Sammy Sosa net worth, MLB playing career and recent speculations over 'bleached skin'

The record-breaking 1998 season of sluggers Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were brought back to the fray after the release of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary, Long Gone Summer. The 1998 season saw Mark McGwire hit a league-high 70 home runs. Although Sammy Sosa fell to second with 66 homers to his name, the then-Chicago Cubs star was awarded the National League MVP as he led the league with 158 RBIs and was key in the Cubs' post-season success. Despite him being one of the best hitters in his prime, fans today are busy discussing his steroids scandal and rather comically with the 'Did Sammy Sosa bleach skin?' query. With all said, here's a look at the Sammy Sosa net worth, the steroid scandal and the 'Sammy Sosa skin change' speculation. 

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Sammy Sosa net worth information

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Sammy Sosa net worth figure stands at $70 million. Having played in the MLB between 1989 and 2007, Sosa's career earnings is estimated to be around $124 million. He reportedly earned as high $17 million while playing the solitary season for Baltimore Orioles. 

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Did Sammy Sosa bleach skin? Sammy Sosa skin change speculation

After retiring from MLB in 2007, Sosa quietly moved away from the limelight. However, when he made his public appearance in 2009, the former Cubs star stunned fans after he appeared with a completely different look. Born in the Dominican Republic, Sosa had a darker skin complexion as compared to his post-retirement appearance.

Naturally, his sudden change in look gave way to some entertaining reactions on social media. Fans generally accused Sosa of undergoing a procedure to achieve a lighter complexion while others suggested he bleached his skin.

"It's a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some," Sammy Sosa told Univision in 2009. "What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don't think I look like Michael Jackson." While Sosa admitted to having used a bleaching cream to achieve the lighter complexion, fans still appear to be unsatisfied with his answer. This clearly evident from the reaction from fans after the release of ESPN's documentary.

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Sammy Sosa now, playing career steroids scandal

Sammy Sosa started his career with Texas Rangers before playing for Chicago Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and the Orioles. He finished his career with the Rangers. Sosa achieved most success with the Cubs where he established himself as one of the best sluggers in the game. After the record-breaking 1998 season, Sosa continued performing at the highest level, notching 63 home run in 1999 and 66 home runs in 2001.

In his final season in MLB, he hit the 600th home run of his career, becoming the fifth player in MLB history to reach the milestone. He finished his career with 609 homers at a batting average of .273. Sosa was a 6-time All-Star, a former National League MVP and a two-time National League home run leader. 

Despite his MLB laurels, fans still associate Sosa with his steroids scandal which ultimately marred his MLB legacy. Along with Mark McGwire, Sosa and several other MLB players were named in an anonymous list linking them to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). McGwire and Sosa were also among the 11 MLB players and executes who had to appear at a hearing by the Congress in 2005.

Mark McGwire went onto admit his wrongdoings in latter years. However, till date, Sammy Sosa denies those allegations as he claims he never tested negative during drug testing during his MLB career. 

Disclaimer: The above information on Sammy Sosa net worth is sourced from various websites/ media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the Sammy Sosa net worth figures.

(Image Credits: MLB.com)

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