John Kruk Net Worth

What is John Kruk's Net Worth?

John Kruk is an American former professional baseball player who has a net worth of $4 million. In an MLB career lasting from 1986 to 1995, John Kruk played for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox, and was a three-time MLB All-Star. Since his retirement, he has done baseball analysis and color commentary for various television networks, including Fox, ESPN, and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Contracts, Salary & Career Earnings

John Kruk earned steady contracts during his Major League Baseball career, primarily with the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. While he never commanded superstar-level salaries, he was well-compensated as a consistent hitter and three-time All-Star. His peak earnings came in the early 1990s with Philadelphia, where he signed multi-year deals that paid him in the low-to-mid seven figures annually. By the time he retired in 1995, his total career salary earnings were around $7 million. After baseball, Kruk supplemented his income through broadcasting roles at ESPN and other outlets, which extended his professional presence in the sport.

Early Life and Education

John Kruk was born on February 9, 1961 in Charleston, West Virginia and was raised in Keyser. He has three siblings. Kruk was educated at Keyser High School, where he played on the school baseball team. He continued playing baseball at Potomac State College in Keyser and Allegany Community College in Cumberland, Maryland.

San Diego Padres and Águilas de Mexicali

In 1981, Kruk was drafted by MLB's San Diego Padres. Over the subsequent years, he played in the team's farm system in such places as Walla Walla, Reno, and Las Vegas. Kruk finally made his debut for the Padres in April of 1986. Also that year, he played in the Mexican Pacific League with the Águilas de Mexicali, which he helped lead to both the League and Caribbean Series titles. Returning to the Padres, Kruk had his breakout season in 1987, batting .313 with 20 home runs, 91 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. However, his remaining tenure with the Padres was disappointing, and he was traded in mid-1989.

Philadelphia Phillies

After being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-1989, Kruk began climbing to new career heights. He played in the MLB All-Star Game in three consecutive years from 1991 to 1993, and helped lead the Phillies to the World Series in the latter year. Kruk batted .348 in that World Series, which was ultimately won by the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. He had a less prodigious season in 1994, as weight gain, knee problems, and a testicular cancer diagnosis hampered his performance. Following that season, Kruk became a free agent.

Stephen Dunn /Getty Images

Chicago White Sox and Retirement

In May of 1995, Kruk signed with the Chicago White Sox to serve as a designated hitter. That season, he batted .308 before he was forced to retire at the end of July due to chronic knee problems. Kruk concluded his ten-year MLB career with a .300 batting average, 100 home runs, and 592 RBI.

Post-retirement

Since retiring from playing, Kruk has done baseball analysis and color commentary for various television networks. For Fox, he contributed to "MLB on Fox" and "The Best Damn Sports Show Period," and for ESPN he did analysis on "Baseball Tonight" and color commentary on "Sunday Night Baseball." Kruk also wrote a column for ESPN.com and appeared in ESPN MLB commercials. Meanwhile, he contributed commentary to the baseball simulation video games "MLB 2K10," "MLB 2K11," "MLB 2K12," and "MLB 2K13." After leaving ESPN in 2016, Kruk joined NBC Sports Philadelphia to provide local coverage of Phillies games. In addition to broadcasting, Kruk has done some stints as a coach over the years, including for the Minor League Reading Phillies in 2001 and the Seacrest Country Day School Stingrays softball team starting in 2016. He has also acted in some films, including Tony Scott's 1996 psychological sports thriller "The Fan."

Personal Life

In 1987, Kruk rented a house in San Diego with two men: his high school friend Roy Plummer and Plummer's acquaintance Jay Hafer. What Kruk didn't realize was that Plummer was funding the group's active lifestyle by moonlighting as an armed robber, with Hafer serving as the getaway driver. He finally learned this information from the FBI in early 1988, causing distress as he was led to believe that Plummer thought it was he who turned him in. Plummer was eventually arrested in September of 1988.

Kruk married his first wife, Jamie Heeter, in 1991. They divorced in 1998. Kruk went on to wed beauty queen Melissa McLoughlin toward the end of 2000. Together, they have three children named Gavin, Kyle, and Kiera.

Real Estate

In 2011, John paid $1.2 million for a home in Naples, Florida. He listed this home for sale in February 2017 for $2.8 million. He accepted $2.5 million a few months later. He should have held onto this home because today it's worth north of $6 million.

Who's Richer?

John
Kruk

Compare!

Lenny
Dykstra