Bobby Bonilla

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Bobby Bonilla bigraphy, stories - American baseball player

Bobby Bonilla : biography

February 23, 1963 –

Roberto 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.

Playing career

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 White Sox then acquired him through the Rule 5 draft. Bonilla made his major league debut with the White Sox. Syd Thrift, then the Pirates’ General Manager, reacquired the unhappy Bonilla in exchange for pitcher José DeLeón. Bonilla also played from 1984 to 1988 with the Mayagüez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.http://books.google.com/books?id=c-4Xt5C5OywC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA154&dq=%22Bobby+Bonilla%22+mayaguez&source=bl&ots=ab-I65zYP7&sig=6yS7p7mXQWpaRuE9-PTPL3znBE0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rAw4T9aeGMqQiAKOtbylCg&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Bobby%20Bonilla%22%20mayaguez&f=false The Santurce Crabbers: Sixty Seasons of Puerto Rican Winter League Baseball By Thomas E. Van Hyning, Herman Franks P154

Pittsburgh Pirates

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. 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.

New York Mets

In 1992, he was signed as a free agent by the New York Mets to a (then) very lucrative 5 year, $29 million contract ($ today). But without his fellow Pirate stars around him, his offensive production dropped. His stay in New York would also be marred by a number of incidents, such as threatening sportswriter Bob Klapisch that he would "show him the Bronx" in response to his book on the 1992 Mets, The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse Of The New York Mets (ISBN 978-0803278226). On another occasion, he called the press box during a game to complain about an error that he was charged with.

Orioles/Marlins/Dodgers

Finally, in 1995, Bonilla was traded by the Mets with a player to be named later to the Baltimore Orioles for Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa.

After helping the Orioles to the American League Championship Series in 1996, he was once again granted free agency and signed with the Florida Marlins. Reunited with his old manager, Jim Leyland, he helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series. He spent the 1998 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Back to the Mets

In 1999, the New York Mets reacquired Bonilla from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Mel Rojas. Again, his level of play did not measure up to expectations and he had numerous clashes with manager Bobby Valentine over lack of playing time. His tenure in New York culminated in an infamous incident during Game Six of the 1999 NLCS where the Mets were eliminated by the Braves in an eleven inning game while Bonilla reportedly sat in the clubhouse playing cards with teammate Rickey Henderson.

After a subpar season in 1999, the Mets released Bonilla, but still owed him $5.9 million. The team had to get him off their book in order to sign another player, so they worked out a deal: If Bonilla would defer payment for a decade, they would pay him an annuity worth far more than the $5.9 million. Bonilla accepted the offer, resulting in an annual paycheck of $1.19 million starting in 2011 and ending in 2035.

Atlanta Braves

The New York Mets placed Bonilla on unconditional waivers in 2000. He spent the 2000 season playing for the Atlanta Braves. The Mets agreed to pay out the remainder of Bonilla’s contract by deferring the $5.9 million that he was due. The Mets will pay him 25 equal payments of $1,193,248.20 every July 1 from 2011 until 2035, assuming an annual interest rate of 8% during the period 2001–2035.

St. Louis Cardinals

In 2001, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, but was released due to an injury and the success of his replacement, Albert Pujols. He played his final game on October 7, 2001.

Overall, Bobby Bonilla was a six-time All-Star, and had career statistics of 2,010 hits, 287 home runs, 1,173 runs batted in, and a career .279 batting average.