John Andrew Smoltz was born on 15 May 1967, in Warren, Michigan USA. He is a former professional baseball player, best known for pitching in Major League Baseball (MLB) as pa member of the Atlanta Braves. He’s been an All-Star eight times, and won numerous awards throughout his career. All his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is John Smoltz? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $60 million, mostly earned through high-valued contracts offered in professional baseball. Apart from baseball, Smoltz remains active in philanthropy and politics. He also engages in other sports, and all of these have ensured the position of his wealth.
John Smoltz Net Worth $60 million
John attended Waverly High School, where he played baseball and football. He joined the 1985 amateur baseball draft and was selected by the Detroit Tigers. He played in the minor leagues with the Lakeland Tigers and then moved to be part of the AA-class Glens Falls Tigers, but his records weren’t so good, and he was soon traded to the Atlanta Braves. There he would develop and become one of the best pitchers for the Braves franchise.
His debut came in July 1988, and though he initially had poor statistics, he managed to improve and was named to the NL All-Star Team. Soon he would develop a strong fastball that clocked in at 98 miles per hour. He began the 1991 season badly, but after seeing a sports psychologist his performances started to improve. He would continue to perform well in the 1991 National League Championship Series, propelling the team into the World Series to face the Minnesota Twins, losing in the deciding game. The following season, Smoltz would continue his great winning record, and became the MVP of the 1992 National League Championship Series. They would go back to the World Series in which he played two games. In 1993, with a stronger roster, Smoltz would go on and win 15 games, but had a loss against the Philadelphia Phillies during the NLCS. He had difficulties in the following seasons, having the strike-shortened 1994 season and having treatment for a few injuries such as bone chips in his elbow. In 1996, Smoltz would have a very dominating performance, winning the NL Cy Young Award and the Silver Slugger Award.
While still posting excellent statistics, John was having difficulty because of injury, and had to undergo Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2000 season. Eventually, Smoltz transitioned to becoming the closer of the team, and started to perform better. He became one of the most dominating closers in the League for three years and then he was put back into the starting rotation. Despite good performances, the Braves were having difficulty winning games. He continued to play with the team, gaining extensions that were worth $8 million in 2007 and $14 million in 2008. He would record his 200th win around this time, and set the new Braves strikeout record. He also reached 3,000 career strikeouts, the 16th pitcher to do so in league history. In 2008, he returned to being a relief pitcher, and would eventually suffer a season-ending shoulder injury. The following year he signed with the Red Sox and then the St. Louis Cardinals before finally retiring.
After retirement, Smoltz became a color analyst on Peachtree TV. He also became an analyst for “MLB Network”, and in 2014 was hired by Fox Sports. One of his most recent projects is being the lead analyst of the “Major League Baseball on Fox”. In 2015, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
For his personal life, Smoltz married Dyan Struble in 1991, and they had four children before divorcing in 2007. In 2009 he married Kathryn Darden, and they currently reside in Alpharetta, Georgia. He is a close friend of Tiger Woods, with Woods stating that Smoltz is the best golfer outside the PGA Tour. He’s also a close friend to Doc Rivers, and an accomplished accordionist.
