"Not one Williams, but two. And while the two Williamses have been teammates and good friends. don't confuse Gerald with Bernie.
Bernie is a switch hitter. Gerald bats right-handed all the way. Bernie has his roots in Puerto Rico. Gerald is from Louisiana and played at Grambling. Bernie's game is speed. Gerald is expected to develop into a power hitter.
The Yankees have been waiting for Gerald since he batted .365 for Oneonta in 1987, his first year in pro ball. The 26-year-old has made all the stops along the way to New York: Prince William, Ft. Lauderdale, Albany-Colonie, Columbus.
Who says the Yankees don't develop their own?
Last season at Columbus, Williams batted .285, with 16 homers, 86 RBI and 36 stolen bases and earned a late-season promotion to Yankee Stadium. Unfazed by the big leagues, he made a lasting impression with eight hits in 27 at-bats (a .296 BA), especially since three of those hits were homers. He is very close to being the 'complete package' and he is only to get better.
Gerald knew it wasn't going to be easy to crack the Yankees' starting outfield. It already had one Williams. But it certainly could use one more."
-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook
"Williams spent a majority of the 1992 season in Columbus before making his major league debut in September. With the Clippers he hit .285 with 31 doubles, six triples, 16 home runs, 86 RBIs and 36 stolen bases over 142 games.
He was recalled from Columbus on September 15 during the International League playoffs. He made his major league debut that day against Chicago as a pinch runner. Williams started in right field the next night and responded by going 2-for-3 with a double. He earned a hit in his first major league at-bat with a single to left off Greg Hibbard. That game was the first of three successive starts in which Ice went 4-for-10.
His first RBI came on September 19 at Kansas City, an RBI single off Dennis Rasmussen. His first home run came on September 24 at Detroit, a solo shot off Frank Tanana. He hit his three Yankee home runs in a four-game, five-at-bat flurry, also homering off Tom Henke and Alan Embree.
The homer off Embree on September 28 at Cleveland was the second of back-to-back home runs, following Charlie Hayes. Gerald started the last game of the season at Boston, getting one hit in four at-bats.
Gerald was 4-for-12 with two home runs at home and 4-for-15 with a homer on the road. He hit .357 (5-for-14) with two homers against left-handed pitchers and .231 (3-for-13) with a home run against right-handers. Gerald was 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position and less than two outs.
At Columbus, he led the club in games (156), at-bats (547) and hits (156). He was second in batting average, runs (92), total bases (247), doubles (31) and stolen bases (36). He set a team record for games played, leading the IL, and led the circuit in outfield assists (14). Gerald led the organization in games played and was second in runs, hits and doubles.
Gerald was named International League Batter of the Week for July 12-18 and was named to both the AAA All-Star Game and the postseason IL All-Star team. He was ranked the 10th best prospect in the IL in Baseball America's postseason poll of the league's managers. Williams was rated the third best prospect in the Yankee system by Baseball America.
He played Winter Ball in Puerto Rico (Santurce), hitting .244 with 15 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 47 games. He signed a contract for the 1993 season.
Selected by the Yankees in the 14th round of the June 1987 free agent draft, Williams was signed by Yankee scout Joe Robison. In 1987, his first year of professional ball, he played at Oneonta and hit .365 with six doubles, two triples, six home runs and 29 RBIs in 29 games. He averaged an RBI every 4.0 at-bats.
Gerald spent time at both Ft. Lauderdale and Prince William in 1988. In 1989, he hit .229 with 13 homers and 69 RBIs at Prince William. He led Carolina League outfielders in games (134), total chances (307) and putouts (229) and tied for the league lead with two grand slams.
Williams started the 1990 season at Ft. Lauderdale and was promoted to AA Albany on May 30. Combined for the two clubs, he posted some of the finest offensive numbers in the Yankee organization, hitting .265 with 21 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 101 RBIs. He stole 37 bases in 50 attempts and averaged one RBI every 5.2 at-bats. Gerald led the organization in games played (146) and RBIs and was second in at-bats (528), hits (140) and total bases (235).
He hit .340 in May to earn his promotion. Overall at Ft. Lauderdale, he hit .289 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs in 50 games, averaging one RBI every 4.7 at-bats.
Gerald's best month at Albany was July (.286 BA, 4 HR, 22 RBI). He was named Eastern League Player of the Week for August 6-12, hitting .364 (8-for-22), with two doubles, a homer, nine RBIs and seven runs over seven games. Overall at Albany, Williams hit .250 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs in 96 games.
Williams split the 1991 season between AA Albany and AAA Columbus. His action at Columbus was his first experience above the AA level.
Over 45 games at Albany, Gerald hit .286 with 15 doubles, five home runs, 32 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He was second on the club in slugging with a .457 percentage. He was promoted to Columbus on June 3.
With the Clippers, he hit .258 with two home runs and 27 RBIs over 58 games. He was sidelined from July 24-August 22 with a dislocated left shoulder. Gerald injured the shoulder sliding headfirst into second on July 23. At the time of his injury he was hitting .263. After the injury he hit .238 (10-for-42).
Combined for both clubs, Williams hit .270 with 23 doubles, seven homers, 59 RBIs and 27 steals. He ranked 15th in the organization in batting and was tied for ninth in doubles. He played winter ball in Puerto Rico.
Gerald attended Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana."
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Tied for Carolina League lead in grand slams (2), 1989.
Led Carolina League outfielders in games (134), 1989.
Led Carolina League outfielders in total chances (307), 1989.
Led Carolina League outfielders in putouts (292), 1989.
Named Eastern League Player of the Week, August 6-12, 1990.
Named International League Batter of the Week, July 12-18, 1992.
Named to International League mid-season All-Star team, 1992.
Led International League in games played (142), 1992.
Led International League in hits (156), 1992.
Named to International League postseason All-Star team, 1992.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Gerald Floyd Williams "Ice" (OF) #29
Born August 10, 1966, in New Orleans, Louisiana, resides in LaPlace, Louisiana. Height: 6-2, weight: 190. Bats right, throws right.
Attended Grambling State University.
Major league service time: 20 days. Opening Day Age: 26.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
