Earl Williams (1970s catcher) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earl Williams
Catcher / First baseman
Born: (1948-07-14)July 14, 1948 Newark, New Jersey
Died: January 28, 2013(2013-01-28) (aged 64) Somerset, New Jersey
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 13, 1970, for the Atlanta Braves
Last appearance
September 25, 1977, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average	.247
Home runs	138
Runs batted in	457
Teams
Atlanta Braves (1970–1972) Baltimore Orioles (1973–1974) Atlanta Braves (1975–1976) Montreal Expos (1976) Oakland Athletics (1977)
Career highlights and awards
NL Rookie of the Year (1971)

Earl Edward Williams, Jr. (born July 14, 1948 – died January 28, 2013) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played as a catcher and first baseman. Even though he never played as a catcher in the minor leagues, he won the National League's Rookie of the Year award in 1971. He earned this award while playing as a catcher for the Atlanta Braves.

Early Life and Baseball Start

Williams was born in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in East Orange and Montclair. He was a great athlete at Montclair High School. He even got a scholarship to Ithaca College for basketball.

But Williams chose baseball instead. The Milwaukee Braves picked him in the first round of the 1965 draft. When he first started playing professionally, Williams was a pitcher. He also played first base. After 1966, he stopped pitching. He spent most of his time playing first base or in the outfield. In 1970, he also played some third base. He joined the Atlanta Braves in September 1970. He hit very well, with a .368 average in ten games.

Becoming a Rookie Catcher

Williams started the 1971 season as a backup player for the Braves. On April 16, he began playing third base regularly. The next day, he hit his first two major league home runs. This happened at the new Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. On April 18, he was the first player to hit a home run into the stadium's upper deck.

By the end of May, Williams started playing more at first base. On May 23, something new happened. He entered a game as a pinch hitter and then stayed in the game as a catcher. This was his very first time playing catcher in a professional game.

First Starts as Catcher

Williams made his first start as a catcher on June 20 against the Cincinnati Reds. It was a tough start. A Reds player, George Foster, stole second base, then moved to third because of Williams' throwing mistake. Then, Foster stole home to score a run.

The next day, Williams caught both games of a doubleheader. He caught his first player trying to steal a base. He played in 72 games as a catcher that year. He made eight errors. He also caught 28% of players trying to steal bases. On September 10, Williams hit a home run into the upper deck at Fulton County Stadium. Only Hank Aaron had done this before him for the Braves.

Winning Rookie of the Year

Even though he was still learning to be a catcher, Williams hit very well. He had a .260 batting average, 33 home runs, and 87 runs batted in. These strong hitting numbers helped him win the Rookie of the Year Award. He was the first Braves player to win it since 1950.

In 1972, Williams played mostly as a catcher again. He had many "passed balls" (when the catcher can't catch a pitch). This was often because he had trouble catching Phil Niekro's knuckleball. But he still hit 28 home runs and had 87 RBIs. The Baltimore Orioles noticed his hitting. They traded for him in December 1972.

Playing for the Baltimore Orioles

Many Orioles players, like star pitcher Jim Palmer, were surprised by the trade. But Palmer actually did very well when Williams was catching for him. Palmer even won his first Cy Young Award in 1973. In his first year with the Orioles, Williams hit .237 with 22 home runs and 83 RBIs.

Williams played in the playoffs for the only time in his career with the Orioles. They played in the American League Championship Series in 1973 and 1974. Both times, they lost to the Oakland Athletics. Williams hit his only playoff home run in the 1973 series.

Back to the National League

After the 1974 season, Williams was traded back to the Atlanta Braves. In 1975, he played mostly first base and only a few games as catcher. He hit 11 home runs that year. In 1976, he started catching more often. But in June, his contract was sold to the Montreal Expos. With the Expos, he mostly played first base. His hitting improved that season, with seventeen home runs and 55 RBIs.

Time with the Oakland A's

The Expos released Williams in 1977. A few days later, he signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played catcher, first base, and designated hitter for the A's. He hit .241 with thirteen home runs and 38 RBIs in his only season there. The A's released him in May 1978, and he retired from baseball.

Career Stats

Williams had a career fielding percentage of .984 as a catcher. At first base, his fielding percentage was .991. His lowest fielding percentage was at third base, where it was .892.

Later Life and Passing

Earl Williams passed away on January 28, 2013. He was 64 years old. He died from a type of cancer called acute myeloid leukemia at his home in Somerset, New Jersey. His wife Linda and her daughter Raquel were with him.