Bubba Starling : Early Life, Career, Girlfriend & Net Worth

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Bubba Starling is a former MLB player, who bagged the Silver Medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His aspiring gaming ability in football and basketball attracted many sports teams. Bubba is an athlete with a combination of sportsmanship and humility.

Since his high school days, he earned the fame of being a sports star. He has played for minor leagues like AAP and AL leagues.  

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling Wearing Jersey Of Kansas City Royals (Source: Royalsreview)

Bubba Starling outstood athletes and was highly in demand among sports teams. He owned his career with his hard work and outshined others.

Let’s dig into Bubba Starling’s life in this article.

Bubba Starling | Quick Facts

Full Name Derek Bubba Starling
Nickname Bubba
Birth Date 3 August 1992
Birth Place Gardner, Kansas, United States of America
Age 31 Years Old
Religion Undefined
Nationality American
Ethnicity Not Available
Horoscope Leo
Father’s Name Jimbo Starling
Mother’s Name Deb Starling
Wife Not Known
Siblings Jamie Oshel
Height 1.9 meters / 6 feet 4 inches 
Weight 99 kg / 220lb
Education Gardner Edgerton High School, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Career in Sports Baseball
Organization Kansas City Royals
Position in Sports Outfielder
Shoe Size Not Available
Affiliations Nebraska Cornhuskers, Burlington Royals, Lexington Legends, Wilmington Blue Rocks, Omaha Storm Chasers, Kansas City Royals
Active Since  2011
Net Worth Estimated $1 Million 
Salary $568,250 
Social Media Twitter
Merch Trading Cards, Signed Jersey
Last Update March, 2024

Bubba Starling | Early life 

On 3 August 1992, Bubba Starling was born to Jimbo Starling and Deb Starling. His parents have named him Derek Starling. He was born in Gardner, Kansas.

Starling’s father also played basketball at a nearby school. Deb, Starling’s mother worked as a secretary at the high school. Also, she has played volleyball at Baker.

He has a sister called Jamie Oshel. She said people knew her as Bubba’s sister rather than her identity at her high school.

He grew up in a decent environment. Bubba didn’t watch TV or played video games. Bubba spent his time helping his mom in fishing at the family lake. He never wanted to play with the children of his age as he was focused and strong.

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling Waving Hand To His Fans (Source: Kansascity.com)

 In 2011, Starling completed his high education at Gardner Edgerton High School in Kansas. He was active in sports in comparison to academics. 

Even after gaining fame he still mowed his grandmother’s lawn and delivered his sister’s lunch. Moreover, his parents and sister were always supportive of his sports.

They always showed up and cheered for Starling’s performance in High School. Starling also loves spending time with pets, especially dogs. He owns two dogs named Tex and Rufus.

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Bubba Starling | Vital Body Stats

Talking about Bubba’s body measurements, his height is 1.9 meters and he weighs 220 lb. He is a handsome man. His lean and muscular body is reasonably fit for the game.

He was an active player, and thus took part in football, baseball, and basketball.

Bubba Starling | Journey To His Career

Fun fact, Starling was a football, baseball, and basketball star at Gardner-Edgerton. His school baseball coach, Jerald VanRheen, observed Bubba in his school games.

He even said Starling would make something big in life. Starling was an All-State selection in all three different sports at Gardner Edgerton.

He achieved first-team Top 11 picks as a quarterback in all classifications two years in a row in Kansas City.

Bubba has earned No. 6 quarterbacks in 2011 and No. 112 in the nation for high school football recruits. Eventually, he was touted as the country’s  No. 1 recruit-ranked baseball.

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Interviews And Road To Nebraska Cornhuskers

Bubba commenced three years as a quarterback for Gardner Edgerton’s football team. He also led the Trailblazers to the 2009 Kansas 5A State Championship game, however,  Hutchinson secured it.

He was considered one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects. Bubba received a scholarship to play football and baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Not only that, Starling also became a member of the Kansas High School All-State team in basketball. Many reporters interviewed him.

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling In The Field (Source: royalsreview.com)

Moreover, they asked him about choosing football or baseball after playing matches during school. Either way, he would have made the best out of it.

The negotiations between Starling and the agent did not come to the same conclusion. Thus he joined Kansas City Royals. Due to his active, wise, and skillful sportsmanship, he was able to attain a contract with Kansas City Royals.  

This incident became the town’s talk, and everyone in Kansas city was excited and proud of Bubba’s decision.

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Professional Career

In 2011 MLB-based Kansas City Royals selected Starling as the fifth overall selection for the MLB draft. In fact, he was considered to be the most athletic in the draft.

Bubba was offered a contract of three years worth $7.5 million with a signing bonus. He had to play professional baseball over a collegiate athletic career for the University of Nebraska.

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling During Match (Source: MLB.com)

The signing bonus was the second-largest amount in draft history. The amount of contract money was the largest ever paid to a high school player. At the time, his agent was Scott Boras.

In the year 2012, Starling Bubba, nailed his professional debut with Burlington Royals and stayed the whole season there. He hit a .275 average with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 53 games. 

Bubba played for the Lexington Legends in 2013. He assembled a .241 batting average with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 125 games that got into Starling’s account.

Likewise, in the year 2014, he also played with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. There he batted .218 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs in 132 games.

In the year 2015 Starling played for both Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Starling was added by the Royals to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season. He started 2016 with Northwest Arkansas and was promoted to the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers in July.

He invested the year 2017 with the team Omaha where he slashed .248/.303/.381 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 80 games. 

Further

Later in the following year, he was injured and had to take a leap. Starling began 2018 with Omaha, but injuries did not make him perform well. Injuries in 2017 and 2018 limited him to playing only 20 games in total.

He was chosen by Pacific Coast League to play in the Triple A-ALL-Star Game 2019. The same year, Bubba Starling got minor laser eye treatment in his right eye.

Kansas City Royals chose Starling’s contract on July 2019 and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that night versus the Detroit Tigers. He gathered his first career hit, an RBI single, off Mathew Boyd, the following night.

Starling hits his career-first hit MLB home run off Cleaveland Indians closer Brad Hand on July 21, 2019. He hit .215 in 65 games.

In the year 2020, Bubba was non-tendered by the Royals, later he was signed again with the Royals on a minor league contract.

Bubba was named to the roster for the United States national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, contested in 2021 in Tokyo. They won Silver falling to Japan in the Gold medal game.

Starling Bubba announced his retirement in the year 2021 through his Facebook.

Appearance In Royal Quick Hits

Bubba appeared in a video of Royal Quick Hits on Kansas City Royal’s official Youtube Channel. Moreover, he gave his answer to the following questions:

Favorite TV Show Ozark
Most Used Application Instagram
Superpower Flying
Favorite Vacation Somewhere in Carrabean sides
Biggest Phobias Spiders and Snakes
Favorite ice cream flavor Vanilla
Favorite Food Steak
Least Favorite Food Japanese Food
First Car Ford f-150

Awards

For his outstanding performance, Bubba was awarded various awards. Some of them are listed below:

  • Starling got Thomas A. Simone Memorial Award (an award that recognizes the best football player in the Kansas City metro area) from his High School in the year 2010.
  • In the year 2012, Bubba received APP Post-Season All-Star For Burlington Royals in APP League.
  •  Starling received the MiLB.com Organization All-Star award for Kansas City Royal in AL League in the same year.
  • Again in 2012, Bubba received APP Player of the Week(08/06/2012) for Burlington Royals in the APP League.
  • In  2014, Bubba received CAR Player of the Week(6/23/2014) for the Burlington Royals in the CAR League.
  •  Starling got the PCL Mid-Season All-Star award for Omaha Storm Chasers in PCL Leagues in 2019.

Relationships

Bubba used to post pictures with his girlfriend, Laura Glenn. As per some sources, they were dating since 2019. They were seen enjoying happy moments together during the vacation and after-match meetings. 

However, Laura, Bubba’s girlfriend avoided being in public, and there is less news about her on the internet.

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling With A Baby (Source: Pinterest.com)

To stay out of the limelight and protect her privacy, her Instagram is also a private account. Apart from her, Bubba was rumored to be dating a girl named Jill.

The dating rumors started when they used to travel together and often post pictures on their social media accounts. Bubba never announced her as his girlfriend, though.

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Net Worth

When Derek Bubba Starling signed a contract with Kansas City Royals Starling pocketed $7.5 million. It was the largest amount offered to a high schooler.

Starling’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million.

Social Media Presence

His official Facebook page is not found; however, he gets featured on Kansas City Royals page repeatedly.

His fans have been regulating a Twitter account where most fans tweet about his games.

Also, Wikipedia has dedicated a page for Bubba Starling. 

Bubba Starling | Popularity Graph

Derek Bubba Starling search graph.

Bubba Starling
Bubba Starling search graph (Source: Google)

Bubba was searched on google amid his retirement announcement. He released the news through Facebook.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

How old is Bubba Starling?

Bubba Starling was born on 3 August 1992 in Gardner Kansas.

As of 2024, he is 31 years old.

What is the uniform (jersey) number of Bubba Starling?

Bubba Starling wore jersey number 11 for the Kansas City Royals.

He remained with Kansas City Royals for more than a decade.

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Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

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Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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