MLB Internships: How to Hit a Career Home Run in Professional Baseball

If you want to have a Major League Baseball career, it all starts with MLB internships. Once you lock in an internship, you become a league insider and can build relationships better. 

MLB internships are trials for full-time roles, in a sense. They are important chances to demonstrate the skills you currently have and how quickly you can add to them. If your end goal is to become an MLB executive, you may be annoyed by some of your duties as an intern. Typically, though, general managers and other decision-makers had to perform those same tasks while building their careers.

There are various paid internships in the summer and fall for college undergraduates wanting to break into big-league baseball. You can even apply for MLB Network internships if you are interested in media. Do not expect to find much in the way of an MLB virtual internship, though: teams will want you to be physically present.

Top Tips to Scoring a Major League Baseball Internship. 

Below are tips for obtaining an MLB internship.

Tip #1. You need some college. 

You have to go to college for at least two years to get MLB internships with a specific team or league itself. You can get an internship in your degree track, such as in corporate sales, marketing, public relations, or law. When filling out the MLB internship application, you are asked to identify the department that interests you and why you are a strong candidate. 

Tip #2. Be open.

Since these positions are so difficult to get, many students also apply for internships in minor league and college teams. Especially if you are interested in working in the MLB, minor-league jobs can be great stepping stones. Since it is so competitive to get positions within Major League Baseball, be open to a minor league baseball internship and minor league jobs as you develop your career.

Tip #3. Reach out well in advance. 

It is ideal to apply for internships with MLB teams in the fall. That way, you are out in advance of the other applicants since, typically, teams start hiring for MLB summer internships in January. Reach out to the HR director or department head at that point. 

Tip #4. Network with lower-level professionals.

It can be a waste of time to try to make headway with a team’s president or general manager. Focus on people who are farther down the hierarchy if you want to get noticed. Connecting with those individuals is great because they will often have more time to talk and might be directly involved in hiring.

Tip #5. Prepare with similar work.

Especially if you are not majoring in work performed by a department, it can help get related work experience to give yourself a better chance. Get a job in the field that you want to work within the MLB. Get marketing experience if you want MLB jobs in marketing, for instance. If the operations side of baseball better fits your skills and preference, look for baseball operations internships.

Tip #6. Prepare for a long path. 

You want to be careful about keeping your full ambition in check when interviewing for and working on any MLB internships. Some front-office pro baseball officials say that voicing too much interest in moving on from a lower-level position to something more glamorous is seen as a red flag.

Whatever the tasks are of your internship, you want to conduct yourself with a great work ethic and enthusiasm. Since baseball internships can turn into MLB careers, your goal is to leverage your internship to demonstrate your excellence. The season can feel long, so come ready to prove your endurance.

Tip #7. Be modest yet confident.

Be careful to express your knowledge of the game so that you do not come across as a know-it-all. It is a difficult balance to show that you have learned everything you can about the game and are also ready to learn more.

Those who hire interns will want to see the same commitment to learning that current MLB employees exhibit. If you can display that you have learned baseball skills and are dedicated to developing your knowledge, you will give yourself a better shot at scoring an internship.

Tip #8. Passion is not everything.

Everyone who wants to get an internship in baseball loves the game. An assistant general manager at a Division I school said that when he asked the players how many of them loved the sport, they all raised their hands. The moral of the story is, Find other ways to stand out.

Tip #9. Make yourself compelling.

Develop real, practical business skills that make you a compelling individual to hire. For instance, become a computer programming wizard specializing in Python or R. You could also develop strong bilingual communications capabilities by enhancing your English and Spanish knowledge.

Tip #10. Get connected.

Finally, you will need to know as many people as possible to excel in an MLB career. At JobsInSports.com, our Network offers a chance to connect with nearly 14,000 sports industry professionals. Join for free today and start making connections.