What is Jason Kendall's Net Worth and Salary?
Jason Kendall is a retired American baseball player who has a net worth of $40 million. Jason Kendall played 16 seasons in the major leagues as a catcher on various teams including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and Kansas City Royals.
Early Life
Jason Daniel Kendall was born on June 26, 1974, in San Diego, California. He attended Torrance High School where he tied a national high school record by hitting safely in 43 straight games. He skipped college after being drafted right out of high school.
MLB Career
With the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft, Jason Kendall was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his major league debut in 1996 and hit .300 making the National League All-Star team. Kendall was named NL Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News and finished third in voting for the overall MLB Rookie of the Year award. Kendall was an All-Star again in 1998. In May 2000, he became the first player in Pirates history to hit for the cycle at Three Rivers Stadium. Also in 2000, he made the All-Star team for the third and final time of his career. In 2002 and 2005, he led the majors in at-bats per strikeout (18.1 in 2002, 15.4 in 2005) and led the majors in times reaching base on errors with 15 in 2005. From 2002 through 2004, Kendall led all major league catchers in games and innings behind the plate. He's the Pirates' all-time leader in games caught. He played for the Oakland Athletics from 2005 to 2007, the Chicago Cubs in 2007, the Milwaukee Brewers from 2008 to 2009, and the Kansas City Royals in 2010.
His career stat highlights include a lifetime batting average of .288, 2,195 hits, 75 home runs and 744 RBIs. His last game was on August 30, 2010 with the Kansas City Royals.
In May 2022, Jason Kendall was hired in a player development role with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Contracts & Career Earnings
Jason Kendall's peak salary came in 2007 with the Oakland Athletics in which he made nearly $13 million. His big payday came in 2002 when he agreed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a six-year, $60 million deal (the equivalent of $102 million today). At the time, it was the richest contract in Pittsburgh Pirates history and made him the second-highest-paid catcher behind Mike Piazza.
Over his 16-year big league career, Kendall earned more than $84.7 million in salary alone.
Jason Kendall Salary
- 1996 Pittsburgh Pirates $109,000
- 1997 Pittsburgh Pirates $235,000
- 1998 Pittsburgh Pirates $600,000
- 1999 Pittsburgh Pirates $1,250,000
- 2000 Pittsburgh Pirates $2,250,000
- 2001 Pittsburgh Pirates $5,100,000
- 2002 Pittsburgh Pirates $6,571,429
- 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates $8,571,429
- 2004 Pittsburgh Pirates $8,571,429
- 2005 Oakland Athletics $10,571,429
- 2006 Oakland Athletics $11,492,454
- 2007 Oakland Athletics $12,858,194
- 2008 Milwaukee Brewers $4,250,000
- 2009 Milwaukee Brewers $5,000,000
- 2010 Kansas City Royals $2,250,000
- 2011 Kansas City Royals $3,750,000
Total earnings: $84 million
Personal Life
Jason was at one time married to Chantel Kendall but they eventually divorced. Janson and Chantel had two children together and Chantel came into the marriage with two children from a previous relationship. Chantel Kendall was a member of the VH1 reality show Baseball Wives. The show offered a peek into the everyday lives of affluent former and current wives/girlfriends of professional baseball players. Jason met his current wife Tricia in 2010 after he moved to Kansas City to play for the Royals. They were married in January 2018.
Manhattan Beach House
In 2000, Jason paid $3.32 million for a home in Manhattan Beach, California. Jason sold this home in 2009 for $5.45 million.
