"Graceful center fielder has star potential. Williams established himself at the big league level after his July 31 recall from Columbus (AAA). The patient leadoff hitter made 60 consecutive starts after the recall and reached base safely in 56. The switch-hitter batted .328 in the final 29 games and reached safely in each. Williams flashed his power with a 445-foot home run in Detroit on August 10.
He has blazing speed once he is underway, but has poor instincts on the bases. He needs a great deal of work on his base-stealing skills.
Williams won the Carolina League (AA) batting title with a .338 average in 1988 and was a heralded prospect throughout his fine minor league career. Born September 13, 1968, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he was signed by the Yankees as a free agent in September 1985."
-Tony DeMarco (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram) and Tom Pedulla (Gannett Newspapers), The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1993 Edition
"The arrival of Bernie Williams has been heralded for years. At first, he was a speck in the distance at Class-A Oneonta. Then the speck got bigger. Albany-Colonie ... Columbus ... New York ... he had arrived.
But he didn't stay. A mirage. Back to Columbus.
Now he's back and everyone is convinced, Bernie Williams is here to stay. To emphasize the point, first Bernie Williams was shifted to left field, then Roberto Kelly to Cincinnati, leaving Williams in center field.
His last (he hopes) journey to Columbus was Bernie's wake-up call. He started the 1992 season in New York, played two games and was on his way back to Columbus. Instead of pouting, Williams dug in, batted .308 in 95 games and forced the Yankees to send him a return ticket to New York.
He was recalled on July 31 and played every inning of every game thereafter, not by default, but on merit. A .280 average, 39 runs, 14 doubles. five homers and 26 RBI in 60 games, plus the kind of blanket coverage in centerfield that is mandatory in Yankee Stadium.
One of those homers was a 445-foot tape-measure job in Tiger Stadium. An omen?
This is not a home run champ in the making, but there is power in that 6-2, 180-pound body.
'I'm still growing,' Williams says. 'I'll get stronger and probably hit home runs by accident. But I've got to get on base more and steal more bases. That has to be my main objective.' "
-The New York Yankees Official 1993 Yearbook
FOR BERNIE WILLIAMS, BECOMING A YANKEE IS A DREAM FULFILLED
Name: Bernie Williams
Marital Status: Married to Waleska.
How We Met: In college in Puerto Rico.
Children: Bernie Alexander, 2.
Siblings: Hiram, 22.
First Job/Salary: Scraping and painting our family house in the summer.
Worst Job: See above.
Book I'd Recommend: The Bible.
Favorite Musical Artist: Acoustic Alchemy.
The Best Album Ever Was: Journey's Escape.
Favorite Subject In School: Math.
Least Favorite Subject In School: History.
Favorite Food: Yellow rice and shrimp with red beans.
I Absolutely Refuse To Eat: Spinach.
Best TV Show Ever: Cosby.
Best Movie Ever: Glory.
Nobody Knows I Can: Play the guitar.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Butter Pecan.
Pets: None.
Favorite Pet Ever: Rin Tin Tin
Best Manager I Played For On The Way Up: Buck Showalter.
Biggest Influence On My Pro Career: My dad.
Greatest Joy In My Career So Far: Hitting my first major league home run. It was off Chuck Finley.
Biggest Regret In My Career So Far: Not spending enough time with my family.
Favorite Major League Cities: Chicago and Toronto.
Favorite Ballpark: Skydome.
Toughest Pitcher Ever Faced: Bret Saberhagen.
Best Part Of Being A Yankee Is: I've always wanted to play in Yankee Stadium since I was little.
Worst Part Of Being A Yankee Is: Everybody wants to beat you.
If I Couldn't Be A Ballplayer I'd Be: A doctor.
Occupation I Most Admire: Teacher.
Favorite Baseball Teams As A Kid: Yankees and Pirates.
Favorite Players As A Kid: Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew.
Players I'd Pay To Watch Today: Kirby Puckett and Don Mattingly.
Favorite Non-Baseball Sports Team I Root For: Chicago Bulls.
This Guy Wears Me Out: Duane Ward.
Favorite Hitting Background: Detroit.
Best Field Is In: Kansas City.
Most Underrated Opponent: Mike Devereaux.
Pitcher With The Best Fastball: Bret Saberhagen.
Pitcher With The Best Curve: Scott Sanderson.
Pitcher With The Best Slider: Duane Ward.
-Ed Randall, 1993 New York Yankees Scorebook & Souvenir Program
FOR BERNIE, THE KEY IS CONFIDENCE
"The boy has become a man.
Seven years have passed since the wiry kid from San Juan, Puerto Rico, signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on his 17th birthday. Bernie Williams is now 24, married, the father of a young son and ready to inherit one of the most prestigious positions in the game of baseball- centerfield at Yankee Stadium.
He will romp in the grass that was once the private playground for Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Bobby Murcer. The place where Roberto Kelly, an All-Star in 1992, plied his trade until Williams' performance in the minors- combined with a strong showing in the majors during the latter stages of last season- made Kelly expendable.
'It's an awesome responsibility,' Williams says. 'To be the everyday centerfielder of the New York Yankees. To fill the shoes of DiMaggio, Mantle, Murcer, even Roberto Kelly- I see that as a very big responsibility. But I'm up to the challenge this year. I'm very confident.'
It is a confidence that has been apparent since the first day of spring training when Williams walked into camp at Fort Lauderdale Stadium knowing he was to be the centerfielder. Manager Buck Showalter had told him so in early February at the Yankees' annual Fan Festival.
'I just felt it was something he needed to hear,' the manager explained. 'I'm very cautious about telling a player he'll be at a certain position if I don't know for sure it will continue. But, if he's healthy, Bernie is going to be our centerfielder this season. I felt like (telling him) would help Bernie's frame of mind coming into spring training.'
It was a much different scenario than last spring training when Williams, the club's everyday centerfielder for the second half of the 1991 season, learned that Kelly would be Showalter's centerfielder come Opening Day. No discussion. No competition. No thanks for a job well done.
At the time, the rookie manager said he was concerned with Kelly's delicate psyche. It was an injury to Kelly's wrist which had necessitated Williams' promotion from Triple-A Columbus in the first place- an injury that caused Kelly to miss six weeks of that 1991 season and then to be unceremoniously and unhappily shifted to leftfield by then-manager Stump Merrill.
While Showalter pacified Kelly, he also shook Williams' confidence to the core. Williams had come to camp figuring- understandably- that he was in the majors to stay, only to quickly and painfully learn otherwise. He was on the Opening Day roster due only to an injury to Danny Tartabull, but, less than two weeks into the season, was shipped back to Columbus.
He returned to the Bronx on July 31 and played every inning of the season's remaining 60 games, the final 54 in centerfield while Kelly fumed alongside him. By season's end, Williams had shown the Yankees who the centerfielder of their future was. In early November, Kelly was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for left fielder Paul O'Neill.
The transaction, which warranted barely a mention in the newspapers in Williams' hometown of Alta Vega, Puerto Rico, did wonders for the player's frame of mind. But actually hearing the words come from Showalter's lips- that Williams would be the Yankees center fielder in 1993- made all the difference.
'I wasn't happy about it. But I understood why they did what they did last year,' Williams says. ' We had too many established big-league outfielders. There was no room for me to make the lineup every day. It would have done me no good to sit on the bench and watch them play. So I went down and turned it into a positive.'
By the time he left Columbus- most figured for good- Williams was hitting .306 with eight homers and 50 RBI and 20 stolen bases. His manager with the Clippers, Rick Down, now the Yankees hitting coach, said Williams was the International League's best player.
'Bernie did everything,' Down says. 'He's complete. Does he have everything? I don't know. It's a big burden to say that a young player can do everything. Is he going to be the next Mickey Mantle? No. Nobody is. But he will help make a major league ball club a championship ball club.'
To say Williams finished the 1992 season strong is to slight him. After going 0-for-6 on September 6 and dropping his batting average to .235, he reached base safely in each of the season's final 29 games. The switch-hitter batted .328 over that span and raised his batting average to .280.
It was the kind of performance the Yankees had been predicting for years and are hoping they'll see in 1993.
'People forget just how young he is,' says Showalter. 'That's why we've been so patient with him coming up.'
Looking back, Williams says it seems like such a long time ago that he was breaking into professional baseball with Sarasota in 1986. He hit only right-handed then. It wasn't until 1988 at Class-A Prince William that he began switch-hitting. After he hit .335 with seven homers and 45 RBI for the Cannons, the Yankees knew they had a keeper.
'That put me on the map,' he says. 'After that, everything seemed to move forward.'
Not that there weren't setbacks. Williams hit just .252 at Double-A Albany in 1989 and .216 in 50 games at Columbus that same season. And there was that .238 clunker he was responsible for in 85 games with the Yankees in 1991. Yet he has now advanced to the point where the Yankees feel there is nothing he can't do.
'I think he can be a good, solid center fielder for us,' says General Manager Gene Michael, the man who pulled the trigger on the Kelly trade. 'He'll hit and he'll be on base. What we want most from him is to improve his base running. We want him more relaxed when he's running the bases. We'd also like him to get more comfortable fielding the ball and throwing. As for going to get the ball, he's fine.
Williams spent a good deal of time during spring training working on both his base running and fielding skills with bench coach Ed Napoleon. The extra tutoring will help, as will the fact that he will no longer have to look over his shoulder at Kelly or anyone else. The job is his.
'He feels he belongs now,' says Michael. 'He's no longer feeling his way around. I think he'll be OK.'
Williams agrees. He says he is much more comfortable as a major league this time around, both on the field and off, and in his dealings with fans and reporters. Where he was almost reticent to speak before, Williams is now, if not loquacious, then surely conversational.
'I'm much more confident,' he says. 'It's exciting to be here and I think I've learned to handle situations better, to handle the attention, the media. The players and coaching staff have made me feel like one of the guys.
'It feels great because everyone is sort of counting on me to have a good performance. And this is also a great opportunity for me to learn. I'm surrounded by great hitters- Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Paul O'Neill, Danny Tartabull. It's a great situation. I'm surrounded by people I can learn from.'
An off-season conditioning program, which was interrupted by arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, has added seven pounds of bulk to Williams' upper body. The outfielder says he thinks the added weight will help improve his bat speed and keep him strong through the entire 162-game schedule.
'Those last 30 or 40 games are what will make a season,' he says.
So there you have it. A new job. An improved body and a new maturity which he credits, in part, to the birth of his son, Bernie Jr., now 2.
'It makes you realize that you're not doing this for yourself but for your family,' he says. 'They're counting on you. The least you can do is give 100 percent.'
'He is a lot more sure of himself,' says Showalter. 'There's a different air about Bernie, an air of confidence that he is ready for the challenge of the next level.' "
Don Burke, 1993 New York Yankees Scorebook & Souvenir Program
"Bernie began the 1992 season on the 25-man roster. He played in two games, one of them a start, and went 1-for-5. On April 15 he was optioned to Columbus as pitcher Russ Springer was recalled.
He hit home runs from each of the plate on June 5 at Toledo. He set a Clippers record with two triples in one inning on June 7 against Rochester, and in only 95 games led the club with nine triples, which tied for the IL league lead. Williams was the organization's Player of the Month for June and IL Batter of the Week, June 7-13.
He played in 95 games for the Clippers and hit .308 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs. Bernie was recalled on July 31 with Danny Tartabull moving to the disabled list. On August 1 he was inserted into the leadoff spot in the batting order and played every inning for the rest of the season. After his recall Bernie started three games each in right field and left field before becoming a fixture in center on August 7.
He hit in his first four games back in the Bronx (5-for-18) and from August 7-17 hit three homers. His round-tripper on August 10 at Detroit off John Doherty hit the facing of the roof in right field at Tiger Stadium.
Williams hit in his last nine games in August, raising his average from .226 to .246, and from August 23-September 13 hit in 19 of 20 games at a .303 (27-for-89) pace.
After going 0-for-6 on September 1 at Milwaukee, he reached base safely in the final 29 games of the season, hitting .328 (41-for-105, 10 BB); from August 12 to the end of the season, Bernie reached safely in 48 of 49 games. He walked in seven straight games, August 16-22, and on August 24 against a contending Milwaukee club reached base safely four times (1-for-2, 3 BB).
Bernie hit in ten consecutive games from September 2-13. Included was a four-hit game against Kansas City on September 12. After taking the collar on September 14, he hit in his next seven games (13-for-32) including five multi-hit efforts. Williams doubled in six straight games from September 16-22 and on September 24 against Detroit went 3-for-4 with a triple, RBI and three runs scored. From September 6 through the end of the season, he hit .333, raising his average from .236 to .280 and ended the season by hitting in five straight.
Williams played winter ball for Arecibo in Puerto Rico, playing in just seven games. His winter ball season was interrupted when he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on December 19 to repair ligament damage in his left knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. Dan Kanell.
After his recall on July 31, Bernie played every inning of every game (558 innings, 60 games) and reached base safely in 56 of those games. Over 162 games his numbers project to a .280 batting average, 13 homers, 102 runs, 68 RBIs, 37 doubles, 76 walks and 18 stolen bases.
He hit .298 (1 HR, 9 RBIs) right-handed and .271 (4 HR, 17 RBIs) left-handed; over his two seasons in the bigs he has hit .245 (3 HR, 22 RBIs) right-handed and .262 (5 HR, 38 RBIs) left-handed.
In 1992 he hit .291 with three home runs at the Stadium, .268 (2 HR, 13 RBIs) on the road. He hit .354 in day games, .325 on artificial turf, and Bernie's home run on August 10 at Detroit traveled 445 feet, the longest homer hit in the American League in August, according to the IBM Tale of the Tape. He also had five outfield assists in only 62 games.
With Columbus he stole 20 bases in 28 attempts. Bernie hit .393 (4 HR, 22 RBIs) batting right-handed and .264 (4 HR, 28 RBIs) left-handed. He finished fourth in the International League in slugging percentage (.485), fifth in on-base percentage (.389) and fifth in the batting race (.306). He was named to the International League mid-season and postseason All-Star teams and was ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the IL.
He signed a contract for the 1993 season.
In 1991, Bernie was recalled from Columbus on July 7 and became the Yankee starting center fielder for the remainder of the season.
At the time of his recall he was hitting .294, eight homers, 37 RBIs and nine steals. Hitting left-handed, he was batting .318 (74-for-233) with 14 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 34 RBIs. Hitting right-handed, he was batting .219 (16-for-73) with three RBIs.
Bernie was immediately pressed into service, starting the final game before the break on July 7, against Baltimore, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs- his first hit was a 9th inning single off Gregg Olson. Bernie's first home run came in his fifth game (16th AB) on July 14 at California off Chuck Finley. He then homered in the next game, at Seattle off Bill Krueger.
He started all 20 of the team's games in July, hitting .254 with two home runs and 11 RBIs and walked 15 times. He hit .355 (11-for-31) with two homers and eight RBIs over his first 10 games, but over his final 10 games in July was 7-for-40 with three RBIs.
Bernie started all 31 of the club's games in August. He hit in a season best seven straight games from July 31 -August 6 (10-for-31), raising his batting average from.254 to .276. From August 15-18, he hit a double in four straight games.
On August 21 at Kansas City, Bernie struck out all five times he batted. He became the second Yankee to fan five times, joining Johnny Broaca (a pitcher) who did so on June 25, 1934. On August 28 against Texas, Bernie hit his first home run batting left-handed, off Wayne Rosenthal.
Bernie hit .186 in September. He had a torrid October, hitting .409 (9-for-22) with three RBIs over the final six games, raising his average from .225 to a season-ending .238 mark. Included was his first five-hit performance, in the next-to-last game on October 5 against Cleveland, the second five-hit game by a Yankee in 1991 (after Roberto Kelly). Bernie played winter ball in Puerto Rico.
For the season he hit .343 (23-for-67) with runners in scoring position, including a blistering .483 (14-for-29) with less than two out. He was 3-for-5 with seven RBIs with the bases loaded. He drove in runners from third base with less than two out 10 of 19 times. Bernie reached base safely in his first 13 games, 24 of his first 26 games, and in 69 of 85 games overall (81%).
Bernie stole 10 bases in 15 attempts. He was one of four Yankees to steal 10 bases (Steve Sax, Roberto Kelly and Pat Kelly the others), the first Yankee foursome to steal 10 bases each since 1985. He hit .255 batting left-handed and .205 batting right-handed. He hit .264 at home, .211 on the road and .290 in day games.
Bernie committed five errors for a .979 fielding percentage.
At Columbus, Bernie was voted to play in the AAA All-Star Game but did not play due to his promotion. He was voted International League Player of the Week for May 26-June 1, hitting .333 with four home runs and nine RBIs and scoring eight runs.
Bernie was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on September 13, 1985. He was signed by Yankee scout Fred Ferreira and recommended by Yankee scout Roberto Rivera. He spent his first professional season at Sarasota in 1986, batting .270 in 61 games with two home runs, 25 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. He led the Gulf Coast League in runs (45) and caught stealing (12) and led GCL outfielders in total chances (123) and putouts (117). Bernie was named as an outfielder on the Gulf Coast League All-Star team.
In 1987 he split time between Ft. Lauderdale and Oneonta. Bernie started the season at Ft. Lauderdale, where he batted .155 (11-for-71) in 25 games with no home runs, four RBIs and nine stolen bases. He separated his shoulder on May 17, missing a month of the season. Upon his return he was assigned to Oneonta, where in 25 games he hit .344 with no homers, 15 RBIs and nine stolen bases. He missed additional games later in the year with a groin pull.
Bernie played 91 games for 'A' Prince William in 1988 and batted .338 with 72 runs, 16 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 45 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. His season ended on July 14 when he ran into an outfield wall at Hagerstown chasing a fly ball, suffering a right navicular (wrist) fracture. He was placed on the disabled list, where he remained for the rest of the season. Despite his curtailed season Williams led the Carolina League in hitting and finished tied for third in triples. Bernie was added to the Yankee 40-man roster in November of 1988.
In 1989, Bernie split a full season of playing time between Albany and Columbus. He started the season with the Clippers, where he hit .216 with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 16 RBIs over 50 games. He joined Albany where he hit for both power and a better average. Over 91 games, Bernie hit .252 with 11 doubles, eight triples, 11 home runs and 42 RBIs; his eight triples ranked third in the Eastern League. 30 of his 79 hits went for extra bases and he posted a .443 slugging percentage.
Bernie posted all-star numbers in 1990, playing all year at AA Albany. He hit .289 with 28 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 54 RBIs while stealing 39 bases over 134 games. He led the Eastern League in stolen bases, runs (91) and walks (98) and was named to the Eastern League All-Star team. Bernie was also named to Baseball America's AA All-Star team and was named in Baseball America's postseason poll as the No. 2 prospect overall in the Eastern League. He led Albany in games (134), at-bats (466), runs (91), hits (131), doubles (28), walks (98) and stolen bases (39).
He had a strong middle of the season- over June and July combined he hit .348 with 14 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBIs over 63 games. He was named Eastern League Player of the Week for July 16-22, hitting .441 (15-for-34) with nine runs and six steals over nine games.
Bernie sparkled in postseason play for Albany when he hit .350 (7-for-20). He played winter league baseball for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican League.
Bernie attends college in Puerto Rico whenever he can, working toward a degree in biology. He graduated from Escuela de Libra Musica in San Juan.
At age 15, Williams won four gold medals in an International track meet and was one of the world's top 400-meter runners for his age group. He played Little League and Babe Ruth League as a youngster, playing against Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez.
Bernie enjoys playing classical guitar and listening to jazz."
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Led Gulf Coast League in runs (45), 1986.
Tied for Gulf Coast League in caught stealing (12), 1986.
Led Gulf Coast League outfielders in total chances (123), 1986.
Led Gulf Coast League outfielders in putouts (117), 1986.
Named as an outfielder on Gulf Coast League All-Star team, 1986.
Led Carolina League in hitting (.335), 1988.
Named Eastern League Player of the Week, July 16-22, 1990.
Led Eastern League in runs scored (91), 1990.
Led Eastern League in bases on balls (98), 1990.
Led Eastern League in stolen bases (39), 1990.
Led Eastern League in caught stealing (18), 1990.
Led Eastern League outfielders in total chances (307), 1990.
Tied for lead among Eastern League outfielders in double plays (4), 1990.
Named to Eastern League All-Star team, 1990.
Named to Baseball America's AA All-Star team, 1990.
Named in Baseball America's postseason poll as No. 2 prospect overall in Eastern League, 1990
Named International League Player of the Week, May 26- June 1, 1991.
Named to International League All-Star team, 1991.
Shares the major league single-game record (9 innings) for strikeouts (5), August 21, 1991.
Named International League Batter of the Week, June 7-13, 1992.
Named to International League mid-season All-Star team (OF), 1992.
Named to International League postseason All-Star team (OF), 1992.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
Bernabe Williams "Bernie" (OF) #51
Born September 13, 1968, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, resides in Guayhabo, P.R. Height: 6-2, weight: 200. Bats left and right, throws right.
Married, Waleska, and father of Bernie, Jr. (2).
Major league service: 168 days. Opening Day Age: 24.
-1993 New York Yankees Information Guide
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