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| Bobby Bonilla | |
|---|---|
 Bonilla playing for the Pirates circa 1988 | |
| Third baseman /Right fielder | |
| Born: (1963-02-23)February 23, 1963 (age 62) The Bronx,New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 9, 1986, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 2001, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .279 |
| Hits | 2,010 |
| Home runs | 287 |
| Runs batted in | 1,173 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla[1] (/boʊˈniːjə/, born February 23, 1963) is an American former professionalbaseballthird baseman andoutfielder who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001.
Bonilla was one of MLB's best batters and overall top players in the late 1980s and early 1990s with powerful hitting strength,[2][3] as well as a part of the highly successful and pennant contendingPittsburgh Pirates organization around the same time.[4] Bonilla recorded impressive statistics in home runs, RBIs,doubles,extra base hits, andWins Above Replacement averages, as well as fourAll-Star selections, threeSilver Slugger Awards and was a top candidate for theNational League'sMost Valuable Player award during his tenure with the Pirates.[4] He led the league in extra base hits (78) during the1990 MLB season and doubles (44) during the1991 MLB season.
Bonilla signed with theNew York Mets during the 1991–92 offseason, becoming the highest-paid player in the league at the time, earning more than $6 million per year. However, he struggled to live up to expectations with the Mets (which made the contract the subject of much criticism)[5] and throughout the rest of his career. He played with the Baltimore Orioles from 1995 to 1996, reaching the American League Championship Series with the team in 1996. He earned two additional All-Star appearances and helped theFlorida Marlins win the1997 World Series.[4]
After being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers partway through the 1998 season, he signed with the New York Mets for a second time in 1999. When the Mets wanted to release him at the end of the year, he negotiated a settlement whereby the Mets would pay him $1.19 million on July 1 every year from 2011 through 2035, a date that has become known in Mets fandom as "Bobby Bonilla Day". He is also paid $500,000 by the Orioles every year from 2004 to 2028 due to them also having a deferred contract with him.[6] After two more lackluster seasons, one each with the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, he retired at the end of the 2001 season. Through his 16 years in professional baseball, Bonilla accumulated a .279batting average, with a .358on-base percentage and a .472slugging percentage.
Bonilla played baseball atHerbert H. Lehman High School inthe Bronx and graduated in 1981.[7] He was not selected in the1981 Major League Baseball draft and spent a semester atNew York Institute of Technology inOld Westbury, New York pursuing a degree incomputer science. He was signed by thePittsburgh Pirates after being spotted by scoutSyd Thrift at a baseball camp in Europe.[8]
His rise through the Pirates' farm system came to a halt during spring training in 1985 when he broke his right leg in a collision with teammateBip Roberts. TheChicago White Sox then acquired him through theRule 5 draft during the 1985–86 offseason, and Bonilla made his major league debut with the White Sox at the start of the 1986 season. Thrift, then the Pirates' general manager, reacquired the unhappy Bonilla in exchange for pitcherJosé DeLeón later that year. Bonilla also played from 1984 to 1988 with theMayagüez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.[9]
Bonilla became the Pirates' startingthird baseman in 1987, but after committing 67 errors over his next two seasons, managerJim Leyland moved him toright field.[10] There he formed a formidable combination alongside starsBarry Bonds andAndy Van Slyke and helped propel thePittsburgh Pirates to two of their three straight National League East Division titles from 1990 to 1992.
From 1986 to 1991, Bonilla had a .284batting average, with 868hits, 191doubles, 114home runs, and 500runs batted in (RBIs). He led the league in extra base hits in 1990, and in doubles in 1991. In those years he placed second and third, respectively, inNational League MVP voting. Bonilla also won threeSilver Slugger Awards and made the All-Star team four years in a row. On October 28, 1991, he became afree agent.
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Bonilla signed a five-year, $29 million contract (equivalent to $65 million today) with theNew York Mets on December 2, 1991.[11][12] The $6.1 million he received in 1992 was a record for a single season by a margin of $2.3 million.[13] He became the highest-paid player in the National League from 1992 to 1994. However, his offensive production diminished somewhat, finishing with a .278 batting average, 91 home runs, and 277 runs batted in during his three-and-a-half-year tenure with the Mets. Despite this, Bonilla ended up participating in two moreAll-Star Games (1993 and 1995) and hit a career-high 34 home runs in 1993.
Bonilla's time with the Mets was marked by a contentious relationship with New York baseball media. In his introductory press conference after signing with the organization, he challenged them by stating, "I know you all are gonna try, but you're not gonna be able to wipe the smile off my face."[14] On another occasion, he called the press box during a game to complain about an error that he was charged with.[15]
Bonilla was acquired along with aplayer to be named later (Jimmy Williams on August 16) by theBaltimore Orioles from the Mets in exchange forDamon Buford andAlex Ochoa on July 28, 1995.[16][17] He helped the Orioles reach the1996 American League Championship Series.
Following the 1996 season, Bonilla was once again granted free agency, and signed with theFlorida Marlins, reuniting with his old manager,Jim Leyland, where he helped the Marlins win the1997 World Series. He returned to the Marlins for the 1998 season and batted .278 through 18 games.
On May 14, 1998, the Marlins traded Bonilla to theLos Angeles Dodgers, along withManuel Barrios,Jim Eisenreich,Charles Johnson, andGary Sheffield, in exchange forMike Piazza andTodd Zeile.[18] Bonilla spent the rest of the 1998 season with the Dodgers, batting .237, with seven home runs and 30 runs batted in.
In November 1998, the Mets reacquired Bonilla from the Dodgers in exchange forMel Rojas. Again, his level of play did not measure up to expectations and he had numerous clashes with managerBobby Valentine over lack of playing time. His tenure in New York culminated in an incident during the sixth game of the1999 NLCS during which the Mets were eliminated by the Braves in 11 innings while Bonilla sat in the clubhouse playing cards with teammateRickey Henderson after the latter asked him to relax him when he was taken out of the game.[19]
After his subpar 1999 season, the Mets released Bonilla, but still owed him $5.9 million. Bonilla and his agent offered the Mets a deal: Bonilla would defer payment for a decade, and the Mets would pay him an annual paycheck of just over $1.19 million on July 1, starting in 2011 and ending in 2035, adding up to a total payout of $29.8 million.[20][21][22] Some fans refer to these payments on July 1 as "Bobby Bonilla Day". Mets ownerFred Wilpon accepted the deal mostly because he was heavily invested withPonzi scheme operatorBernie Madoff, and the 10 percent returns he thought he was getting on his investments with Madoff outweighed the eight percent interest the Mets would be paying on Bonilla's initial $5.9 million. As a result, the payout was a subject of inquiry during theMadoff investment scandal investigation when it came to light in 2008.[23] Bonilla also has a second deferred-contract plan with the Mets andBaltimore Orioles that was initiated in 2004 and pays him $500,000 a year for 25 years.[24]
Bonilla signed with the Braves in 2000 and played a mostly uneventful 114 games for them. He achieved his highest batting average (.255) since the 1997 season, although he hit only five home runs, a far cry from his career high of 34.
In 2001, he was signed by theSt. Louis Cardinals, but injuries reduced his playing time. He played his final game on October 7, 2001, and finished the season with a .213 average, 37 hits, five home runs, and 21 runs batted in. He retired after the season finished citing "injuries and reduced playing time" as the main reason for his decision.[25] Contrary to common belief that Bonilla's injuries led toAlbert Pujols making the Cardinals' roster, managerTony La Russa stated that Pujols had earned a roster spot before Bonilla's injury issues.
Overall, Bonilla finished his career with one championship, sixAll-Star appearances, 2,010 hits, 287home runs, 1,173runs batted in, and a career .279batting average.
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Bonilla married Migdalia, known as Millie, in the late 1980s. They had met at Herbert Lehman High School inthe Bronx. They had two children together before divorcing in 2009.[26]
In February 1992, Bonilla and his wife Millie started the Bobby and Millie Bonilla Public School Fund with $35,000. The fund benefits schools attended by Bonilla and his wife by contributing $500 for every run he batted in for the Mets.[7][27] Bonilla participated in the Players Trust All-Star Golf Tournament, organized byDave Winfield andJoe Mauer in 2014.[28]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | National League Player of the Month April & May 1988 April 1990 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
!["1992 Score – [Base] #225 – Bobby Bonilla"](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fimg.comc.com%2fi%2fBaseball%2f1992%2fScore---Base%2f225%2fBobby-Bonilla.jpg%3fid%3ddffa231e-17e2-408d-b602-3dc532bdc3bf%26amp%3bsize%3dzoom%26amp%3bside%3dback){kind=link}