Net Worth Ranker
What Is Sammy Sosa’s Net Worth?
Sammy Sosa, a retired professional baseball right fielder from the Dominican Republic, has accumulated a net worth of $70 million. His earnings are derived from a successful career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning from 1989 to 2007, as well as endorsement deals.
Sammy Sosa’s Baseball Career and Earnings
During his MLB career, Sammy Sosa earned an estimated $120 million in salary alone. Prior to joining the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa played for the Texas Rangers where he made his major league debut in June 1989. He later played for the Chicago White Sox. In his first season with the White Sox, he batted .233 with 15 home runs. In 1992, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. The 1998 season was his most famous, as he was competing with Mark McGwire to see who could pass Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61 home runs. Sosa finished the 1998 season with 66 home runs, and also led the league in RBIs and runs scored.
In June 2007, while playing for the Texas Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run, becoming only the fifth player to achieve this milestone. Over the years, Sammy Sosa also secured endorsement deals, further contributing to his wealth. The specific details of these endorsement contracts, including the brands he represented and the exact financial figures, are not publicly available. Endorsements are a common source of income for high-profile athletes, and Sosa’s popularity during his peak years likely attracted numerous lucrative partnerships.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Samuel Peralta Sosa was born on November 12, 1968, in Consuelo, Dominican Republic, and his registered birthplace is San Pedro de Macorís. In June 1989, he debuted in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers. He hit his first career home run against Roger Clemens of the Red Sox. In July, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. In his initial season with the team, he achieved a .233 batting average with 15 home runs, 70 RBIs, 10 triples, and 32 stolen bases. However, he also recorded 150 strikeouts. While he began the subsequent season with two home runs, his performance declined for the remainder of the year.
Chicago Cubs in the ’90s
Before the 1992 season, the White Sox traded Sosa to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder George Bell. In his first season with the Cubs, Sammy Sosa batted .260 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. The following season, he batted .261 with 33 home runs and 93 RBIs. Sosa continued to improve his batting average in 1994, finishing with .300 and 25 home runs. In 1995, he was named to his first All-Star team. His success continued in 1996 when he batted .273 with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.
The 1998 Season: A Historic Home Run Chase
The 1998 season was Sosa’s most famous, thanks to his competition with the Cardinals’ Mark McGwire. The two players garnered major national attention when they competed to see who could pass Roger Maris’ single-season home run record of 61 home runs. Although McGwire first broke the record in September, Sosa soon caught up, and the two were tied at 66 home runs each. By season’s end, Sosa remained at 66 while McGwire racked up 70. Also in 1998, Sammy Sosa led the league in RBIs and runs scored. His 416 total bases were the most recorded in a single season since 1948. In June, he hit 20 home runs and posted a .842 slugging percentage in one of the greatest offensive playing outbursts in MLB history. He was subsequently honored with the National League Most Valuable Player Award, was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City, and was invited to be a guest at Bill Clinton’s 1999 State of the Union Address.
Continued Success and Records
Sosa continued his success in 1999, hitting 63 home runs. In 2001, after hitting 64 home runs, he became the first player ever to hit 60 or more home runs in three different seasons. Also that year, he achieved personal bests for runs scored, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and batting average, with a .328. Sammy Sosa also surpassed his own 1998 high for total bases, recording 425. He once again led the league in home runs in 2002.
Final Years with the Cubs and Controversy
In 2003, Sosa and the Cubs won the National League Central Division title. However, trouble came when he was ejected from a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in June after umpires found that he had been using a corked bat. Sammy Sosa claimed that he used the bat by accident; meanwhile, an investigation of 76 of his other bats found no cork. After being suspended for seven games, Sosa finished the season with 40 home runs. The following year, he suffered a back injury after violently sneezing in the locker room. He was placed on the disabled list and finished with 35 home runs. At the end of the 2004 season, Sammy Sosa was released from the Cubs.
Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers
In January 2005, the Cubs traded Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the season batting .221 with 14 home runs, his worst performance in over a decade. His Orioles tenure ended in December, making him a free agent. Sosa’s original team, the Texas Rangers, signed him to a minor league deal in 2007 worth $500,000. He began the season as the team’s designated hitter and occasional right fielder. In a June inter-league game against the Cubs, he recorded a milestone when he hit his 600th career home run, becoming only the fifth player to ever do so.
Retirement and Personal Life
In 2009, Sosa announced his retirement from baseball. Sosa’s first marriage was to Karen Lee Bright, with whom he was with until their divorce in 1991. The next year, he started seeing Sonia Rodríguez, a former television dancer in the Dominican Republic. They were married in the 2000s and have six children: Keysha, Kenia, Sammy Jr., Michael, Rolando, and Kalexy.
Drug Controversy
In 2005, Sosa, McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Rafael Palmeiro attended a 2005 Congressional hearing focused on the doping scandal in major league baseball. Sosa’s attorney testified that Sammy Sosa had never used performance-enhancing drugs. Later, a 2009 “New York Times” report disputed this claim when it included Sammy Sosa on a list of players who had tested positive for steroids in 2003.
