What is George Brett's Net Worth?
George Brett is a retired professional baseball player who has a net worth of $20 million. George played for 21 seasons with the MLB's Kansas City Royals. Among his distinctions, he has the second most career hits of any third baseman in league history, with 3,154, and is the only MLB player to win batting titles in three different decades. He is also one of only four players to have a .300 batting average, 300 home runs, and over 3000 hits over the course of their career. He was a 13-time All Star, won the Silver Slugger Award three times, and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with a 98% voting approval in 1999. He retired from major league play in 1993.
Career Earnings
During his MLB career, George Brett earned a little over $23.5 million in salary. His highest single-season salary of $3.105 million was earned in 1991. After adjusting for inflation that's the same as around $6 million today. By comparison, the highest-paid players in the league today make close to $40 million per year in salary.
Early Life and Minor Leagues
George Brett was born on May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia as the youngest of four sons of Ethel and Jack. His three older brothers are Ken, John, and Bobby, all of whom also played professional baseball. The family moved from West Virginia to the Midwest, and then to El Segundo, California. In the latter city, Brett went to El Segundo High School, graduating in 1971. On the school baseball team, he played alongside pitcher Scott McGregor.
Brett started his professional playing career as a shortstop; however, due to trouble he had going to his right, he was soon switched to third baseman. He played in this position in the minor leagues for such teams as the Billings Mustangs, the San Jose Bees, and the Omaha Royals.
Kansas City Royals in the 70s
In 1973, Brett was promoted to the major leagues by the Kansas City Royals. In his first season, he played 13 games and batted .125. He improved his average to .282 in 113 games in 1974. The following season, he topped the .300 mark for the first time in his career, hitting .308 and leading the league in both hits and triples. In 1976, Brett won his first batting title with a .333 average. The same year, in May, he had three or more hits in six consecutive games, which set an MLB record. Due to his success, he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and made his first of a total 13 All-Star teams. The Royals went on to win the ALWD title, beginning a famous rivalry with the New York Yankees at the ALCS. In the fifth and final game of the series, Brett hit a three-run homer to tie the game at the top of the eighth inning. However, the Yankees ended up winning 7-6 after Chris Chambliss' solo shot in the bottom of the ninth.
Brett became known as a power hitter in 1977, when he recorded 22 home runs to bring the Royals to their second consecutive ALCS. In game five, he made an RBI triple, but then got into an altercation with player Graig Nettles. Ultimately, the Yankees won again. The following season, Brett batted .294, and helped the Royals advance to a third straight AL West title. However, the team once again lost to the Yankees in the ALCS. In 1979, Brett finished third in AL MVP voting and became only the sixth MLB player to have at least 20 doubles, triples, and homers in a single season.
Kansas City Royals, 1980-1984
Brett only improved his already impressive performance in 1980, when he won the AL MVP title and batted .390, a modern record for a third baseman. Moreover, that batting average became the highest single-season average since 1941. Brett also led the AL in both slugging and on-base percentage. The Royals ultimately won the AL West, and went on to again face the Yankees in the ALCS. This time, the Royals won, sweeping the playoffs in three games. The team went on to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, but lost in six games. Brett made headlines during game two, when he had to leave in the sixth inning due to hemorrhoids.
One of Brett's most memorable moments came in July of 1983, when he hit a two-run homer to put the Royals up 5-4 against the Yankees at the top of the ninth inning. However, Yankees manager Billy Martin asserted that Brett's homer was illegitimate, as he had too much pine tar on his bat. The umpires measured the amount of pine tar, and found that it extended to about 24 inches, further than it was legally allowed to go. As a result, the Yankees were handed the game, and an incensed Brett charged out of the dugout toward home plate umpire Tim McClelland. Following a protest from the Royals and much controversy, the game was resumed the next month from the point of Brett's homer, ending this time with a Royals win.
Charlie Neibergall-Pool/Getty Images
Kansas City Royals, 1985-1993
Brett had another stellar season in 1985, helping advance the Royals to their second ALCS title. He won a Gold Glove, and finished second in AL MVP voting. In the playoffs against the Blue Jays, he was the MVP, leading the Royals to their second consecutive World Series. Facing off against the Cardinals, Brett batted a .370 across seven games, and helped the Royals rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
In 1988, Brett moved to first base in order to reduce his chances of injury. He had another excellent season, averaging .306 with 24 homers and 103 RBI. His next year was much weaker, as he batted only .282 with 12 homers. In 1990, he had a horrible start, and even considered retirement. However, by July, he made a comeback to bat .386 for the remainder of the season. Brett subsequently took his third batting title, becoming the first-ever MLB player to win three batting titles in three separate decades. From 1990 to 1993, Brett played mostly as a designated hitter, and sometimes filled in for injured teammates at first base. During this time, he passed the 3,000 hit mark. In 1993, he officially retired from playing.
Personal Life and Post-Playing Career
In 1992, Brett wed Leslie Davenport, with whom he has three children: Jackson, Dylan, and Robin. The couple resides in Mission Hills, a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas.
After his retirement from playing, Brett became a vice president of the Royals. He also served as a part-time coach, a special spring training instructor, an interim batting coach, and a minor league instructor. Additionally, Brett runs a baseball equipment company called Brett Bros. with his brother Bobby. On the philanthropic side of things, he raises money for ALS research and campaigns for PETA.
