Plus majority of MDs do not make 7 figure salaries, even at bulge brackets (common misconception). And they still work like hell (think during vacation, 9pm nights with 3 kids, travelling every week, etc.)

Doesn't sound like the best path for an ex-athlete to me. As I said, start a business with saved $$ and gain some passive income

 

It will probably be a good transition for you to go Top 10 MBA. You'll refresh your skills and will be able to get a better position than just applying now. You might still have to study for the GMAT pretty hard to have a chance at H/S/W. I think you have good chances overall at going anywhere.

Also, a shot in the dark, not sure if you know Brett Gardner, but his cousin works in NYC in M&A IB as a VP and lovesss baseball.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Dolores voluptates labore recusandae adipisci vitae. Fuga sit dolorem dolor quasi eos nihil cumque. Voluptate quis aut accusamus architecto quas pariatur tenetur. Magnam aut quas et neque nobis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”