Bobby Bonilla

Who is Bobby Bonilla? What makes him famous?

Bobby Bonilla is a former player in Major League Baseball of Puerto Rican descent who played in the major leagues from 1986 to 2001.

Through his 16 years in professional baseball, Bonilla accumulated a .279 batting average, with a .358 on-base percentage and a .472 slugging. He was on the Florida Marlins team that won the 1997 World Series. Bonilla led the league in extra-base hits (78) during the 1990 MLB season and doubles (44) during the 1991 MLB season. He also participated in six MLB All-Star Games and won three Silver Slugger Awards.

From 1992 to 1994, Bonilla was the highest-paid player in the major leagues, earning more than $6 million per year. Since 2011, he has been paid approximately $1.19 million by the New York Mets each year and is the poster boy for the mutually beneficial practice among major league teams for deferring contractual payments until well after the player has retired. The payments come every July 1, which some media members refer to as “Bobby Bonilla Day”. This was part of a deal made when the Mets released Bonilla before the 2000 season while still owing him $5.9 million for the final year of his contract. The deal expires in 2035, at which point Bonilla will have been paid $29.8 million for a season in which he did not even play for the Mets.

Source: @articlebio.com

Where was Bobby Bonilla born?

Back to his early life, Bobby was born in the Bronx, New York City, USA. He is American by nationality and belongs to Afro-American ethnicity. His birth name is Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla. The information about his parents, siblings, and childhood information is yet to be disclosed. In the case of disclosure, we will let you know.

Regarding his education, He graduated from Herbert H. Lehman High School in 1981. Later, he enrolled at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York pursuing a degree in computer science.

When did Bobby Bonilla pursue his baseball career?

• Bonilla played baseball at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx and graduated in 1981. He was not selected in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft and spent a semester at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York pursuing a degree in computer science. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates after being spotted by scout Syd Thrift at a baseball camp in Europe.
• His rise through the Pirates’ farm system came to a halt during spring training in 1985 when he broke his right leg in a collision with teammate Bip Roberts. The Chicago White Sox then acquired him through the Rule 5 draft during the 1985–86 offseason and Bonilla made his major league debut with the White Sox at the start of the 1986 season. Thrift, then the Pirates’ general manager, reacquired the unhappy Bonilla in exchange for pitcher José DeLeón later that year. Bonilla also played from 1984 to 1988 with the Mayagüez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
• Bonilla became the Pirates’ starting third baseman in 1987, but after committing 67 errors over his next two seasons, manager Jim Leyland moved him to right field. There he formed a formidable combination alongside stars Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke and helped propel the Pittsburgh Pirates to two of their three straight National League Eastern Division titles from 1990 to 1992.
• From 1986 to 1991, Bonilla had a .284 batting average, with 868 hits, 191 doubles, 114 home runs, and 500 runs batted in (RBIs). He led the league in extra-base hits in 1990, and in doubles in 1991. Bonilla also made the All-Star team four years in a row. On October 28, 1991, he became a free agent.
• Bonilla became the highest-paid player in the National League at the time when he signed a 5-year, $29 million contract with the New York Mets on December 2, 1991. However, his offensive production diminished somewhat, finishing with a .278 batting average, 91 home runs, and 277 runs batted in during his three-and-a-half-year tenure with the Mets. Despite this, Bonilla ended up participating in two more All-Star Games (1993 and 1995).
• Bonilla’s time with the Mets was most noted for his contentious relationship with the New York baseball media. In his introductory press conference after signing with the organization, he challenged them by stating, “I know you all are gonna try, but you’re not gonna be able to wipe the smile off my face.” A number of incidents followed, such as threatening sportswriter Bob Klapisch that he would “show him the Bronx” in response to his book on the 1992 Mets, The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse Of The New York Mets (ISBN 978-0803278226). On another occasion, he called the press box during a game to complain about an error that he was charged with.
• Bonilla was acquired along with a player to be named later (Jimmy Williams on August 16) by the Baltimore Orioles from the Mets in exchange for Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa on July 28, 1995, and helped the Orioles to the American League Championship Series in 1996.
• Following the 1996 season, Bonilla was once again granted free agency, and signed with the Florida Marlins, reuniting with his old manager, Jim Leyland, where he helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series. He returned to the Marlins for the 1998 season and batted .278 through 18 games.
• In November 1998, the New York Mets reacquired Bonilla from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Mel Rojas. Again, his level of play did not measure up to expectations and he had numerous clashes with manager Bobby Valentine over lack of playing time. His tenure in New York culminated in an incident during the sixth game of the 1999 NLCS during which the Mets were eliminated by the Braves in 11-innings while Bonilla reportedly sat in the clubhouse playing cards with teammate Rickey Henderson.
• After his subpar 1999 season, the Mets released Bonilla, but still owed him $5.9 million. Bonilla and his agent offered the Mets a deal: Bonilla would defer payment for a decade, and the Mets would pay him an annual paycheck of $1.19 million starting in 2011 and ending in 2035, adding up to a total payout of $29.8 million. Mets owner Fred Wilpon accepted the deal mostly because he was heavily invested with Ponzi scheme operator Bernie Madoff, and the 10 percent returns he thought he was getting on his investments with Madoff outweighed the eight percent interest the Mets would be paying on Bonilla’s initial $5.9 million. As a result, the payout was a subject of inquiry during the Madoff investment scandal investigation when it came to light in 2008.
• Bonilla signed with the Braves in 2000 and played a mostly uneventful 114 games for them. He achieved his highest batting average (.255) since the 1997 season, although he hit only five home runs, a far cry from his career-high of 34.
• In 2001, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, but injuries reduced his playing time. He played his final game on October 7, 2001, and finished the season with a .213 average, 37 hits, five home runs, and 21 runs batted in. He retired after the season finished citing “injuries and reduced playing time” as the main reason for his decision.
• Overall, Bonilla finished his career with one championship, six All-Star appearances, 2,010 hits, 287 home runs, 1,173 runs batted in, and a career .279 batting average.

What are Bobby Bonilla’s honors and awards?

Bonilla is a former baseball player who played from 1986 to 2001 of Puerto Rican descent. Through his 16 years of a Baseball career, he has a magnificent batting average of .279, 2,010 hits, 287 home runs, and many award-winning games which are given below:

• 6x All-Star (1988-1991, 1993, 1995)
• World Series Champion (1997)
• 3x Silver Slugger Award (1998, 1990, 1991)

Who is the wife of Bobby Bonilla?

Reflecting on his personal life, He was a previously married man. He was married to his long-term girlfriend Migdalia “Millie” Bonilla in the 1980s. The couple met at Herbert Lehman High School in The Bronx.

The couple blessed with two children together. He and his wife divorced in 2009. The reason behind their divorce is yet to revealed. Apart from that, there is no information available regarding his personal and love life on social networking sites.

Further, Bonilla and his wife Millie started the Bobby and Millie Bonilla  Public School Fund with $35,000 in the year 1992, February. He has also participated in other charity events like the Players Trust All-Star Golf Tournament.

What is Bobby Bonilla Net Worth?

Bobby Bonilla is currently being paid approximately $1.19 million by their old team New York Mets each year. This was a part of a deal with the New York Mets for which he has been paid for the next 25 years. This deal is starting from July 2011 and ending up in the year 2035. This contract leads him to give an amount worth $29.75 million in these 25 years.

He is one of the richest Baseball players. His name is also underscored as one of the richest athletes of the World. He was one of the highest-paid athletes in the year 1995 as per the report of Forbes.

As the 25 years contract payment comes every July 1, some of his fans refer to this day as Bobby Bonilla Day. This day has been remembered as a golden day in the history of Major League baseball.

Why is retired Bonilla being paid $1.19 million each year?

New York Mets were paying him $5.9 million in the year 2001 him. So Bonilla went to the New York Mets management with a proposal. Bonilla and his agent proposed that instead of paying him $5.9 million in 2001, instead of that they pay him $1.19 million each year over 25 years starting from 2011. This magnificent deal leads New York Mets to pay Bonilla $29.75 million over 25 years starting in July 2011. As this deal is somehow funny, but it is not what it looks like. Actually, this deal is not simple but a good one for the Mets.

How tall is Bobby Bonilla?

Observing his body statistics. Bobby stands a height of 6 feet 3 inches and his weight is unknown. His other body information is yet to be disclosed. In the case of disclosure, we will let you know.