What was Bruce Sutter's net worth? Estimating late Hall of Famer's personal wealth from MLB contracts

The MLB world is mourning the loss of Hall of Fame relief pitcher Bruce Sutter, who passed away on Friday. Sutter, who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 1982 World Series, passed away at the age of 69.

"We are saddened over the passing of Bruce Sutter. Sutter was a dominant pitcher and a member of the '82 World Series Championship team. He is a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Our thoughts are with Bruce's family and friends." - St. Louis Cardinals

At the time of his death, Sutter had a net worth of around $10 million. According to baseballreference.com, Sutter made an estimated total career earnings of $12,925,002.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 and became the first player to enter Cooperstown without ever starting a game. As one of the most feared closers of his generation, Sutter won his first and only Cy Young Award in 1979 with the Chicago Cubs.

Bruce Sutter's impact on relief pitching

Not only was Sutter one of the most dominant closers of his generation, but he was also a pioneer of the split-finger fastball. After returning from injury and finding a dip in his velocity, Fred Martin taught Sutter the infamous pitch. Upon mastering the splitter, Sutter's career would change forever.

During his Cy Young award-winning 1979 season, Sutter recorded a 2.22 ERA with 37 saves, while striking out 110 batters for the Chicago Cubs. Though he has accomplished much to this point, it wasn't until he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals that he experienced postseason success.

In 1982, he yet again led the league in saves with 36, and was on the mound for the World Series-clinching victory against the Milwaukee Brewers. His game 7 heroics would help St. Louis secure their first title since 1968.

"Bruce Sutter, a sore-armed minor leaguer who turned to the splitter for salvation and became one of the greatest relief pitchers of all-time, has died, the Cardinals announced in a statement. He was 69."

Over the 1,000 innings pitched in his career, Sutter would record 300 saves while racking up 861 strikeouts and posting a career 2.83 ERA.

"#RIP Bruce Sutter, thanks for the memories. #STLCards" - Cardinals Dude

The baseball world will never forget the impact of Sutter and what he meant to the development of pitching.