Finlete creates unique fan experience while helping players focus on craft

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Finlete creates unique fan experience while helping players focus on craft

Dillon Seckington · WDAF

Thu, Apr 23, 2026 ·

5 min read

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Many Kansas City Royals fans, on the Missouri side of the state line at least, are getting their first taste of betting on their favorite baseball team this season. Some, though, may not realize they've been able to invest in athletes' success before Missouri Amendment Two allowed sports betting in the Show Me State.

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On the platform Finlete , fans can invest in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players' prospective success, much like the stock market.

Here's how it works :

Select a prospect you'd like to invest in– preferably one that you'd expect to make it big in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Buy shares in said prospect through Finlete's SEC-registered broker.
If and when your prospect signs an MLB contract, you earn a fixed percentage of their salary.

For Royals fans, a familiar face tops Finlete's top athletes– right-handed pitcher in the Royals organization, Luinder Avila . With nearly $30,000 invested in Avila's future in Major League Baseball, the 2026 World Baseball Classic champion is the most invested in athlete on Finlete who hasn't yet been fully funded.

So, what's in it for the athletes on Finlete?

Through the money he's been able to make through Finlete investments, Avila says that he's more equipped to take care of his family, making it easier for him to focus on his craft.

"The most important thing is that the financial support that he's been able to receive has helped him help his family, not only back home, but with his young son that was born last year," Avila's agent, Oscar Suarez, said, translating for him. "Knowing that his son and wife are taken care of, it makes it a lot easier for him to pitch and be at peace."

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Suarez, a well-established MLB Players Association agent who's represented the likes of several MLB players, like former Royals pitcher Joakim Soria , said that, at first, he was skeptical of Finlete. However, after he met with co-founder and CEO Rob Connolly, he realized the impact it could have on his player.

"I wasn't big on it," he said. "But then I sat down and met with Rob, and I knew what Luinder's situation is back home in Venezuela, taking care of his mom, taking care of his family there. The money that they're raising for him and giving to him has really helped out at home. From that, it's going to have a minimal impact on his earnings at the big league level."

According to Connolly, that's what Finlete is all about– helping baseball players become better versions of themselves by mitigating the risks they take.

"A lot of them have real families or life struggles that they have to go through, just like everybody. The difference is, with a minor league baseball prospect, they're going to commit 10 years of their life trying to make it to the major leagues if they sign when they're 16, right?" he explained.

"They're going to give everything they've got. We're giving them a chance to just have a backup plan."

Finlete takes a risk on the players just as much as investors do, too. If a player never makes it to the majors, they never have to pay a dollar back. It allows the players to focus on their game instead of whatever personal issues they may be facing.

Connolly also mentioned that the platform allows for a unique fan experience as well. Instead of just being emotionally invested in a team or player, fans can use Finlete to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.

"You're just really rooting for them on a very different level than a normal fan would," he said. "When you try it, you get involved, you start getting the updates for the players, you really feel ike you're part of the family."

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Avila, who, as Connolly mentioned, signed with the Royals when he was just 16, said that there's no pressure. In fact, the number of people who believe in him and his ability to pitch motivates him to work even harder.

"No pressure at all," Suarez said, translating for Avila. "Actually, it motivates him to keep working harder because people are invested in him."

Suarez had similar things to say about Avila and his mindset as well, saying, "He's always had his feet on the ground the three years I've been with him. He's kept his head on straight."

If you'd like to follow Avila's journey on Finlete, or invest in his future, click here .

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Finlete creates unique fan experience while helping players focus on craft

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