- Bernie Williams
Infobox MLB retired
name=Bernie Williams
width=215px
position=Outfielder
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1968|9|13San Juan, Puerto Rico
debutdate=July 7
debutyear=by|1991
debutteam=New York Yankees
finaldate=October 1
finalyear=by|2006
finalteam=New York Yankees
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.297
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=287
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=1,257
teams=
*New York Yankees (by|1991-by|2006)
highlights=
* 5x All-Star selection (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
* 4xWorld Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
* 4xGold Glove Award winner (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
*Silver Slugger Award winner (2002)
* 1996ALCS MVP Bernabé Figueroa Williams (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former
Major League Baseball outfielder and aguitar -playingjazz recording artist .A
switch hitter , Williams played his entire career (1991-2006) with theNew York Yankees . He trails onlyLou Gehrig 's 534 for lifetime doubles as a Yankee.Early life and career
Williams was born in San Juan, but grew up in
Vega Alta , and as a teen, he developed strong interests inclassical guitar as well asbaseball . He was also active intrack and field , winning four gold medals at an international meet at the age of 15. [cite web |url=http://www.berniewilliams.net/contact.html|title=Bernie's Profile|accessdate=2008-09-09 |work=berniewilliams.net|publisher= |date= ] He was one of the world's best 400-meter runners for his age. [cite web |url=http://www.berniewilliams.com/game_day/game_day_eng.php|title=Becoming a Yankee Legend|accessdate=2008-09-09 |work=berniewilliams.com|publisher= |date= ]On his 17th birthday,
September 13 ,1985 , he signed a professional contract with theNew York Yankees organization. cite web |url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Bernie_Williams_1968|title=The Ballplayers - Bernie Williams Biography |accessdate=2008-09-09 |work=BaseballLibrary.com|publisher= |date= ]Playing for the Yankees' AA 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 by|1991 to replace the injured
Roberto Kelly for the second half of that season. He batted .238 in 320 at bats. He was demoted to the minors untilDanny Tartabull was injured, and Williams earned his stay at center by putting up solid numbers.Baseball career
Williams had become the regular Yankees center fielder by by|1993.
Buck Showalter helped keep him with the Yankees through 1995, whenGeorge 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 only had mild 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
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 ALDS against Seattle.
1996
After continuing to improve in 1996, Bernie again showcased his skills to the baseball world in the postseason. He batted .467 in the ALDS against Texas and played a sparkling center field. He picked up where he left off in the ALCS against Baltimore, belting an 11th-inning walk-off homer in Game 1. Ending with a .474 ALCS average and two homers, Bernie was named the ALCS MVP. Bernie collected just four hits in the
1996 World Series but his 4 RBI led the Yankees and a clutch homer in the eighth inning of Game 3 got the Yankees their first of four consecutive wins to capture the team's first championship since 1978.1998
During the 1998 season, in which the Yankees went 114-48 to set an American League record, 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, $87.5-million contract with the Yankees, one of the largest in baseball at the time. The
Boston Red Sox andArizona Diamondbacks were the main contenders for Bernie's services. For the length of the contract, the Yankees made the playoffs every single year, and as a result Bernie continued to add to his postseason statistics, placing in the top 10 of various career postseason categories. He also climbed the Yankee record books, placing him in the elite company of former Yankee greats.2005
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). 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 managerBrian Cashman to allow an additional month for negotiation. OnDecember 22 , the Yankees re-signed Williams to a 1-year, $1.5 million contract. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2269258|title=Williams' playing time is expected to be reduced|accessdate=2008-09-09 |work=ESPN.com |publisher= |date= ]2006
In by|2006, Williams saw a good amount of playing time in the corner outfield spots with both
Hideki Matsui andGary Sheffield out with wrist injuries, and did spot duty incenter field on days when starting center fielderJohnny Damon was given time off to rest, playing more than was expected when he signed his one-year extension with the Yankees in 2006.Williams was one of the Puerto Rican players to agree to play for Puerto Rico in the 2006
MLB World Baseball Classic , joiningCarlos Delgado ,Carlos Beltrán ,Mike Lowell ,Javier Vázquez , andJosé Vidro amongst others representing the US Territory island nation in a team managed bySt. Louis Cardinals third base coachJose 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 Yankees record books by hitting his 443rd career double onAugust 16 ,2006 , surpassing then-bench coachDon Mattingly for second-most as a Yankee. For the year, he walked only 7.3% of the time, a career-worst.Post-Baseball Career
Williams' contract expired at the end of the by|2006 season. He was hoping to return to the Yankees in 2007, and was willing to accept a role as a back-up outfielder and pinch hitter. The Yankees, however, were short on roster space, but offered Williams an invite to Spring Training as a
non-roster invitee , giving him a chance to compete for a job. Williams, however, wanted a guaranteed roster spot and declined a non-roster invitation to camp. [ [http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070221&content_id=1809854&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy The Official Site of The New York Yankees: News: New York Yankees News ] ] After having sat out the entire 2007 season, Williams's career appears to be over. Although the Yankees have not retired his number, 51, it has also not been re-issued since his contract expired. He has said, "I may never retire officially.” [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/sports/baseball/22curry.html?ref=sports New York Times, Sept 22, 2008] ]On September 21, 2008, Williams made his first return to Yankee Stadium since 2006 for the ceremonies preceding the final game at Yankee Stadium. He was the last former player to be introduced and received a standing ovation.
Music career
In addition to his accolades on the baseball field, Bernie is also a critically-acclaimed
musician . A classically trainedguitarist , playing and composing music is Bernie’s first true passion with influences that includejazz , 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 WinnerRuben Blades and salsa legendGilberto Santa Rosa . Also joining Williams is an all-star ensemble of musicians including multipleGrammy -winning banjo playerBéla Fleck , keyboardistDavid Sancious , percussionistLuis Conte , bassistLeland Sklar , guitarist Tim Pierce, and drummersKenny Aronoff andShawn Pelton , among others.Personal life
Bernie married wife Waleska on
February 23 ,1990 . They have 3 children; Bernie Jr., Beatrice, and Bianca. One song on Bernie's CD is named after Bernie Jr.Career statistics
As of 2007, he holds career postseason records for games (121), doubles (29), runs batted in (80) and extra base hits (51). On
October 5 , in Game 2 of the2007 American League Division Series ,Manny Ramírez broke Bernie's post-season home run record of 22 when he hit a walk-off home run off theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim 's closerFrancisco Rodriguez . [cite web |url=http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/leaders_career_bat.shtml|title=Career Batting Postseason Leaders|accessdate=2008-09-09 |work=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher= |date= ]
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