Bernie Williams: Difference between revisions
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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[[image:Bernie_Williams.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Bernie Williams at bat]] |
[[image:Bernie_Williams.JPG|thumb|right|275px|Bernie Williams at bat]] |
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Williams had become the regular Yankees center fielder by 1993. [[Buck Showalter]] helped keep him with the Yankees through 1995, when [[George Steinbrenner]] sought to trade him. Steinbrenner was frustrated by the team's difficulty in placing him in any of the traditional baseball player molds. He had good speed, but rarely stole bases. In center, he was highly capable at tracking down fly balls and line drives, but had a weak throwing arm. He was a consistent hitter, but lacked home run power. Throughout the early 1990s he hit in the middle of the order as management tried to figure out where he fit in. |
Williams had become the regular Yankees center fielder by 1993. [[Buck Showalter]] helped keep him with the Yankees through 1995, when [[George Steinbrenner]] sought to trade him. Steinbrenner was frustrated by the team's difficulty in placing him in any of the traditional baseball player molds. He had good speed, but rarely stole bases. In center, he was highly capable at tracking down fly balls and line drives, but had a weak throwing arm. He was a consistent hitter, but lacked home run power. Throughout the early 1990s he hit in the middle of the order as management tried to figure out where he fit in. |
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Revision as of 02:55, 4 April 2007
| Bernie Williams | |
|---|---|
| Free Agent – No. 51 | |
| Center field | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| July 7, 1991, for the New York Yankees | |
| Career statistics (through 2006) | |
| Batting average | .297 |
| Home runs | 287 |
| RBI's | 1257 |
| Doubles | 449 |
Bernabé "Bernie" Williams Figueroa (born September 13, 1968, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball outfielder and a guitar-playing jazz recording artist.
A switch hitter, Williams has played his entire career (1991-2006) with the New York Yankees.
As of December 2006, he is 9th of all active players lifetime in doubles (449), and 10th in runs scored (1,366), singles (1,545), and times on base (3,444). He is Major League Baseball's all-time leader in postseason home runs (22) and runs batted in (80). He trails only Lou Gehrig's 534 for lifetime doubles as a Yankee. His batting average through 2006 is 16 points higher against lefties than against righties.
Currently a free agent,[1] he has played all outfield positions for the Yankees and been the team's designated hitter. In 2006, Williams saw a good amount of playing time in the corner outfield spots with both Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield out with wrist injuries, and did spot duty in center field on days when starting center fielder Johnny Damon was given time off to rest, playing more than was expected when he signed his 1-year extension with the Yankees in 2006.
Background
As a young man growing up in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, the athletic Williams developed strong interests in baseball and classical guitar. He was also active in track and field, winning four gold medals at an international meet at the age of 15. He was one of the world's best 400-meter runners for his age.
On his 17th birthday, September 13, 1985, he signed a professional contract with the New York Yankees organization.
Playing for the Yankees' Double-A team in Albany, he continued to develop his athletic skills — particularly in the coveted area of switch hitting. Although viewed as a great prospect by Yankee management, his rise to the majors was delayed by the solid outfield that the team had developed in the early 1990s.
Nevertheless, he managed to break into the majors in 1991 to replace the injured Roberto Kelly for the second half of that season. He batted .238 in some 300 at bats. He was demoted to the minors until Danny Tartabull was injured, and Williams earned his stay at center by putting up solid numbers.
Career
El caballote papiii
Williams had become the regular Yankees center fielder by 1993. Buck Showalter helped keep him with the Yankees through 1995, when George Steinbrenner sought to trade him. Steinbrenner was frustrated by the team's difficulty in placing him in any of the traditional baseball player molds. He had good speed, but rarely stole bases. In center, he was highly capable at tracking down fly balls and line drives, but had a weak throwing arm. He was a consistent hitter, but lacked home run power. Throughout the early 1990s he hit in the middle of the order as management tried to figure out where he fit in.
1995 was a breakout season for Williams. He hit 18 home runs and led the team in runs, hits, total bases and stolen bases. Bernie continued his hot hitting into the postseason leading the Yankees with a .429 batting average.
In the 1996 Postseason, Williams put on a National showcase. First against the Texas Rangers, he hit .467 while making a tremendous catch robbing Rusty Grier of a Home Run. In the ALCS vs Baltimore he was series MVP hitting .474 with 2 HR, one off Randy Myers which ended game 1 in the 11th innning. In the World Series Bernie collected only 4 hits but lead New York with 4 RBIs as the Yankees captured their first World Series Title in 18 years.
During the 1998 season, Williams finished with a .339 average, becoming the first player to win a batting title, Gold Glove award, and World Series ring in the same year.
After that season, Williams inked a 7-year, $85-million contract with the Yankees — the largest ever recorded for a Yankee center fielder.
The last year covered by his contract, 2005, proved to be a difficult one. He started 99 games in center field and 22 games as designated hitter, but his already weak arm was highlighted as his fielding and batting abilities considerably weakened. He had a career-worst .321 obp and batting average on balls in play (.274).[1] As expected, the Yankees announced on August 2, 2005, that they would not pick up the $15 million option on Williams' contract for the 2006 season, opting to pay a $3.5 million buyout instead. In December Williams was offered arbitration by team general manager Brian Cashman to allow an additional month for negotiation. On December 22, the Yankees re-signed Williams to a 1-year, $1.5 million contract.
Bernie Williams was one of the Puerto Rican players to agree to play for Puerto Rico in the 2006 MLB World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltrán, Mike Lowell, Javier Vázquez, and José Vidro amongst others representing the US Territory Island Nation in a team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.
On July 26, 2006, Williams got his 2,300th career hit, becoming the 11th active player in the Majors with 2,300 or more career hits. Bernie continued to climb the NY Yankees record books by hitting his 443rd career double on August 16, 2006. This surpasses his bench coach Don Mattingly for 2nd-most as a Yankee.
For 2006 he walked only 7.3% of the time, a career-worst.[2]
Williams' contract expired at the end of the the 2006 season. Williams told several New York area newspapers in February 2007 that he would decline a non-roster invitation to the Yankees 2007 Spring Training. [2] When Spring Training began, Williams was not present, and many speculated that his career with the Yankees was over. On February 21, 2007, it was reported that his agent, Scott Boras, said that Williams rejected the non-roster invitation.[3]
Career highlights
- Made his major league debut on July 7, 1991
- 5-time All-Star (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
- 1996 ALCS MVP
- 4-time Gold Glove Winner (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- 1998 AL Batting Champion (.339 avg)
- 4-time World Series Champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- In 1999 led American League in IBB (intentional walks) with 17
Yankee team records
- Second on the all-time doubles list for a Yankee, behind Lou Gehrig.
- fourth on the all-time singles list for a Yankee, behind (teammate) Derek Jeter.
- Third on the all-time at bats list for a Yankee, behind Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle.
- Fifth on the all-time runs list for a Yankee, behind Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth.
Music career
In addition to his accolades on the baseball field, Bernie is also a critically-acclaimed musician. He was forced to choose between music and baseball. Growing up, Bernie wanted to be a professional musician. A classically trained guitarist, playing and composing music is Bernie’s first true passion with influences that include jazz, classical, pop, Brazilian, and Latin sounds.
His major label debut, The Journey Within, was released in 2003. In addition to playing lead and rhythm guitar, Williams composed seven songs for the album. Tracks like “La Salsa En Mi” and “Desvelado” mix Bernie’s love of jazz with the sophisticated Latin rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage. The first single was a remix of his “Just Because”, featuring David Benoit. Other highlights include Williams’ heartfelt tribute to his father, “Para Don Berna”, a reworking of the Baden Powell song, “Samba Novo”, and “La Salsa En Mi”, featuring background vocals from 2003 Grammy Winner Ruben Blades and salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa. Also joining Williams is an all-star ensemble of musicians including multiple Grammy-winning banjo player Bela Fleck, keyboardist David Sancious, percussionist Luis Conte, bassist Leland Sklar, guitarist Tim Pierce, and drummers Kenny Aronoff and Shawn Pelton, among others.
He played in the clubhouse with retired Yankee outfielder Paul O'Neill, who plays the drums.
Trivia
- Married Waleska on February 23, 1990.
- Has played 16 seasons all with the New York Yankees and has a career life time batting average of .297
- Helped Yankees win 6 pennants and 4 World Series, including the 2000 World Series, in which he caught a fly ball by Mike Piazza for the final out.
- Is the first player in MLB history to hit a home run from both sides of the plate in a postseason game.
- Is referenced in the third season of the TV show The West Wing. The fictional president, Josiah Bartlet, mentions 'the center fielder for the New York Yankees'.
- Used to own the "Corner Locker" in Yankee Stadium Clubhouse, given to the longest tenured player on the team. According to pitching coach Ron Guidry (who said in Guidry's Yankeeography), a former owner of the locker, "He doesn't keep it clean."[citation needed]. Mariano Rivera as of 2007 has taken over the locker
- Has 3 children, Bernie Jr., Beatrice, and Bianca.
- One song on his CD is named after his son Bernie Jr.
- Is one of the most beloved members on the team of the Yankee Stadium "Bleacher Creatures," who often chant in English soccer style "There's' only one Bernie Williams".
- Bernie's father is of African-American descent; he migrated to Puerto Rico from Alabama.
- Was named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people.
Career statistics
| Games | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BA | SLG% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 2076 | 7869 | 1366 | 2336 | 449 | 55 | 286 | 1257 | 147 | .297 | .477 |
He has the most post-season RBIs in baseball history, at 80, as of 2005.
He has the most post-season home runs in baseball history, with 22.
See also
References
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/features/freeagents
- ^ http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBA_YANKEES_WILLIAMS?SITE=GAROM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-02-10-00-24-16
- ^ http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070221&content_id=1809854&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
External links
- Bernie Williams Fan Tribute & Information Website
- Player Information from Yankees.com
- Template:Espn mlb
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2007) |