Jennie Finch’s Net Worth in 2024: From Softball Star to MLB Ambassador

The athlete, who retired in 2010, continues to encourage women and young girls to pick up the sport of softball.

Jennie Finch / Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images

With SI Swimsuit’s Net Worth Series: Empowering Equal Pay, our goal is to shine a light on incredible athletes while examining income disparities and promoting equal pay across industries.

Retired softball pitcher Jennie Finch is known as one of the best athletes to ever play the game. After playing collegiate softball for the University of Arizona, Finch went on to participate in two different Olympic games with the USA national team, and also played for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch league. Finch has two Olympic medals to her name, as she earned a gold at the 2004 games in Athens and collected a silver in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Meanwhile, the athlete made her debut with the Chicago Bandits in 2005 and played with the team through her retirement in 2010.

Jennie Finch / Icon Sports Wire/Getty Images

The one-time SI Swimsuit model, who was photographed for the 2005 issue in the Bahamas, may have stepped away from playing the game professionally 14 years ago, but she’s still succeeding in many different avenues. Today, the 43-year-old California native is a proud wife, mother, author, MLB ambassador and more. She regularly conducts nationwide softball camps and runs her own softball academy for young girls.

“So many players and women have paved the way,” Finch told Forbes of her career in 2022. “The opportunities I had were special, and I always try to take what I’ve learned and been able to do, and bring it back to the game.”

Below, we’ll take a closer look at Finch’s career and beyond and examine her net worth compared to male athletes with comparable experience in the MLB.

How did Jennie Finch get her start?

Finch started playing softball at the age of 5, when her parents signed her up for T-ball. She started pitching just three years later. Later, Finch attended La Mirada High School in her native California, where she was the captain of the softball team during her senior year.

Jennie Finch / Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

Jennie Finch college career

Finch attended the University of Arizona, where she majored in communications. During her freshman season in 1999, she pitched her first career no-hitter, while her sophomore season in 2000 saw Finch start the year with a 21 consecutive game win streak. As a junior, she and her teammates made it to the World Series for the third year in a row, and Finch was named Pitcher of The Year during her senior season.

Upon her graduation from the University of Arizona, Finch’s No. 27 jersey was officially retired.

Jennie Finch / Chris Landsberger/Getty Images

Jennie Finch endorsement deals and brand partners

Throughout the years, Finch has partnered with sports equipment brands like Mizuno, Dudley Sports and ProMounds, along with companies like Diamond Nation, the Women’s Sports Foundation and Game Signs™ Signal Enhancement Stickers.

Jennie Finch / Craig Sjodin/Getty Images

Jennie Finch net worth

Today, Finch has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million, stemming from her career as a professional athlete and various endorsement deals and brand partnerships.

Jennie Finch’s net worth compared to MLB players

Starting pitcher Pedro Martínez was at the top of his game during roughly the same time Finch was in the mid-2000s. Martínez, who retired just a year before Finch did, has an estimated net worth of $70 to $80 million.

And while retired first baseman Albert Pujols was not a pitcher in the MLB, Finch once struck him out during the 2004 Pepsi All-Star Softball Game, and the two reached similar career hights around the same time. Today, his net worth stands at about $170 million.

By examining just these two examples, it’s clear that major pay discrepancies still exist between men and women with similar experience in similar fields, sports included.

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