Dave Winfield’s story shows how a person can be great at sports and also smart with business. With $12 million in net worth, his path from Saint Paul, Minnesota to baseball fame is truly amazing.
What makes Dave special is what he did after baseball. Instead of becoming a coach like many players, he went into real estate, business, books, and TV. This helped him build wealth and stay known in many areas.
While most of his money came from playing baseball, his $12 million net worth also comes from real estate, business work, and some TV time.
Dave Winfield Biography
Dave Winfield was born on October 3, 1951. At age three, his parents split up. Despite this hard start, he found strength in his close bond with his mother and older brother, Stephen.
As a kid in Saint Paul, Dave and his brother spent lots of time at Oxford Field. Under coach Bill Peterson, Dave’s skills grew. It wasn’t until his last year at Saint Paul Central High School that he reached his tall height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), which helped him in baseball.
Dave’s personal life got better in 1988 when he married Tonya Turner. They have three children: Shanel and twins David II and Arielle.
Today, the Winfields live in the nice area of Bel Air, California.
Dave Winfield Net Worth
Dave Winfield has made a big mark in and out of baseball, with a net worth of $12 million in 2024.
His story gets better when you look at his money success. In December 1980, he signed a huge ten-year deal worth $23 million with the New York Yankees, making him the highest-paid player then. This deal gave him about $2.3 million each year, a huge amount most players only dream about.
After years with the Yankees making just under $2 million yearly, his pay went up when he joined the California Angels in 1991, making $3,300,000. He then played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and finally, the Cleveland Indians, where he ended his MLB career in 1995 making $600,000.
Dave earned $23,095,088 total from his baseball pay.
After playing, Dave worked as a special assistant to the Major League Baseball Players Association boss, which helped keep his money stable.
Besides sports, Dave is a smart businessman who owns parts of art shops, a lighting company, and many Burger King stores.
Dave also makes money as a speaker. He has talked to many groups – from youth clubs and schools to big companies like Xerox, IBM, and General Motors.
He wrote the book “Turn It Around: There’s No Room Here for Drugs” (1987). In it, he talks about drug problems, their history, types of drugs, and ways to stop drug use. His life story book, “Winfield: A Player’s Life,” is a New York Times best seller.
Dave Winfield Real Estate
A big part of Dave’s wealth comes from property. He once rented a nice apartment in Manhattan for $1,500 monthly, but the price doubled to $3,000 when the owner found out Dave was famous, says NYTimes.
Dave also bought a home near New York and owned and sold houses in Minneapolis and California.
Dave Winfield Helping Others
From his first days as a pro, Dave wanted to give back.
In 1973, his first year with the San Diego Padres, Dave bought game tickets for families who couldn’t pay to watch. This kind act was the start of his David M. Winfield Foundation for Underprivileged Youth in 1977.
Dave was the first active player to start a charity, showing the way for other athletes who want to help people.
His Foundation grew to include health clinics. Mobile doctors came to the stadium parking lot thanks to San Diego’s Scripps Clinic.
When Dave joined the New York Yankees, he gave $3 million of his pay to his Foundation. It worked with Hackensack University Medical Center to build The Dave Winfield Nutrition Center and with Merck Pharmaceuticals to make “Turn it Around,” a drug prevention program in two languages.
Even when Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wrongly said Dave misused Foundation money, Dave stayed strong. The Foundation got all its money, and the claims were proven false.
Dave has helped many players start their own charities. Yankee Derek Jeter, who looked up to Dave for his sports and helping spirit, says Dave led him to create his Turn 2 Foundation. Dave still helps Jeter’s Foundation and many other good causes.
Dave Winfield Career
Dave played college baseball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was also great at basketball. His 1971-72 Minnesota team won a Big Ten basketball title, the school’s first in 53 years. But after a fight in a game against Ohio State in the 1972-73 season, he chose to focus on baseball – a choice that made him famous in MLB.
He played summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1971 and 1972 and was the best player in 1972.
After college, four teams in three sports wanted Dave. The San Diego Padres picked him for MLB. The Atlanta Hawks (NBA), Utah Stars (ABA), and Minnesota Vikings (NFL) also picked him, even though he didn’t play college football. He’s one of five people picked in three sports and one of three picked by four leagues.
The San Diego Padres chose Dave in the first round of the 1973 MLB Draft, starting his amazing 22-year major league career. He was special because he went straight to MLB without playing in minor leagues.
In his career, Dave played right field for six teams: the Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians.
While with the California Angels, he had his own radio show called “On the Ball.”
His time with the Padres made him known as a great right fielder, but his years with the Yankees made him famous across the country.
In December 1980, the Yankees gave Dave a ten-year, $23 million deal, making him the highest-paid player. Even with problems with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, Dave played well. He always showed his worth as a great all-around player.
He got 3,110 hits, 465 home runs, and 1,833 RBIs, with a .283 batting average. One of his best moments was helping the Toronto Blue Jays win the 1992 World Series.
After stopping play in 1996, Dave became a TV analyst for Major League Baseball on Fox. In 2001, he went back to the San Diego Padres as a top adviser until 2013. That year, he was added to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2006, he started The Baseball Music Project with Bob Thompson, as the host and storyteller. On March 31, 2009, he became a sports expert for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight.
On December 5, 2013, Dave became a special helper to Tony Clark at the Major League Baseball Players Association.
In his playing days, Dave’s jersey numbers became well-known: He wore No. 31 with the Yankees and Indians and No. 32 with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Twins. The Padres retired his No. 31 on April 14, 2001.
Dave Winfield Movies
Besides sports, Dave was on some TV shows:
- Arli$$ (1998)
- The Tony Danza Show (1998)
- The Drew Carey Show (1995)
- Married…with Children (1994)
- Sibs (1992)
Dave Winfield Awards
- 12× MLB All-Star
- 7× Gold Glove Award
- 6× Silver Slugger Award
- World Series Champion
- Roberto Clemente Award (1994)
- YMCA Brian Piccolo Award for Humanitarian Service
- Branch Rickey Community Service Award
- American League Joe Cronin Award
- Josh Gibson Leadership Award
- Doctorate of Laws from Syracuse University, Concordia University St. Paul, Minnesota, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Dave Winfield Books
- Winning It All: Inning By Inning: A Gameplan for Business & Life from a Baseball Hall of Famer
- Dropping the Ball: Baseball’s Troubles and How We Can and Must Solve Them
- Winfield: A Player’s Life