Baseball Rings Are More Than Just Memorabilia

When Philadelphia Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski carried a list of names into owner John Middleton’s office last winter, the club executive decided that each and every player who accrued major league service time for the 2022 National League champions would receive a World Series ring. It wouldn’t matter if they never appeared on the field. That meant Hans Crouse, who played just one inning of baseball in the majors that season. It meant Scott Kingery, who spent most of his NL career at Triple A. It meant Jeff Singer, who was called up to the majors for one game before being released later that summer.

Major League Baseball contributes about $1,500 toward the cost of a championship ring for each player, coach and executive on the winning team. From there, teams can create a unique design for the rings—which are typically made by jewelers like Jostens, Tiffany & Co., Dieges & Clust and L.G. Balfour Company—that they present to players and staff early in the following season.

While they aren’t cheap, these rings can be quite valuable. The value is a function of their intrinsic value and the fact that they are often cherished sports memorabilia. For example, Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring was auctioned off for $2,093,927.

But there’s also a lot of personal value that comes with a championship ring. It’s not just something to adorn the hands, but it’s a symbol of victory that is cherished throughout a career. And in the case of Dusty Baker, it checked off the final box on his Hall of Fame resume.