What is Nolan Ryan's Net Worth?
Nolan Ryan is an American professional baseball player who has a net worth of $80 million. Nolan Ryan played in Major League Baseball for a record 27 years, appearing in games in an unprecedented four different decades. During his career, Nolan played for the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Astros, and the Texas Rangers. Nolan retired in 1993. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999, his first year of eligibility. After retirement, Ryan became the CEO and part-owner of the Texas Rangers. He also acted as an advisor to the Houston Astros.
Nolan is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball history. As of this writing, he owns more than 50 MLB records, some of which will almost certainly never be broken. Throughout his entire career, even in his later years, Ryan consistently threw faster than 100 miles per hour. Another trick up his sleeve was a formidable 12-6 curveball. Like his fastball, Ryan's curveball featured insane velocity, especially for a breaking pitch. These talents helped Nolan rack up 5,714 career strikeouts, which is far more than any other MLB pitcher has been capable of. In fact, no one else even comes close. The next pitcher on the list is Randy Johnson, who has 839 fewer career strikeouts. He also joins a very select club of only five pitchers who managed to accumulate more strikeouts than innings pitched. However, not all of Ryan's records were positive, as he also racked up the most walks allowed, with 2,795.
By the end of his career, his jersey number was retired by at least three teams, which is another record. He also racked up seven no-hitters throughout his career. This is three more than any other pitcher in history. Amazingly, Ryan never pitched a perfect game and never received a Cy Young Award. However, he did manage to win the World Series in 1969, and he was an eight-time All-Star.
Career Earnings
During his MLB career, Nolan Ryan earned $25.7 million in total baseball salary. That's the same as earning around $70 million in today's dollars. His highest single-season salary came in his second to last season when he earned $4.2 million from the Texas Rangers, equal to earning around $9 million in today's dollars.
MLB Records
Here is a bulleted list of Nolan Ryan's top 10 most impressive MLB records:
- Seven career no-hitters – a record that still stands today
- 5,714 career strikeouts – the most in MLB history
- 12 one-hitters – tied for the most in MLB history
- 222 complete games – the most by any pitcher since 1975
- 5,386 innings pitched – the most by any pitcher since 1927
- 773 career starts – the most by any pitcher since 1927
- 27 seasons played – tied for the most in MLB history
- 383 strikeouts in a single season – the most by any pitcher in the modern era
- 18 seasons with 100+ strikeouts – the most in MLB history
- 11 seasons with 200+ strikeouts – tied for the most in MLB history
Note: This list is not necessarily in order of significance and is subject to interpretation.
Early Life
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. was born on January 31st, 1947, in the small town of Refugio, Texas. Raised alongside five older siblings just outside of Victoria, Nolan later moved with his family to Woodsboro and later Alvin. The young boy was reportedly very good at hitting objects with virtually any thrown item he could find. Nolan's father saw his potential and recommended that he try baseball.
Ryan made an immediate impact, throwing his first no-hitters during his Little League career. He continued to play well during his high school years, frequently breaking the bones in catchers' hands. This led many batters to refuse to bat against him. He was spotted by Red Murff, a scout for the New York Mets, who later stated that it was the best arm he had ever seen in his life.
Baseball Career
Nolan began his career in the minor leagues with teams like the Marion Mets, the Greenville Mets, and the Jacksonville Suns before getting called up for the New York Mets' first team. He won the World Series with the Mets before being traded to the California Angels in 1972. Ryan then spent seven years in California before pitching for the Houston Astros throughout the 80s.
He signed a four-year, free-agent contract worth $4.5 million in 1979 with the Astros and spent almost a decade with the team before signing with the Texas Rangers in 1989. By this point, Nolan was 42 years old. Finally, after 27 years of baseball, Ryan suffered a career-ending injury to his arm in 1993. He tore a ligament at the age of 46, and that was that.
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After Retirement
After retiring from baseball, Nolan Ryan went into business with a number of ventures. He is the principal owner of Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment, which owns a Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers. He also co-wrote six books, including his 1992 autobiography, "Miracle Man." Other books include "Throwing Heat," "The Road to Cooperstown," "Kings of the Hill," and instructional books such as "Pitching and Hitting" and "Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible."
Ryan also became the chairman of a bank, owned a restaurant in Texas, and served on the Texas Parks Wildlife Commission for six years. However, he abandoned all of these ventures eventually. In 2000, Nolan suffered a heart attack but successfully underwent a double coronary bypass.
Perhaps Ryan's most notable post-retirement activity was his involvement with the Texas Rangers. In 2008, he became the new team president. In 2009, he and Chuck Greenberg submitted a bid to purchase the Rangers, and the $385-million deal was eventually finalized in 2010. Ryan maintained his role as president after the purchase but later became the new CEO after the departure of Greenberg in 2011. Two years later, he stepped down as CEO.
Nolan then became quite involved with the Houston Astros, becoming a special assistant and executive adviser for the team in 2014. He joined his son Reid Ryan at the organization, who was working as president of business operations. In 2017, the Astros won the World Series. When Reid Ryan was demoted in 2019, Nolan Ryan expressed his desire to stop working for the Astros.
Nolan Ryan Beef
In 2000, Nolan launched Nolan Ryan Beef. Their products were featured in Texas Krogers two years later. Today, the brand generates around $20 million in gross revenue annually.
Endorsements
Nolan Ryan appeared in a number of advertisements over the years and endorsed products such as Advil. He recommended the pain medication due to the fact that he used it for his own arm pain. He is especially well known for appearing in commercials that have aired in Texas.
Criticism
Despite Nolan Ryan's notable achievements, he has been criticized by modern observers for a number of reasons. Not only did he amass the highest number of walks allowed, but he also threw the most "wild pitches." He also ranks third in all-time losses of all pitchers. Furthermore, he gave up ten grand slam home runs, which was a record during his time.
