Table of Biography
Matt Williams is an American professional baseball manager and former third baseman from the United States. Moreover, Matt Williams is the third base coach for the San Diego Padres.
Early life
Matthew Derrick Williams best known as Matt Williams was born on the 28th of November, 1965, in Bishop, California, the United States of America. According to his birth date, he is 56 years old and holds an American nationality.
He has a birth sign of Sagittarius and his ethnic background is unknown. Besides this, he has not shared other information regarding his parents, siblings, and early childhood life. Looking at his success, we can predict that, he was well raised as a child by his parents.
Education
Talking about his academic career, he studied at Carson High School in Carson City, Nevada. While he was studying there, he was selected by the New York Mets in the 27th round. He didn’t, however, sign with the Mets. He started as quarterback for the Carson Senators’ high school football team. Bob Ayrault and Charlie Kerfeld, two of his teammates from high school baseball, also played baseball professionally.
Professional career
San Francisco Giants
Matt Williams received a baseball scholarship to play for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After playing baseball in college, the San Francisco Giants selected him with the third pick in the first round of the 1986 professional baseball draft. He made his major league debut in 1987 for the Giants, mostly at shortstop but also spending time at third base. Up to the 1990 season, he switched between playing shortstop and third base. He then started at third base for the Giants and went on to lead the National League in runs batted in with 122 while being selected to the National League All-Star team.
Caption: Matt Williams playing for his team San Francisco Giants (Source: SFGATE)
Moreover, he was a good third-baseman despite having several leg injuries and some lower back problems. He was also a dangerous and effective hitter. Williams succeeded at third base because of his quick release, powerful arm, and superb hands. His best season was in 1994 when the Major League Baseball season was cut almost in half due to a season-ending strike by Major League baseball players.
He hit a National League-leading 43 home runs and had an astounding 96 runs batted in (RBI) in just 110 games. With 43 home runs in 115 games, he was on pace to break Roger Maris’s single-season record of 61 home runs, which stood at the time. He would complete the season with 60.6 home runs.
Cleveland Indians
Following the 1996 season, he was part of a six-player trade to Cleveland that favored both clubs. The Giants obtained future NL MVP Jeff Kent in exchange. While Matt’s run of three consecutive All-Star selections came to an end in 1997, he still reached 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, earned a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, and all of these achievements were number one since 1994.
Although the Indians were defeated by the Florida Marlins in the World Series in seven games, he also assisted Cleveland in winning its second American League pennant in three years. He requested and secured a trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks to be closer to his children after divorcing his first wife Tracie.
Arizona Diamondbacks
He joined the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first season, 1998, and has been a part of the team ever since. With 142 total RBIs in 1999, he owns the Diamondback’s record for the most RBIs in a single season. He had the position of “Special Assistant to the General Partner” and was a part-owner of the Diamondbacks.
Moreover, he occasionally assisted with coaching and with player personnel issues. He also provided color commentary on Diamondbacks radio and television broadcasts. The Diamondbacks signed him in November 2009 to work as their first base coach in 2010. For the 2011 season, he switched from first base coach to third base coach while working for freshman manager Kirk Gibson.
Managerial career
The Washington National hired him to replace Davey Johnson as their manager for the 2014 season. He led the Nationals to the playoffs and the NL East division title, but they were defeated by the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS. The Nationals fired Matt on October 5, 2015, following a disappointing season in which they were considered World Series contenders but did not progress further. He had a final record of 179 victories and 145 losses. Before the 2020 season, he joined the Kia Tigers of the KBO League.
His resignation from the team was made official on November 5, 2021, after the team placed ninth with a 58-75 record in 2021. He was hired by the San Diego Padres on December 17, 2021, to be the team’s third base coach for the 2022 season. Likewise, he joined NBC Sports Bay Area in 2017 as a studio analyst, appearing before and after San Francisco Giants telecasts
Awards
In his career, this third baseman has earned several awards and recognitions. 5× All-Star (1990, 1994–1996, 1999), World Series champion (2001), 4× Gold Glove Award (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997), 4× Silver Slugger Award (1990, 1993, 1994, 1997), NL home run leader (1994), NL RBI leader (1990), NL Manager of the Year (2014), and San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame are some of his career highlight and awards.
Net Worth 2023
As a former third base and manager, he has a huge sum of money in his profession. His net worth is estimated at around $50 million and has an annual salary of $10 million.
Relationship Status
He married three times in his life. Tracie, his first wife left him and their three children for another. Michelle Johnson, a film actress, was his second wife from January 1999 to July 2002. In 2002, she filed for divorce, pointing to irreconcilable differences as the reason. The couple had no children, and their divorce was finalized in July 2002.
Caption: Matt Williams with his wife Erika Monroe (Source: The Hopeless Housewife®)
In 2003, Matt Williams proposed to Phoenix news anchor Erika Monroe. Erika is a TV hostess and the creator of the lifestyle and food website, The Hopeless Housewife. They married in 2003. In 2007, the pair co-hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks’ weekend pre-game show “DBacks on Deck.” They live in Bel Air, California, with their one kid whose name is Madi Monroe.
Matt Williams – Body Measurement
Matt Williams is bald and has blue eyes color. But, this man has not shared other information regarding height, weight, and other body stats.
Matt Williams – Social Media
At the moment, this former baseball player is not active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.