Biography

Bobby Bonilla

Bobby Bonilla is a former American Baseball Player. He was born on February 23, 1963, in The Bronx, New York. He is from an Afro-Puerto Rican descent. He played in the Major League baseball from 1986 to 2001. Through his 16 years in professional baseball, he has played with teams such as Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, etc.

According to some news sources, he is well-known for having the best dumb contract in the world with the New York Mets, as he is paid $1.1 million every year until July 1st, even though he hasn’t played for the Mets for 17 years now.

Bonilla attended Lehman High School in the Bronx, New York. In 1981, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent. He made his major league debut on April 9, 1986 with White Sox. Pittsburgh Pirates then reacquired him as starting third baseman in 1987. After committing 67 errors, he was moved to the right field. He helped Pittsburgh Pirates win two of their three straight NL East titles from 1990 to 1992.

In 1992, he was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets. He had a five year $29 million contract, making him the highest paid player in the league at the time. Despite his diminished offensive production, he ended up participating in two more All-Star Games.

Due to a number of unfortunate incidents, Bonilla was traded by the Mets to the Baltimore Orioles. He helped the Orioles to the American League Championship Series and was again signed with the Florida Marlins. He helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series. On May 14, 1998, he was traded to Los Angeles Dodgers.

In November 1998, the New York Mets reacquired Bonilla from Los Angeles Dodgers. Again, after his “worse than expected” performance in the game, he was released. However, Mets owed him $5.9 million. He got a deal with the Mets, he would defer payment for a decade and Mets would pay him $1.19 million annually starting 2011 and ending in 2035. The total payout would then be $29.8 million.

Bonilla signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2000 and St. Louis Cardinals in 2001. After multiple injuries, he retired his baseball career in 2001, his last game being on October 7, 2001.

Overall, his baseball career stats summed up with one championship, six All-Star appearances, and career statistics of 2,010 hits, 287 home runs, 1,173 runs batted in, and a career .279 batting average. A complete information of him can be found in his bio and wiki. 

Bobby Bonilla’s real name is Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla. He had a pa s sion for baseball right from high school. Right after high school, he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates scout Syd Thrift and put into their training program.

While attending high school, Bonilla met Madiglia “Millie” Bonilla and got married to her in the late 1980s. Together, they had two children together, making a family of four. Their marriage lasted until 2009, when he and his wife got divorced. He is also involved in charitable causes to help students in school.

In February 1992, He and his wife started the Bobby and Millie Bonilla Public School Fund with $35,000. In addition to this, he has also attended other charity events, like the Players Trust All-Star Golf Tournament, organized by Dave Winfield and Joe Mauer in 2014. Bonilla has a height of 6’3” and weighs 210lbs. He has a net worth of $25 million.