Benito Santiago Rivera (born March 9, 1965), is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2005, most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres, with whom he was a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner as well as a three-time Gold Glove Award winner. The five-time All-Star was considered the premier catcher in the National League (NL) during his tenure with the Padres. In 2015, Santiago was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame.
What Is Benito Santiago’s Net Worth?Benito Santiago is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player who has a net worth of $13 million. Benito Santiago is a right-handed catcher who made his Major League Baseball debut on September 14, 1986, with the San Diego Padres. Santiago played with the Padres until 1992, then he joined the Florida Marlins from 1993 to 1994. He went on to play with the Cincinnati Reds in 1995, the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996, the Toronto Blue Jays from 1997 to 1998, the Chicago Cubs in 1999, the Reds a second time in 2000, the San Francisco Giants from 2001 to 2003, the Kansas City Royals in 2004, and, lastly, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005. Benito finished his pro playing career in April 1995 with a .263 batting average, 217 home runs, and more than 900 runs batted in. Santiago is a five-time MLB All-Star (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 2002) and earned National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1987. He is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (1998, 1989, and 1990) and a four-time Silver Slugger (1987, 1988, 1990, and 1991). In 2003, Benito was alleged to have been part of MLB’s steroid scandal, and his name appeared in the 2007 Mitchell Report. He was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2015.
Net Worth: $13 Million
Date of Birth: Mar 9, 1965 (58 years old)
Place of Birth: Ponce
Gender: Male
Profession: Baseball player
Early Life
Benito Santiago was born Benito Santiago Rivera on March 9, 1965, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His father, José, was a truck driver who died after an accident with his rig when Benito was just 3 years old. Shortly after, Santiago was abandoned by his mother, who gave him to friends that lived on the opposite side of Puerto Rico.
Career
In September 1982, the San Diego Padres signed Santiago as an amateur free agent. He spent four years in the minor leagues, then 21-year-old Benito debuted with the Padres as a Major Leaguer in September 1986. The following year, he set a rookie record after hitting safely in 34 consecutive games, which was the longest hitting streak achieved by a catcher in MLB history. When the season ended, Santiago had 164 hits, 33 doubles, and a .300 batting average, which would all be career highs for him. Benito was unanimously chosen to be the 1987 National League Rookie of the Year, and he won the Silver Slugger Award that year. In 1988, he received the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award, and in 1989, he won the Gold Glove Award and served as the starting catcher in the All-Star Game. In 1990, Santiago won the Silver Slugger Award and the Gold Glove Award again, despite missing six weeks of the season after being hit by a pitch. In 1991, he was offered a one-year, $1.65 million contract with the team after asking for a four-year, $11 million contract, so he announced that he would be leaving the Padres after the 1992 season when he would become eligible for free agency. Before the 1992 season began, Benito returned to arbitration and was awarded a one-year, $3.3 million contract, which would’ve made him the MLB’s highest-paid catcher. In September of that year, the team declined to re-sign Santiago for “monetary reasons.”
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