Miguel Odalis Tejada (né Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before short stints with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals.
Tejada spent his first six seasons in MLB with the Athletics, where he began a streak of 1,152 consecutive games that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007. He is a six-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. In 2002, he won the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and was the 2005 All-Star Game MVP. Tejada’s nickname is “La Guagua”, which means “the bus” in certain Spanish dialects, after his ability to drive in runs.On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to Congress in his testimony on whether Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use. On August 17, 2013, MLB suspended Tejada for 105 games for violating MLB drug policy. It was the third-longest non-lifetime suspension ever issued by MLB for a drug-related violation
What is Miguel Tejada’s Net Worth?
Miguel Tejada is a Dominican former professional baseball player who has a net worth of $40 thousand. Unfortunately, despite making a little under $100 million in salary during his career in MLB salaries alone, Miguel Tejada reportedly filed for personal bankruptcy in 2015. Miguel Tejada, AKA “La Guagua,” made a name for himself over a sixteen-year MLB career for his ability to drive in runs. He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, as a premier shortstop in the league.
Bankruptcy and Arrest Warrant
As we just mentioned, despite earning $96 million in salary during his career, Miguel reportedly filed for personal bankruptcy in 2015.
In November 2022 Miguel was reportedly arrested in the Dominican Republic for allegedly passing bad checks.
Early Life
Miguel Odalis Tejada was born on May 25, 1974, in Bani, a city about 40 miles southwest of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. He grew up in extreme poverty working hard to build his baseball skills in order to be competitive in the United States while idolizing Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. He caught the attention of minor league scouts in the mid 1990s.
MLB Career
Miguel Tejada signed on with the Oakland Athletics and was assigned to their minor league system. He showed early signs of power and quickly developed into a top-notch prospect. He joined the struggling Athletics major league club in 1997 and returned to the minors to help lead the Edmonton Trappers (AAA) to a PCL championship. Miguel was rewarded with the starting shortstop gig in 1998.
As he improved and became more disciplined at the plate over the next two years, the Oakland A’s also improved as a team. The club won 87 games in 1999 and their first American League Western Division title in eight years in 2000. Tejada’s breakout year was in 2002 during which he hit .308 along with 34 homers and helped lead the A’s to their second Western Division title in three years. He played with Oakland until 2004 when he joined the Baltimore Orioles as one of the game’s top players. He played with the Orioles until 2007, the Houston Astros from 2008 to 2009, a second stint with the Orioles in 2010, the San Diego Padres in 2010, the San Francisco Giants in 2011, a third stint with the Orioles in 2012, and the Kansas City Royals in 2013. Miguel signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins in 2014 but failed to make the team and was released.
Tejada was a six-time All-Star (2002, 2004-2006, 2008, 2009) and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2004, 2005). He won the AL MVP award in 2020 and was the MLB RBI leader for 2004. He hit for an average of .285 to go along with 2,407 hits, 307 home runs, and 1,302 runs batted in over his career.
Contracts & Career Earnings
Miguel Tejada signed his entry-level four-year, $11.3 million contract with the Oakland Athletics in 2000. He then signed a six-year, $72 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles in December of 2003. He then played on one-year contracts with the Orioles, Giants, and Royals worth $6 million, $6.5 million, and $1.1 million, respectively.
Personal Life
Miguel Tejada is married to Alejandra, and they live on a chicken farm in Florida. The couple has two children together: a daughter, Alexa, and a son, Miguel Jr., who was a shortstop in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
Miguel was childhood friends with Mario Encarnacion, who played professionally for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs. After Mario’s death in 2005, Tejada paid to have his body transported to the Dominican Republic and for a headstone at a Bali cemetery.
Tejada was part of the 2005 MLB investigation into steroid use and was sentenced to one-year probation in 2009 for lying to Congress.
Florida Mansion
In 2006 Miguel paid $3.5 million for a 6,500 square foot, waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He listed this home for sale in September 2013 for $5.5 million. He raised the price to $6 million a year later. He finally accepted $2.33 million in December 2017. Shortly before the home sold, burglars broke into the property, vandalized the home and stole $500,000 worth of valuables.
Miguel Tejada Earnings
- Kansas City Royals (2013-14)$1.1 Million
- San Francisco Giants (2011-12)$6.5 Million
- Baltimore Orioles (2010-11)$6 Million
- Houston Astros (2009-10)$14.8 Million
- Houston Astros (2008-09)$14.8 Million
- Baltimore Orioles (2007-08)$13.8 Million
- Baltimore Orioles (2006-07)$11.8 Million
- Baltimore Orioles (2005-06)$11 Million
- Baltimore Orioles (2004-05)$5 Million
- Oakland Athletics (2003-04)$5.1 Million
- Oakland Athletics (2002-03)$3.6 Million
- Oakland Athletics (2001-02)$2 Million
- Oakland Athletics (2000-01)$290 Thousand
- Oakland Athletics (1999-00)$230 Thousand
- Oakland Athletics (1998-99)$172 Thousand
- Oakland Athletics (1997-98)$150 Thousand
- Total Earnings$96.5 Million
