Under the protection of Major League Baseball's ("MLB") long-standing antitrust exemption, Minor League Baseball ("MiLB") has continually redefined and reshaped itself based on the general needs of baseball needs. But while MLB salaries have increased dramatically since MLB's reserve clause was broken in 1975, minor league player salaries have not followed suit. On February 7, 2014, a group of minor league players led by former minor leaguer Aaron Senne filed a class action complaint against MLB and three MLB clubs for alleged violations of minimum wage and hour laws. According to the complaint, most minor leaguers earn between $3,000 and $7,500 working between fifty and seventy hours per week during the five-month season. The wage and hour violations alleged in the complaint allege that MLB has "conspired not to pay any wages for significant periods of minor leaguers' work," including during instructional periods such as spring training, instructional leagues and winter training. But unlike forty years ago, the escalation in competition for opportunities and the need for necessary winter education leaves players with little time to earn an income outside of baseball activities. Senne has raised interesting theories about minor league compensation. Most MLB clubs have around two hundred active players in their farm systems at any given time, spread across seven to nine minor league affiliates. But none of these players earn an annual salary above the national poverty line of $11,670 for a one-person household. When daily meal allowances of $25 per day for the approximately two hundred day season are included, players in the AAA and AA levels barely make it above the poverty line. line, while the players in A, Short Season A and Roo...... middle of the card...... difficult to manage. Figure 3 Cutting two leagues would save clubs over $600,000 per year in player expenses alone (see figure 3). And while there are many benefits to adopting the NHL model when it comes to retaining draft rights, having more players in college would decrease the number of players in the lower minors and decrease the amount of competition. Having college baseball effectively replace the lower minor league levels will eliminate the need for these levels and give MLB a way to offset the costs of increased salaries. in court. But by drawing on what has worked elsewhere, MLB can lead the way. By proactively improving the minor leagues, MLB can both address the legitimate concerns of plaintiffs and make life better for their young talent.