Bobby Bonilla - Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla

The annual deferred payments to Bobby Bonilla actually worked out quite wellRoberto Martin Antonio "Bobby" Bonilla (born February 23, 1963 in The Bronx, New York) is a former player in Major League Baseball of Afro-Puerto Rican descent who played from 1986 to 2001.

Through his 16 years in professional baseball, Bonilla accumulated a .279 batting average, with a .358 OBP and a .472 slugging. He was also part of the Florida Marlins team that won the 1997 World Series. Bonilla also led the league in extra base hits (78) during the 1990 MLB season and doubles (44) during the 1991 MLB season. He also participated in six All-Star Games and won three Silver Slugger Awards.

From 1992 to 1994, Bonilla was the highest paid player in the league, earning more than $6 million per year. Bonilla is currently being paid approximately $1.19 million by the New York Mets each year. This was part of a deal made when the Mets released Bonilla before the 2000 season while still owing him $5.9 million for the final year of his contract. The deal expires in 2035, at which point Bonilla will have been paid $29.8 million for a season in which he did not even play for the Mets.

Bonilla was signed out of high school by Pittsburgh Pirates scout Syd Thrift. 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 teammate Bip Roberts. The Chicago White Sox then acquired him through the Rule 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. Syd Thrift, then the Pirates' General Manager, reacquired the unhappy Bonilla in exchange for pitcher José DeLeón later that year. Bonilla also played from 1984 to 1988 with the Mayagüez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Bonilla became the Pirates' starting third baseman in 1987, but after committing 67 errors over his next two seasons, manager Jim Leyland moved him to right field.[4] There he formed a formidable combination alongside stars Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke and helped propel the Pittsburgh Pirates to two of their three straight NL East titles from 1990 to 1992. From 1986 to 1991, Bonilla had a .284 batting average, with 868 hits, 191 doubles, 114 home runs, and 500 RBI's. He led the league in extra base hits in 1990, and in doubles in 1991. Bonilla also made the All-Star team 4 years in a row. In October 28, 1991, he became a free agent.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...