For any baseball player who reaches the pinnacle of the sport, their reward is a stratospheric paycheque most of us could never imagine.

Any player to spend a full season in Major League Baseball (MLB) will earn a minimum of $US563,500 ($817,000), while the average salary is $US4.36 million ($6.32 million), but those figures are dwarfed by the potential earnings of the sport's elite.

Early in 2019, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout penned a 12-year contract worth $US420 million ($609 million), while earlier this month superstar pitcher Gerrit Cole signed a deal with the New York Yankees that will earn him a record $US36 million ($52 million) per season — as long as he shaves his beard.

But the reality for many of the thousands of professional players striving to make it to the big leagues is much harsher — and it is a struggle lived by dozens of Australians each year, as they chase their dream of fame and fortune in the MLB.

Salaries in what are known as the minor leagues, a pyramid of competitions below the MLB where young players strive to climb the ladder, are often below the poverty line.

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In a multi-billion-dollar industry, many annual pay packets are smaller than those earned by workers at fast food restaurants — so low in fact that some have to retire because they cannot afford to play anymore.

Some players struggle to get enough meals in a day and many have to share tiny apartments with several teammates during the season, and spend their off-seasons living with their parents and working second jobs.

And that is all while playing in one of the most gruelling environments in the world, with mammoth bus rides around North America to play as many as 144 games in just five months — not including post-season or spring training.

Life on a $10,000 salary

WA-born infielder Robbie Glendinning has spent three years climbing up the minor league ladder since he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB organisation, finishing the most recent season two levels below the big leagues.

For Glendinning, a 24-year-old infielder who also plays in the Australian Baseball League (ABL) with the Perth Heat, his professional career is a dream come true — but it comes with plenty of challenges.

Glendinning has already represented his country on the road to Major League Baseball. ( Supplied: SMP Images/baseball.com.au )

"Players get a signing bonus but you don't get a chance to save it because you're only making $US7,000 ($10,000) per year, so you have to live off that bonus," Glendinning said.

"It is just added stress and you really don't need that when you are trying to perform."

Few people know that struggle better than Glendinning's manager at the Heat, Brooke Knight, who has spent decades coaching players in similar positions.

Perth Heat manager Brooke Knight has seen the minor league struggle first-hand. ( ABC News: West Matteeussen )

"It is peanuts," Knight said of minor league pay packets.

"In 1995 we had five guys in a trailer and only four beds, so I slept on the couch the whole season.

"For guys who have a minor league career of eight to 10 years then get out, they don't have a pot to piss in and they are starting life on tape delay when it ends."

Struggle not just about money

Minor league players do not get paid during their off-season, forcing them to get jobs in areas like retail or fast food during the North American winter.

Perth Heat outfielder Jordan Qsar (right) is playing down under in a bid to realise his MLB dream. ( Supplied: SMP Images/baseball.com.au )

"For a guy [who only gets a small signing bonus] it is pretty much a guarantee that you are going to have to live with your parents and get a job in the off-season," said Jordan Qsar, an American outfielder affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays, who hoped to boost his chances of making the majors by playing for the Perth Heat this summer.

"We're chasing a dream, it is not all about the money, but it would certainly be nice to have a little more in the pocket."

Qsar says getting a job in the off-season is not unusual for minor league players. ( ABC News: West Matteeussen )

But it is not just the finances that have an impact.

Baseball's schedule is gruelling in a way few other sports can match, with teams playing almost every day.

For minor leaguers, that can mean long bus rides at ungodly hours travelling across North America.

"One time we had a game that didn't finish until 12:00am, [then] had a 13-hour bus ride through the night and played the next day," Glendinning said.

"If you don't get your own seat on the bus, you might have to lie on the floor to get some sleep."

The 'Save America's Pastime Act'

Pay and conditions for minor league players have come under growing scrutiny within baseball in recent years, but the prospect of major change any time soon looks slim.

Last year, the US Congress passed a bill called the Save America's Pastime Act after heavy lobbying from the MLB and its clubs.

It would cost the 30 MLB teams just $US8.1 million to cover a $US300 per month pay rise for every minor league player. ( AP: Frank Franklin II )

It guaranteed players the minimum wage based on a 40-hour work week, but mandated that they would not receive any overtime pay — a crucial clause given the massive hours minor leaguers put in.

They will still not receive any pay during the off-season, so it guarantees a monthly salary of just $US1,160 ($1,680) for only six months of the year.

The argument was that significant wage increases could send major league teams who paid those salaries into major financial trouble — despite clubs and the league raking in around $10 billion ($14.5 billion) in revenue every year.

A $US300 per month pay rise for every minor leaguer would cost just $US8.1 million between the 30 MLB teams.

Minor league grind, major league dream

Dozens of young Australian players will return to North America early in the new year, chasing a life-changing call-up to the majors.

A total of 33 Australians have made it to baseball's top level and for some it has brought enormous wealth.

A 12-year career earned pitcher Grant Balfour more than $US20 million ($29 million), while Perth-born Liam Hendriks is expected to earn about $US5.5 million ($8 million) next year after a breakout season.

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For youngsters like Glendinning, the prospect of a dream MLB call-up is more than enough to push through the minor league grind.

"It would mean everything to call my parents back home and have them hop on a flight to see me," Glendinning said.

"You think about it a lot and it would make all the hard work worth it."