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American sports agent (born 1952) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scott Dean Boras (born November 2, 1952) is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, California, that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients.
Scott Boras | |
|---|---|
Boras in 2019 | |
| Born | Scott Dean Boras November 2, 1952 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of the Pacific (PharmD, JD) |
| Occupation | Sports agent |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Employer | Boras Corporation (CEO) |
| Website | www |
Since 2013, Forbes magazine has named Boras the "Most Powerful Sports Agent in the World."[1] In 2019 and 2022, contracts signed by his clients totaled more than $1 billion in the month of December.[2] In 2024, Boras negotiated the largest contract in sports history ($765 million).[3]
Boras was born in Sacramento[4] and grew up in Elk Grove, California, the son of a dairy farmer.[5] He attended the University of the Pacific and made the baseball team as a walk on. He led the team with a .312 batting average in 1972.[6] As of 2009, Boras was in the top 10 in school history in multiple offensive categories.[6] Boras was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995,[7] and the baseball team's annual "Most Improved Player" award is named in his honor.[8] Following his college career, Boras played four years of minor league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs organizations.[9] Boras made the Florida State League All-Star team in 1976,[10] but knee problems shortened his career and he retired with a career batting average of .288.[9] Boras received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific in 1977.[11]
Following his playing career, Boras returned to the University of the Pacific, earning his Juris Doctor degree from the university's McGeorge School of Law in 1982.[12] After law school, Boras worked as an associate in the pharmaceutical defense department of the Chicago firm Rooks, Pitts & Poust (now Dykema Gossett), defending drug companies against class-action lawsuits.[13]
Boras's start as an agent came representing Manny Trillo, a former major league second baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and other teams, and Bill Caudill, a former minor league teammate and closer for the Seattle Mariners, both of whom now work for Boras.[11][14] By 1980, he had decided his calling was as a baseball agent.[15] In 1983, Boras negotiated one of the largest contracts in baseball history, $7.5 million for Caudill; and not long afterward, Boras left his law firm job to represent players full time.[16]
Today, Boras is the president and owner of the Boras Corporation, a baseball-only sports agency.[17] In 2014, the Boras Corporation was named by Forbes magazine as the most valuable single-sport agency in the world.[18]
Boras and his company Boras Corporation have become known for record-setting contracts for their free agent and amateur draft clients.[19] Boras was the first baseball agent to negotiate contracts in excess of $50 million: Greg Maddux, five years, $57.5 million in 1997;[20] $100 million Kevin Brown, seven years, $105 million in 1998;[21] and $200 million Alex Rodriguez, 10 years, $252 million in 2000.[22]
Boras has represented many of the elite players in each year's amateur draft and been a strong advocate for increasing player compensation.[19] Boras' first record-setting contract for a drafted player was $150,000 for Tim Belcher in 1983.[23] Since then, Boras clients regularly pushed draft compensation higher, starting with $247,500 for Andy Benes in 1988; a $1.01 million guarantee for Ben McDonald in 1989, including a $350,000 bonus; a $1.2 million guarantee, including a $500,000 bonus for Todd Van Poppel in 1990; $1.55 million for Brien Taylor in 1991;[11][24] continuing through $8.5 million for J. D. Drew in 1998 and $9.5 million for Mark Teixeira in 2001.[25] In 2009, Boras clients broke several draft records, led by Stephen Strasburg, who surpassed the $15 million barrier with the largest contract in draft history at that time with $15.1 million; Donavan Tate, who received the largest signing bonus ever given to a high school player at $6.25 million; and Jacob Turner, who received the largest signing bonus ever given to a high school pitcher at $4.7 million.[26][27]
The Boras Corporation operates out of a $20 million, 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2), two-story, glass-and-steel building in Newport Beach, California.[28] Subsidiary companies include Boras Marketing, which does memorabilia, marketing, and endorsements;[29] and the Boras Sports Training Institute for strength/conditioning and sports psychology.[30] Many of the 75-person staff are former major leaguers, including Bob Brower, Don Carman, Bill Caudill, Scott Chiamparino, Mike Fischlin, Calvin Murray, Jeff Musselman, Domingo Ramos and Kurt Stillwell. The company has scouts across the United States, Asia and Latin America.[16][28][31][32] Staff also includes an MIT-trained economist, a former NASA computer engineer, three lawyers, five personal trainers, and an investment team, although the firm does not provide investment services for clients. Also on staff is a sports psychologist and a 14-person research staff charged with watching each day's games and reporting to Boras.[33][34]
Here is a list of Boras Corp. notable active clients:
Over the course of his career, Boras has represented hundreds of players on all 30 major league teams and has participated in dozens of high-profile negotiations. Boras' specialty is the record-breaking contract, which he says is the most difficult to achieve because it then provides an "umbrella" from which other players can benefit.[19] Boras is well known for identifying sources of leverage for his clients and using them for the clients' advantage. This has included advising draft picks to return to school instead of signing, taking advantage of the right to go to salary arbitration hearings, and advising superstars to wait for free agency instead of taking "hometown discount" contracts.[39][40] This does not endear him to fans, who regularly side with their favorite teams and not individual players.[41] Boras, however, has said his job is to represent his clients' interests, even if it means weathering public criticism.[42][43][44] Boras' innovative strategies have benefited his clients enough that Major League Baseball has changed its rules in response to his actions on multiple occasions.[45] This has led to descriptions of Boras ranging from "baseball's most hated man" and "baseball's answer to Lord Voldemort" to the man "players can't afford to live without."[46] [47][48][49]
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