Pat Hoberg had an impressive salary as a Top 10 performing home plate umpire in MLB.
Hoberg, 38, was fired for sharing his sports gambling accounts with a friend who bets on baseball games and intentionally deleting messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.
Highlights
- Pat Hoberg debuted in MLB in 2014 and was promoted to full-time staff in 2017.
- Hoberg had an annual salary of around $400,000 before being fired.
- Pat Hoberg was fired from MLB on February 3, 2025, after MLB officials claimed that he was involved in sports betting.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Hoberg graduated from Urbandale High School and Grand View University.
He made his MLB debut in 2014 and was one of four umpires promoted to the full-time staff in February 2017 upon the retirements of Bob Davidson, John Hirschbeck, Jim Joyce, and Tim Welke.
In 2018, he was ranked among the top 10 home plate umpires in terms of accuracy in calling balls and strikes.
His error rate was 7.94%, according to a study conducted at Boston University that culled and analyzed 372,442 pitches.
MLB suspended Pat pending an investigation into his violation of the league’s gambling rules. He appealed the decision, denying having bet on baseball.
He did not umpire any games during the 2024 season.
Umpire Pat Hoberg Earned Comfortable Salary While Serving In MLB
Before being fired from MLB, Pat Hoberg had an estimated net worth of around $2 million and an annual salary of around $400,000.
However, Hoberg has kept his other property details private.
MLB umpires are among the highest-paid officials in professional sports.
Their compensation includes a base salary, postseason bonuses, and additional benefits such as travel allowances and health insurance.
The annual salaries of top-tier MLB umpires can range from approximately $350,000 to $450,000, and additional bonuses for postseason games can significantly boost their earnings.
On the other hand, mid-level MLB umpires enjoy a comfortable income, with an annual salary of around $150,000 to $350,000.
Pat Hoberg Has Been Fired For Violations Of Gambling Policies
On Monday, February 3, 2025, Major League Baseball announced that it had fired umpire Pat Hoberg following an investigation into his involvement with a sports betting account.
The league fired Hoberg in May 2024 after it found the umpire was sharing a legal sports gambling account with his professional poker player friend.
Hoberg appealed the termination and called on a third-party investigation.
After another review that found no evidence that Hoberg directly or indirectly placed any bets on baseball, nor any evidence of game manipulation, Rob Manfred Jr. said he stood by the decision to fire Pat because he failed to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball.
Although there was no evidence that Pat had bet on baseball, his friend had done so 161 times between 2021 and 2023, including eight bets on five games that Hoberg umpired.
According to the source, Hoberg’s devices placed 417 direct bets on the shared account at Sportsbook A during that period, betting a total of $487,475.83.
The investigators found that Hoberg and his friends also deleted Telegram messages that detailed the ledger.
Pat claimed he was embarrassed by the frequency and volume of his betting activity, which included bets on football, basketball, hockey, and golf.
Moreover, he said that he never bet on baseball and has not provided any information to anyone to bet on baseball.
Under league policy, Hoberg can apply for reinstatement as an umpire after the start of spring training in 2026.
Additional Information
- During Game 2 of the 2022 World Series, Pat called a “perfect game” with 129 of 129 taken pitches called correctly.
- He attended the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring in 2009 and started his professional career in the Arizona League that season.
- Pat stands 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs 208 lbs.
