Savannah Bananas: How much do the players earn? Details on salary and league revealed

The Savannah Bananas, on their World Tour, are at the iconic Fenway Park in Boston on Saturday.

Updated on: Aug 2, 2025, 05:28:22 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The Savannah Bananas, on their World Tour, are at the iconic Fenway Park in Boston on Saturday. ESPN is televising the game nationally and sports fans have several questions to ask: ‘Are the Savannah Bananas a legitimate team?’ ‘What league do they play in?’, ‘Do their players get paid?’

Savannah Bananas perform a routine during a game against the Party Animals at Memorial Stadium (Getty Images via AFP)

Are the Savannah Bananas a Real Team?

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia, playing at Grayson Stadium. They are not a traditional competitive team but a professional entertainment-focused squad, often compared to the Harlem Globetrotters for their theatrical Banana Ball format, which includes choreographed dances, fan engagement, and unique rules like a two-hour time limit, no bunting, and fan-caught foul balls counting as outs.

Founded in 2016, they have transitioned from a collegiate summer team to a professional touring team.

What League Are They In?

From 2016 to 2022, the Savannah Bananas competed in the Coastal Plain League (CPL), a collegiate summer baseball league for NCAA-eligible players using wood bats, based in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. They won three Petitt Cup Championships (2016, 2021, 2022).

In August 2022, the Bananas left the CPL to focus exclusively on Banana Ball, forming the Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL), a barnstorming exhibition league. The BBCL includes five teams: the Savannah Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, and Visitors, playing under Banana Ball rules.

The Bananas primarily face the Party Animals, with games designed for entertainment.

Do Their Players Get Paid, and How Much?

Since transitioning to a professional team in 2022, all players in the Banana Ball Championship League (Bananas, Party Animals, Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters, Visitors) receive full-year contracts, unlike their unpaid collegiate CPL days.

Exact salaries are not publicly disclosed, but multiple sources provide estimates:

CBS News and Forbes reported Bananas players earn ‘significantly more’ than typical minor-league salaries, but less than MLB rookie minimums.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

Sports

Catch all the latest Sports News, scores, and highlights in one place. Stay updated with real-time coverage of your favorite games and athletes along with Lionel Messi latest updates.