SF Giants legend Madison Bumgarner has unique distinction on Baseball Reference page

SF Giants legend Madison Bumgarner’s Baseball Reference page highlights one of the more decorated players in baseball history, including four All-Star selections and three World Series titles. Did you know it also includes his earnings from his rodeo days?

SF Giants legend Madison Bumgarner has unique distinction on Baseball Reference page

Yes, everyone’s Baseball Reference page is in a pretty standard format. It includes their stats, earnings, rankings, and player comparisons.

Bumgarner has a unique footnote from a story that surfaced after his time with San Francisco came to an end.

In 2020, Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reported that Bumgarner had been competing in team-roping under the alias Mason Saunders. A photo had emerged on social media that revealed his secret identity.

In that same article, Bumgarner confirmed that teammates and opposing players knew about his secret hobby. The media had been kept in the dark.

That said, in an interview with Maria Guardado of MLB.Com, Bruce Bochy admitted that he was not aware of Bumgarner’s alter ego. He, along with several former Giants players, were aware of Bumgarner’s hobby, but not that he competed at a professional level. 

The southpaw pitcher’s Baseball Reference page shows that he made just over $27,000 in 2019 in team-roping competitions. One of these competitions took place in March of 2019, which turned out to be Bumgarner’s final spring in a Giants uniform.

Overall, Bumgarner made $144 million from his playing days, per Spotrac. This includes some deferred compensation that is still being paid out by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Diamondbacks signed the lefty pitcher to a five, $85 million pact after the 2019 campaign. This deal ran through 2024, but he was unceremoniously designated for assignment by Arizona early in the 2023 season.

Bumgarner had hinted an interest in returning to the mound, but that has not materialized. He did return to Oracle Park in 2024 for a 10-year reunion of the 2014 World Series run. That title would not have been possible without Bumgarner’s Herculean efforts. 

So, the next time you are at a party, and you want to impress your friends, just tell them about Bumgarner’s rodeo section in his Baseball Reference page. They will easily be more impressed than an accountant showing them a cool, new keyboard shortcut in Excel.