Billy Gardner Jr.
William Frederick Gardner Jr.
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 6", Weight 200 lb.
- School Rhode Island College, Mitchell College, University of Hartford
- High School Waterford (CT) High School
- Born September 25, 1966 in New London, CT USA
Biographical Information[edit]
The son of Billy Gardner, first baseman Billy Gardner Jr. was drafted in the 37th round of the 1984 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins, but opted for college. He was then drafted in the 50th round of the 1987 amateur draft by the Kansas City Royals. He played two seasons in their farm system, hitting .316/~.396/.378 in 98 AB for the GCL Royals in 1987 and .250/~.375/.300 in 60 AB (moving to 3B) for the Eugene Emeralds in 1988. He left professional baseball and returned to Hartford to work on his degree. While at Hartford, Gardner served as a coach for the Hawks in 1989-1990.
Gardner returned to professional baseball in 1990 as a coach for the Pittsfield Mets (1990-1991) and St. Lucie Mets (1992). He was the hitting coach for the Butte Copper Kings (1993), and High Desert Mavericks (1994). Gardner began his managerial career in 1995 with a co-op team before moving to the Boston Red Sox chain, then back to the Royals organization. In 2006, he managed the Dayton Dragons in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. From 2007-2013, Gardner managed the Montgomery Biscuits, the Tampa Bay Rays' AA affiliate. He was named Southern League Manager of the Year in 2012. After the 2011 season, he skippered the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.
The Washington Nationals hired Gardner in 2014 to manage the Syracuse Chiefs, a position he held for four years. He spent the 2018-2019 seasons as a Minor League Roving Coordinator for the Nationals. Gardner was scheduled to manage the Harrisburg Senators in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2021-2022, Gardner took a detour away from affiliated ball and managed the Idaho Falls Chukars in the newly independent Pioneer League. He then joined the Miami Marlins organization as skipper of the Beloit Sky Carp for the 2023-2024 seasons.
Sources include MWLGuide.com
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