Walt Williams (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walt Williams |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: December 19, 1943 Brownwood, Texas |
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| Died: January 23, 2016 (aged 72) Abilene, Texas |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 21, 1964, for the Houston Colt .45's | |||
| NPB: April 3, 1976, for the Nippon-Ham Fighters | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 22, 1975, for the New York Yankees | |||
| NPB: September 25, 1977, for the Nippon-Ham Fighters | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .270 | ||
| Home runs | 33 | ||
| Runs batted in | 173 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Walter Allen Williams (born December 19, 1943 – died January 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He was a talented outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. He played from 1964 to 1977.
Williams was best known for his time with the Chicago White Sox. Fans loved him for his energetic and exciting way of playing the game. He also played for the Houston Colt .45s, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. After his MLB career, he spent two seasons playing for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan.
Contents
Who was Walt Williams?
Early Life and a Unique Nickname
Walt Williams was born in Brownwood, Texas. He was given the nickname No-Neck because of his appearance. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall with a strong, compact body and a short neck.
This unique look was due to a typhus injection he received as a baby. After a flood hit his hometown, the government gave injections to stop the disease from spreading. Walt was so muscular even as a baby that doctors could only find a vein in the back of his neck. This caused his neck to stiffen and become shorter.
As a teenager, Williams moved to San Francisco to live with his aunt. He went to Galileo High School. There, he played football, basketball, and baseball for his school teams.
Walt Williams' Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Houston Colt .45's signed Williams as an amateur free agent in 1963. After playing one season in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut. He was only 20 years old when he first played for the Colt .45's on April 21, 1964.
Williams played only 10 games with the Colt .45's. Then, on May 26, 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals picked him up. The Cardinals sent him back to the minor leagues. He played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, where he had a great batting average of .318 in 88 games.
He then moved up to the Tulsa Oilers in 1965. There, he scored 106 runs and hit .330. This performance helped him win the Texas League batting championship. In 1966, he did just as well, hitting .330 and scoring 107 runs. On December 14, 1966, the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to the Chicago White Sox.
Becoming a Fan Favorite with the White Sox
Williams returned to the major leagues in 1967. This was a time when pitchers were very dominant in baseball. He hit for a .240 batting average in 1967. That year, only four players in the entire league hit above .300.
The 1967 White Sox team, led by manager Eddie Stanky, was in a close race for the pennant. They were competing with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins. Williams' energetic style of play quickly became clear.
During a game on June 14 against the Red Sox, Williams showed his hustle. With a runner on second base, he fielded a single to right field. He threw the ball toward home plate. First baseman Tom McCraw caught the throw and trapped the hitter in a rundown. The hitter had gone too far from first base.
Shortstop Ron Hansen's throw back to first base was off target. The ball rolled towards the Red Sox dugout. Suddenly, Williams appeared from nowhere! He dived for the ball before it reached the dugout. Then, he quickly got up and threw it to second base. Hansen was able to tag the runner out.
Because of his cheerful personality and hustling play, Williams became a beloved player for the White Sox.
Career Highlights and Challenges
In 1968, Williams split his time between the Hawaii Islanders and the White Sox. He hit .318 with the Islanders but only .241 in 63 games with the White Sox. In 1968, Carl Yastrzemski was the only player in the American League to hit above .300.
Williams had a fantastic season in 1969. He became the White Sox' starting right fielder. He achieved a career-high .304 batting average, which was the sixth best in the American League. He also scored 59 runs. He was one of only six American League players to hit above .300 that year. He was also the first White Sox player in six seasons to hit over .300.
Williams rarely struck out, only 33 times in 1969. He also grounded into only 5 double plays. He was one of the toughest players to strike out in the league. He was fanned only once every 14.3 at bats.
After the 1969 season, Williams had a disagreement about his contract. The White Sox General Manager, Ed Short, told Williams he wouldn't play regularly if he didn't accept the team's offer. As a result, Williams' batting average dropped to .251 in 110 games in 1970.
Ed Short was fired in 1971. Williams then bounced back, leading the White Sox with a .294 average. He also had a career-high .344 on-base percentage. In 1972, the White Sox got first baseman Dick Allen. This meant former first baseman Carlos May moved to left field. Williams had to compete for the remaining outfield spots. He played in only 77 games, hitting .249. The White Sox fought for the American League West Division lead but finished second.
Moving to Other Teams
On October 19, 1972, Williams was traded to the Cleveland Indians. In January 1973, while he was playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, his two-year-old son passed away.
He became a utility player and sometimes a designated hitter for the Indians in 1973. He hit .284 and had career-highs in home runs (8) and runs batted in (38). On August 21, 1973, Williams broke up a no-hit game attempt by his former teammate Stan Bahnsen. He hit a single with two outs in the ninth inning.
On March 19, 1974, Williams was traded to the New York Yankees. He continued his role as a utility player and designated hitter. In 1974, he hit only .113 in 43 games. However, he improved in 1975 with a .281 batting average in 82 games. He helped the Yankees reach first place in their division in June before the team finished third.
After being released by the Yankees in 1976, Williams played in Japan for the Nippon-Ham Fighters from 1976 to 1977. He then played in the Mexican League from 1978 to 1979. He played his last professional game at age 35. In 1989, he played for the St. Lucie Legends in a league for older professional players.
Career Numbers
In his 10-year major league career, Williams played in 842 games. He had 640 hits in 2,373 at bats. This gave him a .270 career batting average. He also hit 33 home runs and had 173 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .310.
Williams was a good defensive outfielder. He made only 19 errors in 565 games, which is a fielding percentage of .981. In 1971, he played the entire season without making any errors, achieving a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
After Playing Baseball
Coaching and Managing
After he stopped playing, Williams worked as the Sports Director for the Brownwood Community Center in his hometown. He then became the first base coach for the White Sox during the 1988 season.
In 1992, Williams became a manager in the minor leagues. He managed the Gastonia Rangers in the South Atlantic League. In 1993 and 1994, he managed the Charleston RiverDogs. Over three seasons, his managing record was 187 wins and 228 losses. Williams also managed the Altoona Rail Kings in 1997, where his team won 36 games and lost 36.
Family Life
Walt Williams' nephew, Derwin Williams, played in the National Football League (NFL). His great-grand nephew, Mason Williams, also plays in MLB. Walt Williams passed away after a heart attack on January 23, 2016, in Abilene, Texas.
