What was Tim Wakefield's Net Worth and Salary?
Tim Wakefield was an American professional baseball pitcher who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death. Tim Wakefield was known for his 17-year tenure with MLB's Boston Red Sox from 1995 to 2011. With the team, he won World Series championships in 2004 and 2007, and in 2010 received the Roberto Clemente Award. Wakefield finished his playing career with the third-most wins in Red Sox franchise history, with 186.
Unfortunately Tim Wakefield died on October 1st, 2023 at the age of 57.
Career Earnings
During his MLB Career Tim Wakefield earned a bit more than $55 million in salary alone.
Early Life and Education
Tim Wakefield was born on August 2, 1966 in Melbourne, Florida. As a teenager, he attended Eau Gallie High School. For his higher education, Wakefield went to the Florida Institute of Technology, where he played college baseball for the Panthers. At the school, he set a single-season Panthers record with 22 home runs.
Pittsburgh Pirates
In the 1988 MLB draft, Wakefield was chosen in the eighth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He began his professional career the next year in the minors, playing for the Single-A Salem Buccaneers. An immediate success, Wakefield went on to lead the Carolina League in starts and innings pitched in 1990. Promoted to Double-A in 1991, he led all Pirates minor league players in wins, innings pitched, and complete games. Wakefield began the 1992 season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. Having recorded six complete games by the end of July, he was called up to the majors. Wakefield continued his success in his MLB debut, throwing a complete game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the 1992 season by winning the National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award. The Pirates advanced to the NLCS in the postseason, where they lost to the Atlanta Braves.
For the 1993 season, Wakefield served as the Pirates' Opening Day starter. In that game, he walked nine batters. Wakefield eventually lost his spot in the starting rotation and was demoted to Double-A in July. He was recalled in September, but continued to struggle, finishing the season with a 6-11 record and a 5.61 ERA. Wakefield spent most of the 1994 season back with the Triple-A Bisons. He ended up leading the league in losses, walks, and home runs allowed. Although he was recalled by the Pirates in September, Wakefield saw no playing time due to the MLB strike. In the spring of 1995, he was released by the Pirates.
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Boston Red Sox, 1995-2002
Six days after his release from the Pirates, Wakefield was signed to the Boston Red Sox. He began with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox before being called up to the majors. Wakefield went on to have an excellent first season in Boston, finishing the year 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA and helping the Red Sox win the American League East division title. His next three seasons were not as successful, as he recorded ERAs of 5.14, 4.25, and 4.58. Additionally, in 1997, Wakefield led MLB by hitting 16 batters with a pitch. He improved somewhat after that, and in the summer of 1999 joined a select group of pitchers to have struck out four batters in an inning. From 2000 to 2002, Wakefield was regularly moved from relief pitcher to starter and back again.
Boston Red Sox, 2003-2011
In 2003, Wakefield permanently returned to the Red Sox's starting rotation. That season, the team reached the ALCS to face the New York Yankees. With the Red Sox leading in extra innings in Game 7, Wakefield gave up a home run to Aaron Boone on his first pitch of the 11th, sending the Yankees to the World Series. He redeemed himself in 2004 as the Red Sox once again faced the Yankees in the ALCS. This time, Boston won, moving on to the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the tournament, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals to claim their first World Series title in 86 years. Wakefield had a solid season the following year, leading the Red Sox pitching staff with 16 wins and a 4.15 ERA. In 2007, he won his second World Series championship, although he didn't play in the tournament due to an injured shoulder.
Wakefield played his 15th season with the Red Sox in 2009. Early in the season, he pitched a complete game, in the process becoming the oldest Red Sox pitcher to achieve that feat, at the age of 42. Wakefield went on to pitch another complete game in his very next start. In early July, he reached another milestone when he surpassed Roger Clemens for the most starts in Red Sox franchise history. The next season, Wakefield passed Clemens for the most innings pitched by a Red Sox pitcher. After the season, he won the Roberto Clemente Award. In 2011, Wakefield became the oldest player ever to appear for the Red Sox, at 44. He also recorded his 200th career win. It would be Wakefield's final MLB season, as he announced his retirement in early 2012 after turning down a minor league contract.
Post-MLB Career
After retiring from MLB, Wakefield joined the regional sports network NESN to cover Red Sox games as a studio analyst. He continued in that position through the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Wakefield made various appearances in the media as a spokesperson for Farmington Bank.
Personal Life and Death
In 1990, Wakefield became an evangelical Christian. He married his wife Stacy Stover in late 2002, and has two children named Trevor and Brianna.
Wakefield passed away on October 1, 2023 at his home in Massachusetts from a seizure stemming from brain cancer. He was 57 years of age.
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