Jimmy Williams (coach)
Encyclopedia
James Bernard Williams is a Canadian
former outfielder
, coach
and manager
in minor league baseball
and coach
in Major League Baseball
. Williams threw and batted right-handed, stood 5'10" (178 cm) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
.
Williams graduated from Toronto's De La Salle College School
, where he played varsity baseball
, hockey
(as a right wing), football
and lacrosse
.
He played in the farm system of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
from 1947-1964. Although he never was called to the majors as a player, Williams enjoyed several highly productive seasons. In his first year as a professional, split between three Dodger farm teams in the lower minors, Williams batted
a composite .367 with 15 triples
, 121 runs batted in, 24 stolen bases and 12 home runs. He played three seasons (1955-57) of Triple-A baseball in his native Canada with the Montreal Royals
of the International League
, batting .329 in 1955 with 93 runs
scored, 33 doubles
, eight triples, 13 homers, and 21 stolen bases, and also exceeded the .300 mark with the 1958 Spokane Indians
of the Pacific Coast League
.
His playing got him noticed by the minor leagues, and he went on to enjoy a lengthy career as a manager in Minor League Baseball from 1963-1980, where he compiled a record of 1,155 wins and 1,156 defeats (.499). His seventeen years of managing in the minors was interrupted by a brief period of coaching with the major-league Houston Astros
for a season in . His most significant achievement was his coaching tenure with the Baltimore Orioles
(1981-1987), a run that included their historic 1983 World Series
win. Williams then followed former Baltimore general manager
Hank Peters
to the Cleveland Indians
, where Williams served as director of field operations for the club's farm system.
Jimmy Williams lives in retirement in Maryland
. He is not to be confused with James Francis "Jimy" Williams
(born 1943), also a former minor league skipper and Major League coach and a former MLB manager.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
former outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Williams threw and batted right-handed, stood 5'10" (178 cm) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
.
Williams graduated from Toronto's De La Salle College School
De La Salle College (Toronto)
De La Salle College "Oaklands" is an independent co-educational Catholic school in Toronto, Ontario. It is operated by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools as a university preparatory institution in the Roman Catholic tradition as founded by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle in...
, where he played varsity baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(as a right wing), football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
and lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
.
He played in the farm system of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
from 1947-1964. Although he never was called to the majors as a player, Williams enjoyed several highly productive seasons. In his first year as a professional, split between three Dodger farm teams in the lower minors, Williams batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
a composite .367 with 15 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 121 runs batted in, 24 stolen bases and 12 home runs. He played three seasons (1955-57) of Triple-A baseball in his native Canada with the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, batting .329 in 1955 with 93 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
scored, 33 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, eight triples, 13 homers, and 21 stolen bases, and also exceeded the .300 mark with the 1958 Spokane Indians
Spokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are a minor league baseball team located in Spokane, Washington, United States. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Texas Rangers since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
.
His playing got him noticed by the minor leagues, and he went on to enjoy a lengthy career as a manager in Minor League Baseball from 1963-1980, where he compiled a record of 1,155 wins and 1,156 defeats (.499). His seventeen years of managing in the minors was interrupted by a brief period of coaching with the major-league Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for a season in . His most significant achievement was his coaching tenure with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1981-1987), a run that included their historic 1983 World Series
1983 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
win. Williams then followed former Baltimore general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
Hank Peters
Hank Peters
Henry J. "Hank" Peters is an American former baseball executive. He began his career in the scouting department of the St. Louis Browns and their successors, the Baltimore Orioles, in the mid-1950s...
to the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, where Williams served as director of field operations for the club's farm system.
Jimmy Williams lives in retirement in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He is not to be confused with James Francis "Jimy" Williams
Jimy Williams
James Francis "Jimy" Williams is an American former manager of three Major League Baseball teams. He was born in Santa Maria, California.-Playing career:...
(born 1943), also a former minor league skipper and Major League coach and a former MLB manager.
Minor League Managing Career
- Santa Barbara Rancheros (1963)
- Grand Forks Dodgers (1964)
- Shelby Rebels (1965)
- Leesburg Athletics (1966-1967) - Championship in 1966
- Peninsula Grays (1968)
- Iowa Oaks (1969)
- Columbus Astros (1970) - Championship
- Oklahoma City 89ers (1971)
- Cocoa Astros (1972)
- Denver Bears (1973)
- Columbus Astros (1974)
- Lodi Dodgers (1976)
- Albuquerque DukesAlbuquerque DukesThe Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.-History:The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class-D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank Huelman was the league leader in home runs,...
(1977) - Miami Orioles (1978) - Championship
- Charlotte O's (1979-1980) - Championship in 1980