What Was Billy Bean's Net Worth? His Advocacy Work Was His Most Important Accomplishment
"Billy, thank you for being such an amazing role model for everyone," a fan commented.
Published Aug. 7 2024, 12:46 p.m. ET
Major League Baseball player Billy Bean passed away at age 60 on Aug. 6, 2024.
His life accomplishments include being MLB's first ambassador for inclusion.
How much money did Billy amass while he played baseball professionally and via his other endeavors? To be fair, the late outfielder came from humble beginnings, but let's explore Billy Bean's net worth at the time of his death.
Billy Bean's net worth grew over the years.
The California native's net worth was not always as large as it was when he passed away from acute myeloid leukemia.
When he was the Detroit Tigers' fourth-round draft pick in 1986, his salary was only $12,500, per The Super Slice. The outlet estimates his total net worth to be around $3 million.
Billy Bean
Former MLB player and Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Net worth: $3 million
Billy Bean was a former MLB player and the Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He was the second professional baseball player in history to come out as gay.
- Birth name: William Daro Bean
- Birthdate: May 11, 1964
- Birthplace: Santa Ana, Calif.
- Mom: Linda Robertson
- Dad: Bill Bean
- Husband: Greg Baker
Ultimately, he rose in the ranks to become the league’s senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion after retiring from MLB, having played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
In addition to his MLB career, during which his salary ranged from $40,000 to $1.5 million, Billy worked in TV and wrote a book, Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and out of Major League Baseball.
His television career included stints on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Frasier, and Arli$$. Billy served as a consultant for Scout Productions at one point as well.
Furthermore, Billy was invited to speak about his experiences being at first a closeted and then an openly gay man in professional sports, presumably earning a fee for each appearance.
Billy Bean's life was very much about giving back.
According to USA Today, Billy "changed lives" through his LGBTQ advocacy work.
"We may never know just how many lives he positively changed for the better. The good he did could be incalculable," writer Mike Freeman opined in a piece for the outlet following Billy's death.
Just scroll through the late athlete and advocate's Instagram comments for proof of how many people were positively impacted by him.
"You’re doing good work Billy," one fan wrote.
"Thank you so much for all you do!" gushed someone else, while yet another Instagram user said, "Billy, thank you for being such an amazing role model for everyone."
All over social media, with news of his death having been confirmed by MLB, fans, and colleagues past and present hailed Billy's contributions to the sport and the world at large.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing."
