It's true, and off the point, that we reward entertainers, including athletes, at a very high rate. The reason for that is people buy tickets to see them. But to say a person shouldn't use his natural talent to better himself is ridiculous. Some people are good at math, some speak well, some are capable of more complex thought.
But to say this ballplayer was simply "lucky" (or any successful entertainer, scientist, businessman, etc.) is also ridiculous. It ignores the many long hours of very difficult work that anyone has to do in order to be successful, even when they have a natural talent. That guy wouldn't have even been on the field had he not worked his ass off to improve himself.
One of the liberal lies is that people are only successful if they are lucky. Bullshit. In certain circumstances, like being born to Henry Ford, JD Rockefeller, etc. then maybe, yes. But most of the very successful people got there by working hard and taking chances others were unwilling to take.
Now, do we pay our entertainers too much? That's another thread.