Twenty years ago Wednesday, former Mets center fielder Lenny Dykstra wrapped up his 12-year career in Major League Baseball.
When Nails left the diamond, he expanded his car wash business in Southern California, managed a seemingly robust investment portfolio and was considered a stock market savant. In 2008, his net worth was estimated to be $58 million. But after a string of dubious business deals, including buying Wayne Gretzky’s $17 million estate hoping to flip it, he started to unravel.
And the major league screwball emerged. In 2009, he filed for bankruptcy. In 2012, he was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud and grand theft auto.