Babe Ruth Net Worth: House, Lifestyle & Charity

The seven-time World Series champion Babe Ruth has a net worth of $800 thousand.

Babe Ruth is a professional baseball player from the USA who once held the most important records in baseball. He played a total of 22 seasons with teams like the Yankees and Red Sox.

Similarly, he was popularly known as “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat.” Ruth had one of the most impressive careers in MLB history as he scored 714 home runs.

Ruth started playing baseball when he was sent to St. Mary’s school after disciplinary issues. There, he picked the bat for the first time.

Yet, by 15, he was already showing signs of a strong pitcher and hitter. Eventually, Ruth was noticed by the scouts and made his journey to the major leagues.

As a result, Ruth was named in the All-Star Squad two times. Also, he was among the first five to be nominated in the Hall of the Fame.

Also, here are some quick facts about the player before we head any further into the details.

Quick Facts

Babe Ruth | Net Worth and Income

Babe Ruth made this net worth of $800 thousand from his MLB career, where he had his fair share of involvement in investments and tons of brand endorsements.

The net worth of Babe Ruth is a function of his utter dominance for three decades.

Per Celebrity Net Worth, Ruth’s highest salary during his career was $70,000. This was around the 1926-1927 season when he was at the peak of his career.

Eventually, Ruth and Yankees went on to win the World League consecutively in 1926 and 1927. Ruth was awarded about $5,700 as a bonus for reaching the World Series.

But, he wasn’t this strong at the dawn of his career. At first, he was on a mere salary of $100 in the minor league. Then, however, he slowly rose to be the highest-paid MLB athlete from 1922 to 1934.

According to sources, Ruth was already earning a whopping $52,000 in 1922. 

While this value does look grim today, it was big when he was a professional. By the time he retired, Ruth had made around $800,000 from baseball alone.

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Babe Ruth | Movies, Endorsements, And Book Publications

Movies and Media

Babe Ruth played baseball in the pre-television period. Yet, he received fame all based on word of mouth and sports reporters. Thus, when television became a thing, many movies and shows featured him.

“The Babe” is one of the famous visual media featuring him in 1992. It is a biographical drama film about Ruth. John Goodman plays the role of Ruth in this movie.

The story of the movie explores his personal life in detail. It begins from his harsh childhood in Baltimore after being sent to St. Mary’s school.

Then, it documents his rise as a baseball athlete after being signed to Red Sox, the trade to Yankees, and his failed “managerial” stint.

The Pride of Yankees & More

Similarly, Ruth starred as himself in the 1942 American movie “The Pride of the Yankees.” The movie had a box office collection of $3,671,000 at that time.

Likewise, he also guests starred in the 1928 silent comedy movie “Speedy.” Ruth cameos as himself in this movie as he appears in a taxi scene and gifts a ticket to the main hero for the game.

In 1927 he was part of another silent movie “Babe Comes Home.” The film was based on Babe Ruth and Anna Q. Nilsson. Ruth was cast in the movie as Babe Dugan.

Furthermore, he has had several documentaries made on him. “American Hercules: Babe Ruth” is one such film made in 2015.

Book Publications

Babe Ruth wasn’t someone with a strong financial background. He had picked up baseball during this time at the St. Mary’s school. However, he realized he was good and slowly rose to the top of the MLB division.

Hence, there have been several books written about him. “The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth” is one such book. Leigh Montville authored this book in 2007.

The book provides a definitive biography starting from his poor youth in Baltimore. Then, it moves toward his entry into professional baseball, from Boston to New York.

Per critics, the book does an outstanding job of capturing the true essence of Babe Ruth and his times.

“Babe Ruth’s Own Book of Baseball” is another book written about him in early 1992. Ruth authored this book himself. This autobiography provides a vivid account of his rise from poverty to baseball stardom in his own words.

Other famous books written about him are “Playing the Game: My Early Years in Baseball” and “Babe Ruth as I Knew Him.” The first book was authored by Babe Ruth himself which is a collection of his thoughts and opinions.

Also, the book is famous for having thirty of the most historical photographs. Therefore, it is clear the royalties from these books contribute to the net worth of Babe Ruth.

Endorsements

The sponsorships and endorsement deals influenced the net worth of Babe Ruth. But, his story about his Chevrolet deal is interesting.

Ruth hits a big home run per a newspaper piece that went out of the park and broke the Chevrolet window. The company used the front window broken by Babe Ruth to advertise their auto dealership in 1926.

Similarly, Ruth’s success on the field brought him an array of advertisers. And, Ruth was accepting any sponsorship and advertising offers at one point.

Eventually, he had deals from cereal to Girl Scout cookies. Throughout, he developed his confectionery line and chocolates.

Likewise, he is known for endorsing Old Gold cigarettes and White Owl Cigarettes. He appeared for the advertisements of the cigarette company despite only smoking cigars.

Additionally, he developed his line of apparel. For example, Ruth promoted “Babe Ruth” All-American, all-cotton underwear. Yet, per sources, he only wore custom-made silk undershorts.

Accordingly, Ruth had so many deals on his plate that he had to hire a business manager.

Babe Ruth | House and Cars

House

A lot of info bout the property Babe Ruth owned isn’t clear. However, let’s look at some of the ones we know.

Per sources, Babe Ruth used to live in a mansion located at 558 Dutton Road in Sudbury. It was famously known as “Home Plate Farm” and “‘Home Run Farm.”

Babe Ruth lived in this house for the period of four years, from 1922 to 1926. The house was spread in a huge area of 5,200 sq. ft. It had five bedrooms and three bathrooms.

It also featured a Gourmet chef’s kitchen and stone patios. According to Patch.com, this property was sold in 2013 for an estimated $1.22 million in October.

Previously, he had rented a cottage on Willis Pond and used to spend his time there. This event was during the time he was signed with the Red Cox. It was the famous place where Ruth hurled a piano into the pond.

Additionally, the house where he spent his early childhood days was converted into a museum. It was located at 216 Emory Street, built-in row typology.

Likewise, in 2016, the mayor and the local bodies carried out a restoration project to conserve this building.

Cars

Babe Ruth had an added interest in luxurious cars. Unfortunately, like his career, the last car he owned reflected the net worth of Babe Ruth.

Per Sources, Ruth was gifted a Lincoln Continental on April 27 in 1947. Ford Motor Co. blessed him to pursue his charity by promoting baseball among the kids he was trying to empower.

At that time, it was definitely one of the most luxurious vehicles one could own. Therefore, the car was considered a breakthrough in the automobile industry. Also, it had a three-speed manual transmission.

Ruth had a passion for automobiles but was inexperienced behind the wheel. Police frequently stopped him. However, most cops merely waved him on after discovering who he was.

But, Ruth met with an accident when he was driving home with his teammates and wife.

Luckily, no one was hurt seriously, and everyone escaped alive. He was driving a Packard touring car when this accident happened.

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Babe Ruth | Lifestyle

Babe Ruth thrived in a time when the market was subtle and going through easy changes. Yet, the net worth of Babe Ruth is close to a million based on his impressive career in baseball many decades back.

Thus, it isn’t surprising to know that Ruth loved living a wild lifestyle. Moreover, Ruth liked being with women as much as he wanted baseball.

Per his teammates, Ruth often visited brothels and once went through an entire brothel in Philadelphia.

However, when he married Claire, he had to change his entire lifestyle. She put him on a tight diet and limited his alcohol consumption.

When he went to parties, she hoarded his money and made him adhere to a ten o’clock curfew. But, most impressive of all, he followed her instructions.

Babe Ruth | Eating Habits

Per sources, Ruth was known for having one of the weirdest eating habits. Ruth used to have large meals and drink an excessive amount of alcohol.

According to an interview, Ruth ate “two-and-a-half pounds of rare beef steak” with an entire bottle of chili sauce every day. And, when an audience accompanied him, he would eat up more.

Also, his dinner wasn’t any different. Ruth used to have two porterhouse steaks, a double order of cottage-fried potatoes, two heads of salad, and two apple pies for dinner alone.

And, his “snacks” consisted of four hot dogs and four Coca-Cola bottles. Before a game, he would consume a dozen hot dogs and a half-gallon of Pepsi as a pregame meal.

Per the Los Angeles Times, the medical team had to take Ruth to the hospital amid a game due to a severe indigestion case. As a result, this way of living caught up with him, and he could no longer play outfield.

Babe Ruth | Charity & Foundation 

Babe Ruth was a leader both on and off the field. Thus, he has always been used his fame to raise attention on many issues.

Throughout, the net worth of Babe Ruth has gone into various charities. One of his important steps would be the establishment of the Babe Ruth Foundation.

It was a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting poor children. A year later, Babe Ruth passed away, and a lot of his will went on to develop this foundation.

The foundation was dedicated to imparting teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership to children. Ruth believed that educating the children with these valuable traits can enhance the course of their life.

Throughout, Ruth did everything he could to serve children and make them happy. And, he never said no to autographs whenever any children would ask for one.

Additionally, he often visited the orphanages and hospitals dedicated to serving the needy and poor. Also, he even visited St. Mary’s and constantly interacted with the kids sheltered there.

Furthermore, during World War II, he linked up with the Red Cross. Accordingly, he visited military hospitals on multiple occasions and helped raise funds.

Babe Ruth | Baseball Career

Babe Ruth grew so good at baseball that Baltimore Orioles owner Jack Dunn came to see him play. As a result, he offered him a contract despite watching him for less than an hour.

Between 1915 and 1919, Babe won 87 games, with a 2.16 earned run average. Also, Ruth won three World Series games (one in 1916 and two in 1918).

And, he set a record for spotless World Series innings by pitching 292/3 straight shutout innings. Yet, by 1919 Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees by the team.

In 1920, during his first season with the Yankees, Ruth surpassed his single-season record by hitting 54 home runs. He was dubbed the “Sultan of Swat” by sportswriters.

But, in 1925, he was down bad due to sickness. Yet, he hit 25 home runs in 98 games that season while participating in only 98 games.

From 1926 to 1932, Ruth’s offensive performance surpassed that of all other players.

During those seven seasons, he hit 49 home runs, drove in 151 runs, and had a.353 batting average.

Eventually, he joined Boston Braves as a player and assistant manager. Ruth concluded his career with 714 home runs in that season, which he held until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974.

Babe Ruth | Pitching Stats

3 Facts About Babe Ruth

• Ruth was arrested in Manhattan on June 8, 1921, for the second time in a month for speeding. Thus, he was condemned to spend the rest of the day in jail.
• His father got into a fight with one of the family members and followed him out onto the street. Then, he fell and banged his head on the back of his head, dying from a shattered skull.
• In 1936, Babe was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after a 22-year major league career.

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Quotes

• “All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it. I get back to the dugout, and they ask me what it was I hit, and I tell them I don’t know except it looked good.”
• “I have just one superstition. Whenever I hit a home run, I make certain I touch all four bases.”
• “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

Babe Ruth | FAQs

Why was he nicknamed “The Babe?”

George signed his first professional baseball contract at the age of 19. Because George was so young, veteran Orioles players began to refer to him as “Babe.”

Where is Eau Claire Babe Ruth Baseball?

It is located at Addison Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54703, United States. 

What are Babe Ruth’s baseball card value and rookie card value?

Babe Ruth’s pre-rookie card value and 1914 Baltimore baseball card value are estimated to be $6 million.