Josh Harris

MLB players can travel more than 40,000 air miles in a single season. Behind the scenes to how MLB players travel: The average series for an MLB team lasts three games. After that, it is on to a new city to kick off another three-game series. So, how do MLB players cover 40,000 air miles, 10+ states, and countless hotels while still performing? - Travel Every MLB team flies on either a chartered plane or a team-owned plane. To my knowledge, the only team-owned aircraft in MLB still belongs to the Detroit Tigers. The rest of the MLB teams charter commercial airliners to travel players from one city to the next. These planes are not all created equal. Some are fully decked out with first-class seats and card tables.  Some are your standard commercial jets with a handful of first-class seats. Often you can look at a team's payroll and figure out who is getting what features. - Hotels The collective bargaining agreement between MLB teams and players has stipulations as to what type of hotels players can stay in. The terminology is "first class" hotels but this can vary by city and team. One constant is the 24-hour room service being available. Players are often arriving in the late evening or early morning hours looking to refuel and room service availability is at the top of the list. The interesting part is not every team stays at the same hotel. Some look for a "first class" budget while some go all out.  Some defer to top player's requests if they prefer one hotel over another. Again look at a team's payroll and you can usually tell which option they are choosing. - Extras MLB teams are full of 20-30-year-old alpha males. MLB staff is full of highly trained team members doing everything in their power to keep players healthy on long travel trips. One is focused on camaraderie and enjoying the last win and the other is trying to keep them on the field. A few travel extras: Nutrition supplementation is always encouraged by the training staff. Players often arrive at hotels with a 7/11-style spread set out with nutrition drinks, protein bars, and snacks. Post-game meals often come from high-end steak houses or top restaurants. Top players have "suite language" in their contracts that provide them with the best rooms. - The travel schedule for an MLB player is no joke. Yet the teams that often create the closest bonds build those on roundtrips. From card games on the plane to team dinners on off days, the road is where camaraderie is built. Bookmark this to save it for later and follow me @TheJacobTurner for more at the intersection of sports and money.