Hank Greenberg Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What was Hank Greenberg’s Net Worth?

Hank Greenberg was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 1987. That’s the same as around $14 million in today’s dollars after adjusting for inflation.

Not to be confused with the businessman Maurice Greenberg (who also goes by Hank Greenberg), Hank Greenberg played in MLB from 1930 to 1947, mostly with the Detroit Tigers. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he was a two-time American League MVP, four-time American League home run leader and RBI leader, and two-time World Series champion. After finishing his playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, Greenberg worked as a team executive for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.

$100k Salary Barrier

Hank Greenberg has the distinction of being the first baseball player to ever earn $100,000 per season. He accomplished that feat in 1947 after a lengthy salary dispute with the Tigers that ultimately saw his contract traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the Pirates who offered him the barrier-breaking $100,000 per year salary. Earning $100,000 in 1947 is the same as earning $1.4 million today.

Early Life and Education

Hank Greenberg was born on New Year’s Day, 1911 in New York City as the third of four children of Romanian Jewish immigrant parents Sarah and David. His siblings were Ben, Joe, and Lillian. After moving from Greenwich Village to the Bronx, Greenberg attended James Monroe High School, where he excelled in basketball, soccer, track and field, and baseball. He even helped the school basketball team win the city championship. Although Greenberg was recruited by the New York Yankees out of high school in 1929, he instead decided to attend New York University on an athletic scholarship.

Minor League Career

Following his freshman year at NYU, Greenberg signed with MLB’s Detroit Tigers. He began his career in the minor leagues, playing with the Hartford Senators and the Raleigh Capitals in 1930. In 1931, Greenberg played for the Evansville Hubs, and in 1932 he played for the Beaumont Exporters. During his time with the Exporters, he recorded 39 home runs and 131 RBI, winning the Texas League’s MVP award and helping to lead the team to the Texas League title.

Detroit Tigers

After three seasons in the minors, Greenberg was called up to the Detroit Tigers in 1933. That season, he batted .301 with 87 RBI. In his second season with the Tigers in 1934, Greenberg batted .339 and helped the team to its first World Series appearance in 25 years. Late in the season, he earned substantial press when he announced he would not play on the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. After much deliberation, he ended up playing on the former holiday. Greenberg went on to have his breakout season in 1935, leading the American League in home runs and RBI and earning his first AL MVP Award. Moreover, he helped lead the Tigers to their first-ever World Series title. Greenberg only played through Game 2 of the series due to a sprained wrist, however. Early in the 1936 season, he re-injured his wrist and had to sit the rest of the season out. He returned fully recovered for the 1937 season, and proceeded to lead the AL in RBI for the second time in his career, with 184. Meanwhile, Greenberg finished second in the league in multiple categories, including home runs (40), doubles (49), and slugging percentage (.668). He had another terrific season in 1938, leading the AL in home runs with 58 and setting an MLB record with 11 games with multiple homers.

Following a disappointing 1939 season, Greenberg had one of his best career years in 1940. Switched from first base to left field, he led the AL in both home runs and RBI for the third time in his career, with 41 and 150, respectively, and earned his second AL MVP Award. Greenberg helped lead the Tigers to the AL pennant and ultimately to the 1940 World Series, where they lost in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds. After that season, Greenberg enlisted in the US Army, serving for nearly four years. He returned to baseball in top form in 1945, hitting a home run in his first game back on July 1. Greenberg went on to help the Tigers to another AL pennant, this one a come-from-behind victory over the St. Louis Browns. The Tigers won the subsequent 1945 World Series by defeating the Chicago Cubs in seven games. Greenberg continued his success in 1946, leading the AL in home runs and RBI for the fourth time in his career, with 44 and 127, respectively. He also came in second in slugging percentage (.604) and total bases (316). It would be Greenberg’s final season with the Tigers, however, as a lengthy salary dispute prompted him to retire rather than play for less money. Ultimately, the Tigers sold his contract to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Greenberg spent his final season as an MLB player with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947. With the team, he became the first baseball player to make $100,000 in a season as pure salary. Greenberg had a solid 1947 season, tying for the league lead in walks (104) and on-base percentage (.408). He also hit over 25 home runs, making him the first MLB player to hit that many or more in a season in each league.

Post-retirement

After retiring as an MLB player in 1947, Greenberg became a team executive for the Cleveland Indians, first serving as the organization’s farm director and then as general manager. During his time with the Indians, he sponsored more African-American players than any other MLB executive. Greenberg stepped down as the team’s general manager in 1957, although he remained a part-owner due to his purchase of the team the previous year with Bill Daley. At the end of the decade, Greenberg and Bill Veeck purchased the Chicago White Sox, with Greenberg becoming the team’s vice president and general manager. In their first season with the team, the White Sox won their first AL pennant in 40 years. Greenberg stepped down as general manager in 1961.

Personal Life and Death

In 1946, Greenberg married Caral Gimbel of the Gimbels department store family. They had three children named Glenn, Stephen, and Ava before divorcing in 1958. Greenberg married his second wife, model and actress Linda Douglas, in 1966. On September 4, 1986, Greenberg passed away from kidney cancer. He was 75 years of age.

Beverly Hills Mansion

In 1974, Hank paid $258,000 for a home in Beverly Hills. That’s the same as around $1.6 million in today’s dollars. The home is significant. Known as “the Fields House,” it was designed by architect Craig Ellwood and built in 1957 as part of the Case Study program. Upon his death, the home was inherited by his widow, Linda Douglas. She remained in the home until her death in 2017. Not long after her death, the home was put up for sale for $9.5 million. In sold in January 2018 for $7.75 million. Here is a video tour: