Born Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla, he is a retired American baseball player in Major League Baseball who played in the major leagues from 1986 to 2001.
In this article, we will cover Bobby Bonilla’s net worth, early life, personal life, career, and many more. Read the full article below to know everything about him, from Bobby Bonilla’s net worth to his personal life.
What Is the Net Worth of Bobby Bonilla?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the estimated net worth of Bobby Bonilla is around $20 million which he majorly earned throughout the course of this 16-year-long career. In 1997, he won the World Series against the Florida Marlins.
During the 1990 season, he also led the league in extra-base hits, and the next year he led the league in doubles. Apart from that he took part in 6 MLB All-Star Games and took home 3 Silver Slugger Awards.
After taking a dig into his net worth, let us take a dig into Bobby Bonilla’s childhood and early life.
Early Life
Bonilla was born on April 9, 1963, in New York City and grew up playing baseball while attending high school prior to graduating during the early 80s.
Following his leaving high school, he wasn’t selected during the 1981 Major League Baseball draft, leading him to attend the New York Institute of Technology to get a degree in computer science. Though apparently, the Pittsburgh Pirates spotted him just after one semester, and he worked his way through the team’s farm system.
Career Beginnings and Success
Bobby Bonilla earned a lot of net worth from his career but it wasn’t easy at all for him. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates but his career was halted after his right leg was broken during a collision with teammate Bip Roberts.
But then he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox after a year, making his major league debut soon after during the beginning of the 1986 season. But his potential again led The Pirates to reacquire him later in the year.
Though he began as a third baseman, several mistakes led him to switch to the right field. Teaming up with stars like Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, he helped the Pirates to achieve success and ended up bringing several National League East Division titles to the team.
Bobby also became one of the league’s leading batters at the time and won many Silver Slugger Awards.
During the early 90s, after he became a free agent, the Mets signed him the highest, making him the highest-paid player in the league.
He signed a 5-year contract worth $ 29 million at the time. Sadly, his statistics started dropping after joining the Mets and he couldn’t perform well at all. He then spent several years with teams like the Baltimore Orioles, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Florida Marlins before getting back to the New York Mets in 1998.
The disappointment was once again seen during his last term at the Mets for which he was extensively criticized by fans and the media.
Apparently, it started appearing like he didn’t care anymore which became even more clear when he continued to stay in the clubhouse playing cards with Rickey Henderson whilst the Mets were defeated by the Braves in 1999. Bobby signed his famous contract at this time. As per the contract, The Mets still owed him $5.9 million and they agreed to defer the payment in exchange for yearly installments through 2035.
He later spent his last few years with the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, but by this point, he couldn’t achieve that level of success as compared to his earlier career. He announced his retirement from baseball in 2001 after complaining of injuries and decreased playing time. Even though facing a lot of ups and downs throughout his career, Bobby Bonilla earned considerable net worth.
Career Earnings
Bobby earned nearly $52 million in salary from 7 different teams throughout his career. In 1992 he signed a contract with the NY Mets, becoming the highest-paid baseball player in the league and one of the highest-paid athletes worldwide.
His last contract with The Mets allowed him to earn around $1.2 million for twenty-five years from 2011 to 2035. He also earns $250,000 annually as part of a 1994 deal with The Mets worth $1.45 million. This has contributed majorly to building Bobby Bonilla’s net worth.
The Bernie Madoff Connection
Why would The Mets agree to pay a lot more than $5.9 million? Well, during that period The Mets organization’s finances, under the direction of owner Fred Wilpon, were extremely invested with Bernie Madoff. As such, The Mets were habituated to making double-digit returns annually.
The Mets did the calculation that even at an 8% return, they would still earn a profit of $60 million on the deferment. And $60 million over time is approximately exactly double $29.8 million.
Sadly, as we all know now, Bernie Madoff’s double-digit profits were a huge Ponzi scheme. This scheme would apparently cost Wilpon $700 million in person. But they are still on the hook for Bobby’s deal through 2035.
Bobby Bonilla earned a good fortune and net worth despite not playing a single match since 2001. Stay tuned to our website to get all the latest updates.