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Introduction About Jim Kaat
The 1950s baseball fanatic crowd, who sat in the stadiums, will always look forward to the baseball matches and cheer in unison when Jim Kaat, their favorite pitcher, is about to throw the ball and score a spectacular run.
The splendid career of baseball spanned more than five decades and has inspired millions of young baseball players to come on the field and show their capabilities to their full potential.
Net Worth & Salary of Jim Kaat in 2022
The net worth of Mr.Jim Kaat in 2022 is approximately $18M. He earns around $100K every year from sports commentary from the MLB network.
His main source of income is prize money from games, contests, and sports commentary. He has retired from the scenes for a few years now and is enjoying his retirement with his family and friends.
Age, Early Life & Biography of Jim Kaat
As of 2022, the age of Mr.Jim Kaat is 83 years.
He was born to Hans Kaat and his wife on November 7, 1938, in Zeeland, a small Dutch community located in the western part of the state. He had a sibling named Phil.
His father Hans Kaat was well known as Johns in the community and worked as a shopkeeper for a living. He was a huge baseball fanatic and often accompanied his boys to baseball matches and taught them how to play the sports.
Jim Kaat had inherited the love of baseball from his father and had been an active member of the baseball and basketball teams of his school. He was one to come forward to help if there is any problem related to sports in the community.
Growing up, he had proved to be a helpful and talented person in baseball and knew how to turn tables for hitters without throwing hard. He wanted to secure an athletic scholarship for his college years but he was not qualified due to his short and frail stature. Life had got some other plans for him, as a result, he enrolled at Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
| Name: | James Lee Kaat |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 83 years old |
| Birth Date: | November 7, 1938, |
| Birth Place: | Zeeland, Michigan |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.93m |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Julie Kaat(m.1959-1977)Linda Kaat(m.1977-1987)MaryAnn Kaat(m.1988-2008)Margie Kaat(m.2009-present) |
| Children/Kids (Son and Daughter): | Four children and six grandchildren |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): | N/A |
| Profession: | Baseball player, Television Sports Commentator |
| Yearly Income: | N/A |
| Net Worth in 2022 | $18M |
| Content Last Updated: | October 2022 |
Personal Life of Jim Kaat
He had married more than three times in his life. His first two marriages with Julie and Linda Kaat ended up in divorce because of their respective busy careers and compatibility issues.
He married MaryAnn in 1988 and retired around 1993 to focus more on family and spend less time on the field. The couple had a happy life with their four children and six grandchildren.
MaryAnn Kaat left the world sooner in 2008 and left Jim in despair. Jim revealed in one of his interviews how he still misses her. He later tied the knot with Margie in 2009 and settled down happily with her and his kins in Florida for more than a decade now.
Career of Jim Kaat
After entering Hope College, Jim Kaat started playing professionally. He was a part of the Washington Senators in 1958. He played a rookie session at 1:5 and impressed the senators with his gameplay and spectacular results.
They signed him up with a $4000 bonus and made his day. He played in small leagues in 1957 and 1958 before becoming a permanent member of the Senators. Around that time White Sox noticed the budding Jim’s potential and wanted to recruit him with a $25K signing bonus.
Even though Jim’s father Hans was a small shopkeeper in the small Dutch community, he was a man of integrity and virtue. He advised Jim not to be short-sighted in his career because of a short-term monetary benefit and to avoid being a bonus baby.
He was assigned to Jack McKeon who helped him to arrange his matches and schedules. He played for Class B Fox City Foxes, Class C Missoula Timberjacks, and Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. His 8-8 record in the 1957, 1958 and1959 seasons made him the youngest player on the team with three major-league appearances.
After the glorious record in the major leagues, he started playing as a pitcher in the Triple-A Charleston with nine major-league starts and four relief appearances. His role as the pitcher was not as glorious as expected and he didn’t pitch ever again in his time at Senators.
Jim continued playing with the Washington Senators until it merged with other teams to become the Minnesota Twins in 1961. The Minnesota Twins were a promising team of young baseball players and were the talk of the town in the year 1961.
Kaat started playing with them in a match against Boston with a 5-1 start with 7 innings. Their performance dropped around the end of May and June. They gradually improved with Kaat scoring a 9-17, 3.90 in 200⅔ innings as the club’s youngest starter.
He played for the Minnesota Twins till 1973 and joined Chicago White Fox for the next three and moved on to Philadelphia Phillies in 1976. During his time at Philadelphia Phillies, he worked as a pitcher and brought glory to the team with more than 16 Golden Globe awards.
After leaving the Philadelphia Phillies, he played for New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals till 1983 before his retirement as a player. After retirement, he took up the role of coach and speaker in the tournaments. He broadcasted for the next 22 years before officially retiring from the sports world in 2022.
He has broadcasted for NBC, ESPN, TBS, Yankees Network, and some other organizations over the years. The broadcasting period at Yankees Network was the most successful period of his career.
Awards & Achievements of Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat was a living legend in the world of baseball with 50 active years on and off the field. He won many awards and accolades in his career and still lived a humble and low-key lifestyle despite the popularity he accumulated over the years.
He was seven times Emmy awarded speaker for sports commentary and a successful baseball player with major accomplishments like 3X All Stars awards, 16 Golden Glove awards, and World Series Champion under his belt.
Major Investments and Assets of Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat is the author of “Still Pitching”, the best-selling book, and owner of Southpaw Enterprises, Inc, a sports management company that provides enough funds for him to live his life after retirement.
He likes to maintain the difference between private and professional life and live a straightforward and honest life.
Must Watch Latest Video and Trending Photographs of Jim Kaat
Jim Kaat’s interview after being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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