What is Terry Francona's Net Worth and Salary?
Terry Francona is a former MLB manager, coach, and player who has a net worth of $20 million. Terry Francona's MLB career spanned from 1981 to 2023. He had some of his greatest career successes as manager of the Boston Red Sox, leading the team to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. Francona ended his career managing the Cleveland Indians/Guardians, which he led to three consecutive AL pennants and four overall during his record 11-year tenure with the team.
Highest Paid Manager
In his final seasons as manager of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians, Terry Francona was the highest-paid manager in all of baseball, with a salary of $4.5 million.
Early Life and Education
Terry Francona was born on April 22, 1959 in Aberdeen, South Dakota to Roberta and MLB player Tito. He was raised in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, where he got his start in baseball as a student at New Brighton Area High School. Francona continued playing baseball at the University of Arizona, and helped lead the Wildcats to the 1980 College World Series title. That year, he won the Golden Spikes Award as the best amateur baseball player in the United States.
Playing Career
In the 1980 MLB draft, Francona was chosen in the first round by the Montreal Expos. He started out in the minors before making his debut for Montreal in August of 1981. Appearing mainly as an outfielder that season, Francona helped the Expos win the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the ensuing seasons, he shifted to first base and established a reputation as a contact hitter. Francona was released by the Expos following the 1985 season. He went on to play single seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. Francona concluded his playing career with the Milwaukee Brewers, with which he played from 1989 to 1990. In ten seasons and 708 games as an MLB player, Francona batted .274 with 16 home runs and 143 RBI.
Managerial Career
Francona became a baseball manager following his retirement from playing. In the early 1990s, he managed multiple minor league teams in the Chicago White Sox farm system, including the Sarasota White Sox and the Birmingham Barons. Francona led the latter team to the Southern League title in 1993. After managing in the minors, he became manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997. Francona had a spotty stint as manager of the team, putting together a 285-363 record in four seasons. He was fired after the end of the 2000 season. Francona had far greater success as manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2004 to 2011. In his very first season, he led the Red Sox to a 98-64 record and the 2004 World Series title, the team's first since 1918. Francona led the Red Sox to another World Series title in 2007. By the end of the decade, he had recorded over 500 wins as manager of the Red Sox, making him only the third manager in the team's history to have reached that number. Francona recorded his 1,000th win in 2011, his final year with the Red Sox.
Francona became the manager of the Cleveland Indians in late 2012. In his first season with the Indians in 2013, he led the team to a 92-70 record and was named AL Manager of the Year. Francona had his best season with the team in 2016, leading the Indians to an AL pennant and finally to the World Series. Ultimately, the Chicago Cubs won the championship in seven games. For his 2016 season, Francona earned his second AL Manager of the Year Award. He led the Indians to another successful season in 2017, highlighted by a 22-game win streak, the second-longest of all time in MLB history. For the second year in a row, the team won the AL Central title. The Indians won a third consecutive AL Central title in 2018. In his final years with the team, Francona struggled with health issues, although he came back strong to help the newly renamed Guardians win the AL Central title in 2022. That year, he won his third AL Manager of the Year Award. Francona stepped down as manager of the Guardians following the 2023 season, having been the longest-tenured manager of a single MLB team in history.
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Coaching Career
In his coaching career, Francona coached for the Detroit Tigers in 1996, the Texas Rangers in 2002, and the Oakland Athletics in 2003.
Broadcasting Career
Francona has done some television broadcasting of baseball games, starting with a stint as a color analyst on Fox in 2011. He then joined ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" telecast.
Personal Life
In early 1982, Francona married Jacque Lang. They had four children together: Nicholas, Alyssa, Leah, and Jamie. Nicholas played collegiate baseball, while Alyssa and Leah played collegiate softball. In 2011, Francona and Lang separated.
Francona has dealt with several health issues during his life, including blood clots and a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. This has resulted in circulation issues that necessitate the wearing of extra clothes.
