An annual survey has ranked the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' payroll as the highest in Japan for the first time, the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association said Monday.
According to the union, which has conducted the survey since 1988, the average salary of union members on the Hawks' 70-man roster this year is ¥69.6 million (roughly $625,000). It is the first time in the survey's history that the Hawks average salary topped Nippon Professional Baseball's 12 teams.
The Hawks, who ended a four-year salary reign by Yomiuri Giants, are the first Pacific League team to top the survey since the Seibu Lions, who were No. 1 from '88 to '94. Since then, the No. 1 ranking had been the sole preserve of the Giants and the Central League's Hanshin Tigers.