Add former Diamondbacks pitcher and two-time MLB All-Star Livan Hernandez to the growing list of former professional athletes who fell on hard financial times soon after their pro careers come to an end.
Hernandez filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy on June 30, the Miami Herald reported Monday. The 42-year-old from Cuba made an estimated $53 million during his 17-year MLB career that ended in 2012, but he was reportedly worth less than $50,000 and owed back taxes to the IRS when he filed. A judgment to a businessman who lent Hernandez over $200,000 in 2013 also hasn't been paid, according to the Herald.
Hernandez went 15-16 with a 4.64 ERA in 1 1/2 seasons with the Diamondbacks. He was a key part of the 2007 D-backs team that won the National League West division and advanced to the National League Championship Series. He helped lead the Florida Marlins to the 1997 World Series title.
Hernandez joins a long list of former pro athletes to file for bankruptcy, including boxing legend Mike Tyson, former NFL stars Warren Sapp and Vince Young, and former NBA star Antoine Walker. According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated story, 78 percent of former NFL players declare for bankruptcy or experience financial stress within two years of retirement, and 60 percent of NBA players go broke within five years of retirement.
