(Sports Illustrated)In the full galaxy of sports, we can all admit that baseball isn't as sexy as some of its peers. But you know what's sexy? Money. And according to the Fortunate 50, Sports Illustrated's annual list of the top-paid U.S. athletes, baseball players are stacking up the dough.
The list — this year's update was released Wednesday — combines salary, winnings, bonuses and endorsements. Of the 50 athletes on it, 25 are baseball players. That means the MLB is batting a cool .500. That number is up from 19 last year.
Baseball players making monster money isn't exactly news, but it is interesting to see baseball players outnumber football players 25-7, when football is without question the more popular sport. There are many issues at hand beyond mere popularity — baseball's lack of a salary cap being No. 1 on the list, baseball players being more identifiable on the field being another — but it's still an interesting fact.
Here's the list of baseball players on the Fortunate 50 with their ranking and pay breakdown, as calculated by SI:
(9) Alex Rodriguez | Total: $29.9 million (endorsements: $900,000)
(10) Zack Greinke | Total: $29.02 million (endorsements: $20,000)
(13) Johan Santana | Total: $26.3 million (endorsements: $800,000)
(14) Felix Hernandez | Total: $25.6 million (endorsements: $600,000)
(17) Cliff Lee | Total: $25.28 million (endorsements: $280,000)
(19) Derek Jeter | Total: $25.1 million (endorsements: $8.1 million)
(20) Joe Mauer | Total: $25 million (endorsements: $2 million)
(22) C.C. Sabathia | Total: $24 million (endorsements: $1 million)
(23) Prince Fielder | Total: $23.5 million (endorsements: $500,000)
(25) Ryan Howard | Total: $23.2 million









