Many professional athletes choose non-traditional higher education routes, preferring rigorous training over academic chops.
Take Naomi Osaka. She was homeschooledto accommodate her training schedule, and skipped higher education. Virat Kohli, one of the greatest Indian cricketers of all time, completed only class 12 and forwent higher education to focus on cricket.
But what about MLB players, especially the top and highest-paid baseball players?
Well, the Study International team did a bit of digging and compiling to give you these results.
Table of contents:
- The education of the top MLB players
- The education of the highest-paid MLB players
- Who are the MLB players who actually attended university?
The education of the top MLB players
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Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)
Education:
- Colleyville Heritage High School
Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)
Education:
- Kingman Academy of Learning
- Seattle University (Bachelor’s degree in Finance)
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Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Education:
- El Toro High School in California
- United States Air Force Academy (Bachelor’s in Chemistry)
- Louisiana State University (Bachelor’s in Chemistry — transferred for junior year)
Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners)
Education:
- Smoky Mountain High School
- Florida State University (Bachelor’s degree in Business Entrepreneurship)
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Garret Crochet (Boston Red Sox)
Education:
- Ocean Springs High School in Mississippi
- University of Tennessee (Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering)
Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners)
Education:
- Unknown
Julio Rodriguez left home at 14 for a baseball academy in Santiago de Los Caballeros after completing a bulk of his secondary education. At 16, he was signed by the Seattle Mariners.
The education of the highest-paid MLB players
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Juan Soto (New York Mets)
Education:
- Dropped out of high school
- Nationals’ Dominican Academy (to learn English)
Mike Trout
Education:
- Lakeside Middle School
- Millville Senior High School
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Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Education:
- Anetai Elementary School
- Mizusawa Minami Middle School
- Hanamaki Higashi High School
Mookie Bett
Education:
- John Overton High School
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Vladimir Guerrero (Toronto Blue Jays)
Education:
- Limited formal education
Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
Education:
- Linden High School
- California State University, Fresno
Manny Machado
Education:
- Brito Miami Private High School
Vladimir Guerrero dropped out of school after fifth grade in the Dominican Republic to work in the fields to help support his family.
Who are the MLB players who actually attended university?
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Jordan Montgomery (Texas Rangers)
Education:
- Sumter High School
- University of South Carolina
Harrison Bader (San Francisco Giants)
Education:
- Horace Mann School
- University of Florida (Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, Media and Society)
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Chris Taylor (Los Angeles Angels)
Education:
- Great Neck Middle School
- Frank W. Cox High School
- University of Virginia
Marcus Stroman (New York Yankees)
Education:
- Patchogue-Medford High School
- Duke University (Bachelor’s degree in Sociology)
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Sean Manaea (New York Mets)
Education:
- South Central Junior-Senior High School
- Andrean High School
- Indiana State University (Bachelor’s degree in Management)
Matt Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals)
Education:
Lawrence E. Elkins High School
- Texas Christian University (Bachelor’s degree in Communications)
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Tommy Edman (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Education:
- La Jolla Country Day School
- Stanford University (Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical and Computational Science)
Cal Quantrill (Texas Rangers)
Education:
- Trinity College School
- Stanford University (Bachelor’s degree in Management Science and Engineering)
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Jonah Bride (Texas Rangers)
Education:
- Owasso High School
- Neosho County Community College
- University of South Carolina (Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Entertainment Management)
Kevin Gausman
Education:
- Grandview High School
- Louisiana State University (Bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration, Leadership)
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