Talent often runs through families like veins of gold through a rock. This seems especially true in baseball, as many big-league players have family members who were famous outside of sports, including some surprising celebrity examples you probably weren’t aware of.
Harrison Bader/Scott Baio
Although Bader came up with the St. Louis Cardinals as a highly regarded prospect, he has never developed into more than a solid fourth outfielder. Now on his fourth big-league team in eight seasons, he has batted a combined .243 batting average with 59 home runs and 217 RBIs in 635 career games. His mother is a Baio, and his cousin is Charles In Charge actor, Scott Baio.
Tony Lupien/John Cena
The left-handed Lupien spent the bulk of his six-year career (1940; 1942–45; 1948) playing during World War II when many players had been pressed into military service. The Harvard graduate was discharged from the Navy early on and went on to bat a combined .268 with 18 home runs and 230 RBIs in 614 games. Following his playing career, he was a long-time college coach in multiple sports. WWE wrestler and A-list actor John Cena is his grandson.
Lenny Dykstra/Jamie-Lynn Siegler
Known as “Nails,” the left-handed Dykstra made three All Star teams in a 12-year career split between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (1985–1996). He batted a combined .285 with 81 home runs, 404 RBIs and 285 stolen bases in 1,278 games. Unfortunately, his life has frequently encountered controversy and legal troubles since he retired. His son Cutter was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft and spent nearly a decade in the minor leagues, but never got called up to carry on the family business. He married former Sopranos star actress, Jamie-Lynn Sigler 2016, making her Lenny’s daughter-in-law.
Sean Gilmartin/Kayleigh McEnany
Gilmartin, a left-handed pitcher, was a former first-round draft choice, but injuries and inconsistency led to him appearing in only 81 games (three starts) in parts of six big-league seasons (2015–2020) with three different teams. This led to middling results of a combined 4–5 record with a 4.34 ERA. He last pitched in organized ball in 2021. He has been married to Kayleigh McEnany, the former White House Press Secretary of Donald Trump, since 2017.
Tim Salmon/Holly Hunter
Salmon spent his entire 14-year career as an outfielder for the Anaheim Angels. The 1993 American League Rookie of the Year never made an All Star team, but was certainly deserving of the honor, especially since he received MVP votes in three different seasons. His career totals of a .282 batting average, 299 home runs and 1,016 RBIs make him one of the best players in team history. His second cousin is Holly Hunter, the Oscar-winning actress, best known for her work in The Piano, who has worked in Hollywood for more than 40 years.
Joe DiMaggio/Marilyn Monroe
Ok, more people might be familiar with this pair, but who doesn’t enjoy talking about Joltin’ Joe and the iconic blonde bombshell? A right-handed hitting center fielder, DiMaggio spent his entire 13-year (1936-1942; 1946-1951) with the New York Yankees. He helped his teams to 10 World Series appearances during his tenure, including an amazing nine that won it all. He accumulated career numbers of a .325 batting average, 361 home runs and 1,537 RBIs. Not only did he win three MVP awards and get inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame , he was the idol of countless boys and men. In the mid 1950s, he was married for nine months to Monroe, a Hollywood actress and model famed for her beauty and sex appeal.
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Born on the East Coast but currently residing on the West Coast, Andrew Martin has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs and other mediums but most fondly remembers his Master’s thesis exploring the impact of the Boston Red Sox on social identity in New England. He enjoys writing about history, sports, culture and investing and recently published his first book–Baseball’s Greatest Players: 10 Baseball Biographies for New Readers, a children’s book about baseball history.
