Johnny Damon, 44, is a retired baseball player who played in the MLB from 1995 to 2012. He was an outfielder who played for a total of seven teams throughout his career, Kansas City Royals (1995–2000), Oakland Athletics (2001), Boston Red Sox (2002–05), New York Yankees (2006–09), Detroit Tigers (2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011) and Cleveland Indians (2012). Damon is most known for his time on the Red Sox where he made his two and only All-Star appearances (2002 and 2005) and won his first of two World Series in 2004, breaking the 86-year “Curse of the Bambino” for Boston. In 2009, Damon would win his second World Series with the Red Sox rival, NY Yankees.
Johnny Damon Net Worth As Of 2018: $60 Million
Damon has accumulated an impressive fortune over his 18-season career. On top of his MLB salary and multiple endorsements, he’s made several television appearances during his career and post-retirement. Let’s take a look back at how he became one of baseball’s most recognizable faces.
Early Life
Johnny Damon was born in Fort Riley, an Army base in Kansas, and raised in Orlando, FL. Damon was a quiet child, largely due to a stutter he had. “My thoughts just raced ahead of my tongue,” Damon said of his problem. “I’d sing songs as therapy, and I got better, but I still just kept quiet most of the time.” He always excelled in baseball though, and his talents became more and more apparent while attending Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. In his senior year in 1992, he was rated the top high school prospect in the country by Baseball America, was named to USA Today’s High School All-America team, and was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. Damon also played football in high school. Some highlights included getting decked by Warren Sapp while sustaining his first ever concussion.
1995-2001
Damon was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the first round (35th overall) of the 1992 amateur draft. He made his Major League debut in August 1995 after playing the previous season with the minor league Wichita Wranglers. He played for the Royals from 1995 to 2000. One of his best seasons came in 2000 when he led the American League in runs with 136 and stolen bases with 46, as he was second in hits (214), at bats (655), and plate appearances (741).
2002-2005
Damon got his first big payday in December 2001 when he signed a four-year $31 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t disappoint. In his first season with the Sox in 2002, he led the league in triples (11) and was third in infield hits (25), and made his first All-Star team. Throughout his four-season stint in Boston, Damon would cement himself as one of the top outfielders in the MLB. In 2004, he helped lead the team to a World Series win, thus ending Boston’s 86-year “Curse of the Bambino”. In his final year with Boston in 2005, Damon made his second and last All-Star appearance.
2006-2012
After Damon’s four-year contract was up in Boston, he made the short hike to the rival Yankees for another four-year deal. This time it was for a whopping $52 million. His signing with the Yankees didn’t go over well with Boston fans for obvious reasons. In 2005, he said he would stay loyal to Boston and not sign with NY because money was not the most important thing. I guess $52 million changes things. As part of the signing, Damon also had to shape up his long hair and grizzled look to be in accordance with NY’s strict dress code. He didn’t look the same but still played like the old Damon. In 2009, he beat the Phillies for his second World Series victory and was one of the major factors in the Yankees success. He spent the latter part of his career bouncing around from team to team on short, high-pay contracts.
2013-Present
After his one season stint with the Cleveland Indians ended in 2012, Damon entered free agency. He would remain a free agent for three years, from 2013-2015, with hopes of someone picking him up. Although he remained confident in his abilities during that time, no team bit, and he officially retired at the end of the 2015 season. In his retirement, he’s remained somewhat in the public eye, appearing on the 2015 season of the Celebrity Apprentice, MTV Cribs, and in April 2018, it was announced that he would compete in season 26 of Dancing with the Stars.