- Gerald Williams
Infobox MLB retired
name=Gerald Williams
position=Outfielder
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birthdate and age|1966|8|10
debutdate=September 15
debutyear=by|1992
debutteam=New York Yankees
finaldate=October 2
finalyear=by|2005
finalteam=New York Mets
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.255
stat2label=Stolen base s
stat2value=106
stat3label=Home run s
stat3value=85
teams=
*New York Yankees (by|1992-by|1996)
*Milwaukee Brewers (by|1996-by|1997)
*Atlanta Braves (by|1998-by|1999)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|2000-by|2001)
*New York Yankees (by|2001-by|2002)
*Florida Marlins (by|2003)
*New York Mets (by|2004-by|2005)
highlights=
*National League pennant: 1999Gerald Floyd Williams (born
August 10 1966 inNew Orleans, Louisiana ) is a formermajor league baseball outfielder for theNew York Yankees ,Milwaukee Brewers ,Atlanta Braves ,Tampa Bay Devil Rays andNew York Mets .Early Professional Career
Gerald Williams was drafted out of
Grambling State University in the 14th round (366th overall) of the by|1987 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. In by|1988, in theNew York-Penn League for Oneonta, he batted .365/.447/.504 with 2home run s in 115at bats . For this success, he was rewarded with a promotion to High-A ball. Injured and playing poorly, he hit just .210 in the next two seasons. Playing in a league that is notoriously tough for hitters (Florida State League ) he hit .289/.344/.461 to establish legitimate prospect status. Mid-season, he was sent up to AA and the Eastern League. There, he batted .250/.328/.435. Combined, he hit .265 with 140 hits, 20 home runs, 101 RBI, and 37stolen base s to establish himself as a top prospect. Entering the season just 22 years old, Williams flopped, hitting .271, but with only 7 home runs, 59 RBI, and an abysmal 52% stolen base rate. But he rebounded in AAA in by|1992. He hit .285/.334/.452 with 16 home runs, 86 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. This earned him a call to the big leagues, where he would for the most part stay until by|2002.New York Yankees Career
Gerald Williams, at the age of 25 years old, made his professional debut
September 15 , 1992. After a brief stint in the minor leagues in by|1993, where he practically duplicated his 1992 stats, he was back in the big leagues in by|1994. But he was injured and played infrequently. He had also been batting only .239. He finally got a chance to truly play off the bench in by|1995, where he had 182 at bats and batted .247 with 6 home runs. He saw more action in by|1996, where he was hitting .270 with 5 home runs in 233 at bats byAugust 23 , before he was dealt withBob Wickman to theMilwaukee Brewers forGraeme Lloyd ,Pat Listach , andRicky Bones . Only Lloyd had any success after being dealt to the Yankees, while both Wickman and Williams became solid major league players.Milwaukee Brewers Career
After the trade in 1996, Williams only batted .207. Still, the year was a success to Williams, who got 325 at bats, and batted .252 with 28
extra-base hit s. The next season was Williams first as a regular. He batted .253 with 10 home runs, 41 RBI, 23 stolen bases, and 44 extra-base hits, but he took few walks, and had anon-base plus slugging percentage of just .651, some 117 points lower than league average. After that miserable season, he was dealt to theAtlanta Braves for relieverChad Fox .Atlanta Braves Career
Williams then spent 2 years thriving as a semi-regular player in
Atlanta , batting .286/.341/.490 with 27 home runs.Tampa Bay Devil Rays Career
Perhaps Williams' finest season was by|2000. He set career highs in homers, walks, RBI, hits, runs, and doubles. For this effort, he was named
Tampa Bay Devil Rays player of the year. But he got off to a miserable start in by|2001, batting just .207, and the Devil Rays released him.Later career
Williams went back to the Yankees to finish 2001, but his career was essentially over. Over the next four years, serving as a backup outfielder, he racked up 207 at bats. 129 of those came with the Mets in by|2004. His performance was miserable - he batted only .198 over his last four years, and only hit 5 home runs. He retired after the by|2005 season with a lifetime .255 batting average, 85 career home runs and 365 RBI. He is nicknamed "Ice".
Personal
*Gerald resides in
Tampa, Florida .
*Is one of the best friends of Yankee shortstopDerek Jeter .
*Is one of thirteen children.External links
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/willige02.shtml Baseball Reference.com]
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