The Average Ballplayer Is a Millionaire : Baseball: Major League salaries increase 21%, making the average more than $1 million for the first time. Blue Jays and designated hitters top list.

NEW YORK â€”  The average baseball salary topped $1 million for the first time this season at $1,028,667, the Major League Baseball Players Assn. said Tuesday.

The average rose 21% from last year’s figure of $851,492 and is up 72% from the 1990 average of $597,537. The $153,955 increase was the second highest in baseball history behind the $177,175 rise between the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

The World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays were the highest-paid team, averaging a record $1,719,694, according to figures distributed by the association during its annual board meeting at Boca Raton, Fla.

Oakland, which had the top average last year at $1,394,119, was second at $1,446,650. The Dodgers were third at $1,431,760, followed by the Boston Red Sox at $1,430,586 and the New York Mets at $1,381,298.

The National League champion Atlanta Braves were sixth at $1,280,689, up from $686,340 in 1991, when they were 19th. The Angels had the most dramatic drop, going from third in 1991 at $1,136,798 to 19th at $874,056. Other teams to drop were the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland had the lowest average at $326,537, less than one-fifth of Toronto’s average. The Houston Astros were next-to-last at $556,921.

There were 14 teams averaging $1 million or more last season, up from eight in 1991, the first year any team topped the $1-million figure.

The study found designated hitters were the highest-paid players at an average of $2,415,591, followed by first basemen at $2,270,011. Starting pitchers were next at $1,658,702, followed by catchers ($1,584,654), outfielders ($1,517,606), second basemen ($1,455,143), shortstops ($1,142,552), third basemen ($1,056,778) and relief pitchers ($853,096).

The study was based on the 772 players who were on active rosters or disabled lists on Aug. 31. The overall average was $1,084,408 on opening day, according a study by the Associated Press. The average goes down during the season because older players are released and replaced by younger players with lower salaries.

Management’s Player Relations Committee computed the average at $1,012,424 because it treats signing bonuses differently than the union does.