What is Kevin Youkilis' Net Worth?
Kevin Youkilis is a former American professional baseball player who has a net worth of $24 million. Kevin Youkilis, aka "Youk," spent most of his career with the Boston Red Sox and was considered one of the best baseball players of his time.
Early Life
Kevin Edmund Youkilis was born on March 15, 1979, in Cincinnati, Ohio, into a Jewish family. He attended Sycamore High School where he played many positions all over the field for the Aviators baseball team. They won the Amateur Athletic Union National Championship in 1994, and Kevin was a four-year letter winner, two-time All-Greater Miami Conference and All-City selection, and All-State selection his senior year in which he led the team with a .475 batting average and finished second all-time in home runs. Youkili was inducted into the Sycamore Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008, and he has his No. 13 retired by the school in 2017.
Kevin Youkilis stayed close to home and played college baseball for the Cincinnati Bearcats. He became known for his ability to get on base and scrappiness as a player, and he excelled despite many underestimating his athletic ability. He was often called names such as "roly-poly," "pudgy," and "fat kid" by his coaches. In 2007, Youkilis was inducted into the University of Cincinnati James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame, and the University of Cincinnati retired his No. 36 jersey in 2015. Youkilis graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a business degree and was named to the inaugural Conference USA Hall of Fame class.
MLB Career
Kevin Youkilis was drafted in the eighth round at 243rd overall in the 2001 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. He made his professional debut in the minor leagues playing third base but slowly made the transition over to first base early on in his career. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Red Sox on May 15, 2004, and made the World Series roster but did not play as the team won the championship.
In 2007, Kevin Youkilis played an integral part in the Boston Red Sox winning another World Series Championship as he was awarded the Gold Glove Award. Youkilis was a three-time All-Star (2008, 2009, 2011) and was the 2008 AL Hank Aaron Award winner. The right-hander played for the Chicago White Sox in 2012, the New York Yankees in 2013, and Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League in 2014. He last played in the MLB with the Yankees on June 13, 2013, and retired on October 30, 2014.
Over his MLB career, Kevin Youkilis hit for an average of .281 with 150 home runs and 618 runs batted in.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Contracts & Career Earnings
In January of 2009, Kevin Youkilis signed a four-year, $41.1 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. In 2012, he agreed to a deal with the New York Yankees for one year and $12 million.
Kevin Youkilis earned nearly $52 million in salary alone over his nine seasons in the MLB.
Personal Life
Youkilis is heavily involved in several charities, including organizations that work with Jewish children. He held a wedding ceremony with Enza Sambataro in Mexico in 2008, though the pair did not formalize their marriage; They broke up two years later. Youkilis later married NFL quarterback Tom Brady's sister, Julie.
The 2003 book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis is where Youkilis earned the nickname "the Greek God of Walks," a nickname which ended up following him throughout the rest of his career. He reportedly disliked the nickname, but once when asked about it he replied, "It's better than being 'the Greek God of Illegitimate Children.'"
