Matt Williams
If it hadn't been for a players' strike on 1994, Williams may have broken Roger Maris' single-season homer mark before Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa got to it. Williams had 43 homers in the Giants' abbreviated 115-game season in '94, which projected to 60-61 homers for a 162 game schedule. Williams' 268 homers in the 1990s were the most in the National League behind Barry Bonds and Sosa. He finished second in MVP voting in 1994, and third in 1999. Williams also won four Gold Glove Awards, three in the NL and one in the AL. In 1997 he helped the Indians to the World Series and nearly slugged them to the title, hitting .385 with a homer, three RBI and eight runs scored in the series loss to Florida. In 2001 he won a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks, driving in seven runs in seven games against the Yankees. In his first season with the D-Backs he had hit .303 with 35 homers and 142 RBI. Injuries placed him on the disabled list in six separate seasons, especially after he turned 30.
Played For
San Francisco Giants (1987-1996)
Cleveland Indians (1997)
Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2003)
All-Time Rankings
Matt Williams ranks #26 among the Top 50 all-time at 3B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1994
Williams was in the zone in 1994 and 1995, when healthy. He blasted 43 homers in 112 games in '94 and followed that with 23 in 76 games the next season. Over a 162 game stretch from 1994 to 1995, he hit 60 homers and drove in 150 runs. In 1994 his SLG was .607, and in 1995 it was .647.
Born
Matthew Derrick Williams was born on November 28, 1965, in Bishop, CA.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 3B
Primary Team: SFN
College: UNLV
Major League Debut
April 11, 1987
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1987
B.J. Surhoff
Edgar Martinez
Ellis Burks
Matt Williams
Ken Caminiti
Tom Glavine
Jose Mesa
Lance Johnson
Ron Gant
Similar Players
Williams looked a lot like Harmon Killebrew physically, and he had some of the same skills, but never consistently reached Killebrew's heights as a slugger.
Related Players
Travis Fryman
Post-Season Appearances
1989 National League Championship Series
1989 World Series
1997 American League Championship Series
1997 American League Divisional Series
1997 World Series
1999 National League Divisional Series
2001 National League Divisional Series
2001 National League Championship Series
2001 World Series
2002 National League Divisional Series
Awards and Honors
1991 NL Gold Glove
1993 NL Gold Glove
1994 NL Gold Glove
1997 AL Gold Glove
Batting Feats
Notes
Williams feasted on left-handed pitching. In those seasons where data is available, Williams had a .509 slugging percentage against LHP and .418 versus RHP. He hit a home run every 14.0 at-bats against lefties and once every 24.0 at-bats against righties.
Hitting Streaks
24 games (1997)
19 games (1999)
All-Star Selections
1990 NL
1994 NL
1995 NL
1996 NL
1999 NL
Best Strength as a Player
Power
Largest Weakness as a Player
Strike-zone judgement.
Learn More about Matt Williams
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