Kenny Williams

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Kenneth Royal Williams

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 187 lb.

Debut September 2, 1986
Final Game October 4, 1991
Born April 6, 1964 in Berkeley, CA USA

BR page

1 Biography
- 1.1 Baseball Career
- 1.2 Front Office Career
2 Record as G.M.
3 Significant Trades
4 Draft Picks
5 Related Sites

[edit] Biography

Kenny Williams played six seasons in the major leagues, and is currently the general manager of the Chicago White Sox.

[edit] Baseball Career

Williams attended Stanford University, where he was a top return man for the football team as a freshman. Drafted in the 3rd round by the White Sox in the 1982 amateur draft out of Mount Pleasant High School in San Jose, CA, he spent 1982-86 moving his way up the minor league system. His most notable stop was during the 1986 season, when he hit .331/.376/.493 in 68 games for Double-A Birmingham. Williams made his major league debut the same season, appearing in 15 games for the White Sox.

He began his major league career in September 1986, the same month as George Foster finished his major league career with the 1986 Chicago White Sox. Foster's last start was on September 1, while Williams' first start was on September 2. The other two starting outfielders on each day were Reid Nichols and Daryl Boston.

Williams had a successful rookie season in 1987, hitting .281 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases for Chicago. It would ultimately be his best season in the majors. The 1987 White Sox featured Ivan Calderon and Gary Redus in the outfield with Williams, and Harold Baines was the DH. A 39-year-old Carlton Fisk was the catcher. Williams and shortstop Ozzie Guillen were both 23 years old.

The 1988 season proved to be a struggle; Williams slumped badly, hitting just .159 in 220 at bats. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Eric King, shortly before the 1989 season. Between two seasons with the Tigers, Williams hit .205 in 94 games.

Williams continued to struggle at the plate in 1990, and Toronto picked him up off waivers in the middle of the season. His stay with Toronto ended in 1991, when baseball's other Canadian team, the Expos, claimed the young journeyman. Williams hit .271 in 34 games with Montreal, but it proved to be the end of the line. The Expos released Williams in November, 1991. His playing career ended at the age of 27.

The most similar player to Williams, based on similarity scores, is Brad Komminsk.

[edit] Front Office Career

Williams rejoined the White Sox as a scout in 1992. He also spent time as a special assistant to club owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. In 1995, Williams contributed to White Sox television broadcasts.

From 1995-2000, he served as director of minor league operations and then vice president of player development for the White Sox. In November, 2000, Williams replaced Ron Schueler as Chicago's General Manager.

As an executive, Williams is known for his aggressive style. Unlike his predecessor, Ron Schueler, Williams has not been averse to dealing young prospects in return for established major leaguers. He has executed a number of blockbuster deals, acquiring such famed players as David Wells, Billy Koch, Bartolo Colon, Roberto Alomar, Carl Everett, Freddy Garcia, Jose Contreras and Jim Thome. This style has kept the White Sox competetive, but has also thinned out the farm system. Ironically, the most successful season of the Williams era, 2005, featured relatively few midseason transactions.

Williams has been equally aggressive with his words. In recent years he has sparked feuds with former players (including White Sox legend, Frank Thomas) and exploded in tirades during interviews with the media.

"Shouldergate" and the Quest for an Ace

Kenny Williams was determined to build on the White Sox success in 2000, by improving the team's pitching and defense. He chose David Wells as the ace that could take the 2001 White Sox to the World Series. Williams sent Mike Sirotka, Brian Simmons, Kevin Beirne, and Mike Williams to Toronto in exchange for Wells. Not long after the trade, the Blue Jays discovered that Mike Sirotka had an injured shoulder. Controversy swirled, and Williams exchanged cool words with the Jays through the media. Sirotka's injury turned out to be severe; ultimately, he never pitched for his new team.

The White Sox got off to a horrendous start and failed to win the division in 2001, finishing with just 83 wins. Still seeking a front of the rotation ace, Kenny Williams acquired Todd Ritchie from Pittsburgh for Kip Wells, Josh Fogg, and Sean Lowe. The trade was a bust, and Ritchie finished with a 5-15 record, and a 6.06 ERA. The team showed no improvement from the year before, finishing 81-81.

Williams rolled the dice a third time in 2003, bringing in established ace Bartolo Colon. Williams also transformed the bullpen by trading for Billy Koch and signing Tom Gordon. Colon, incumbent Mark Buehrle, and free agent surprise Esteban Loaiza formed a solid trio at the front of the rotation. However, Koch was a bust in the pen and the team was never able to find a consistent closer. The Sox were in first place as late as August, but suffered a collapse down the stretch.

More fresh faces joined the rotation in 2004. With Colon gone, The White Sox rotation was lacking depth, but still managed to stay in contention. Williams helped to deepen the staff by trading for Freddy Garcia. Later in the season, Williams traded Loaiza for Jose Contreras. Shingo Takatsu turned into a pleasant surprise for Williams, providing solid relief work in save situations.

World Series Magic

Orlando Hernandez was picked up as the final piece of the rotation puzzle. After years of shuffling around aces, Williams had put together a quintent of Buehrle, Garcia, Contreras, Jon Garland, and Hernandez. The GM then turned his attention to adding speed to the offense. Carlos Lee was shipped to Milwaukee for Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino. Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski, and Tadahito Iguchi were all signed as free agents. One of the most significant pick ups was Bobby Jenks. Claimed off of the waiver wire, Jenks turned into the club's postseason closer.

The rotation performed as well as any in baseball, and the offense seemed to always score just enough to win. Kenny Williams and the 2005 White Sox won the orginizations first World Series title since 1917.

Thome and Retooling

Following the Championship season, Kenny Williams beefed up the lineup with slugger Jim Thome. He also traded highly-touted prospect Chris Young along with Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino to get Javier Vazquez. The slugging Sox failed to deliver in the second half of the 2006 season, and the team had to settle for 90 wins and a third place ranking.

Williams set off to make the team younger prior to the 2007 season. Freddy Garcia was shipped to Philadelphia, and Brandon McCarthy was sent to Texas. Critics argued that the trades weakened the club, while proponents pointed out that the farm system had thinned out, making the trades necessary.

The White Sox fell out of contention rather quickly sparking rumors of a fire sale. Williams locked up veterans Jermaine Dye and Mark Buehrle with contract extensions, but still made moves to rebuild for the future. A prospect-for-prospect trade landed middle infielder Danny Richar, Tadahito Iguchi was shipped to the Phillies for Michael Dubee, and Rob Mackowiak was sent to the Padres for Jon Link. A number of young players took on large roles for the 2007 White Sox, including Josh Fields, Jerry Owens, Andy Gonzalez, and Ehren Wassermann.

Kenny Williams Jr. was drafted in 2007, but not by Williams. The White Sox picked him in 2008 when the team's scouts decided to select Williams Jr.; Kenny Williams Sr. opposed the move because he felt it would place too much added pressure on his son.

Preceded by
Ron Schueler

Chicago White Sox General Manager
2001-

Succeeded by
Current