Henry Benjamin Greenberg was born on 1 January 1911, in New York City, USA of Jewish descent. Hank was a professional baseball player, best known as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and all of his efforts helped put his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in 1986.
How rich was Hank Greenberg? As of late-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $50 million, mostly earned through a successful career in professional baseball. He is considered one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history, but was also known for his military service during his baseball career. All of these achievements ensured the position of his wealth.
Hank Greenberg Net Worth $50 million
Greenberg attended James Monroe High School and became popular due to being an all-around athlete. He led the school’s basketball team to a city championship, but he preferred playing baseball, and in 1929 he was recruited by the New York Yankees, but declined and opted to attend New York University. He stayed there for a year and then signed with the Detroit Tigers for $9,000, significantly increasing his net worth.
Hank stayed in the minor leagues for three years, playing for Hartford and Raleigh. In 1931, he played at Evansville and then moved to Beaumont the next year. He won the MVP award during that year and helped Beaumont win the Texas League title.
Hank was the youngest MLB player on the roster, and eventually made his MLB debut in 1933 and would make a significant impact with 78 strikeouts making him third in the league. The following season, he led the Tigers to their first World Series in 25 years. While he played, he had to miss a few games for religious events such as the Yom Kippur; most of the games which he missed the Tigers would lose. In 1935, Greenberg led the league in several categories and was unanimously voted as the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He also appeared during the All-Star break, but was not selected to the roster. During this year, he would lead Detroit to their first World Series title.
In 1937, Greenberg returned from an injury that cut his season short the previous year. He didn’t play for the All-Star game despite being voted in, but he continued to lead the AL in several categories and would come in third in MVP voting. The following year, he nearly broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, though he did achieve the single-season home run record by a right-handed batter, and would hold that record for 66 years. In 1939, he was then voted to the AL All-Star roster for the third year in a row, and then in the next year he switched to the left field position. Despite the switch, he was still voted in to be part of that year’s AL All-Star team, and also won his second American League MVP Award, becoming the first player to do so in two positions.
In 1940, Greenberg registered for the peacetime draft and was recommended for military service. After playing 19 games the following season, he was inducted into the US Army, and his salary was cut which significantly affected his net worth; however, he he wanted to serve the country first. He was eventually honourably discharged two days before the bombing on Pearl Harbor, but he then re-enlisted in 1942, and became part of the Army Air Force.
He returned to baseball in 1945 and continued to play well until the end of his professional run in 1947. He missed three full seasons during his service in the military, yet still accumulated high statistics. After retiring, he went on to have a managerial positions with the Cleveland Indians.
For his personal life, it is known that Greenberg married Caral Gimbel in 1946 and they had three children before they divorced in 1958. He would then marry actress Mary Jo Tarola in 1966, and their marriage would last until his death in 1986.
