1. Early Life and Education
Matthew Williams' early life and academic background laid the groundwork for his extensive career in professional baseball.
1.1. High School and Draft
Williams attended Carson High School in Carson City, Nevada. During his high school years, he was a multi-sport athlete, serving as the starting quarterback for the Carson Senators football team. In his senior year, his exceptional performance on the baseball field earned him the title of Nevada's high school player of the year. In the 1983 Major League Baseball draft, the New York Mets selected him in the 27th round as the 664th overall pick. However, Williams chose not to sign with the Mets, opting instead to pursue a college education. Two of his high school baseball teammates, Bob Ayrault and Charlie Kerfeld, also went on to play in the major leagues.
1.2. College Career
Following his high school graduation, Williams accepted a scholarship to play college baseball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He played for the UNLV Rebels for three seasons, from 1984 to 1986. During his collegiate career, Williams demonstrated significant offensive prowess, hitting 58 home runs, accumulating 217 runs batted in (RBI), and maintaining a batting average of .327. His outstanding contributions to the UNLV baseball program were recognized in 1997 when he was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame.
2. Professional Playing Career
Matthew Williams enjoyed a distinguished professional playing career, spanning three Major League Baseball teams and marked by his power hitting and defensive excellence.
2.1. Draft and Minor Leagues
After his college career, Williams was once again eligible for the draft and was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round as the third overall pick in the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. He began his professional career that same season, making his debut with the Low-A Everett Giants and Single-A Clinton Giants. In his first 72 professional games, he batted .240, recording 14 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, and 39 RBI.
2.2. San Francisco Giants (1987-1996)
Williams was first called up to the major leagues by the San Francisco Giants on April 11, 1987, as an injury replacement for José Uribe. He made his MLB debut on that day, going 1-for-3 in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His first major league hit was an eighth-inning single off Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser. He finished his rookie season batting .188 with eight home runs and 21 RBI in 84 games, primarily playing shortstop but also appearing at third base.
Prior to the 1989 season, Williams was named the Giants' starting third baseman. However, he struggled early in the season with a .130 batting average and was optioned to the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds on May 1. This demotion proved to be a pivotal moment in his career; he responded by batting .320 with 26 home runs and 61 RBI in 76 games before returning to San Francisco in July. Despite hitting only .202 in 84 games with the Giants that year, he managed to record 18 home runs and 50 RBI. He also appeared in the 1989 World Series, which the Giants lost to the Oakland Athletics.
The 1990 season marked a breakout year for Williams, as he finished with a .277 batting average, 33 home runs, and a National League-leading 122 RBI, earning him a spot on the National League All-Star team.
Despite enduring several leg and lower-back injuries throughout his career, Williams was renowned as an excellent defensive third baseman. He possessed quick reflexes, exceptional hands, a fast release, and a strong, accurate throwing arm. His defensive prowess was recognized with four Gold Glove Awards (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997). He also earned four Silver Slugger Awards (1990, 1993, 1994, 1997), reflecting his offensive contributions.
As a hitter, Williams displayed exceptional power, hitting at least 30 home runs and recording at least 90 RBI in four of his seasons with the Giants. His most notable season was 1994, when he led the National League with 43 home runs and recorded 96 RBI in just 112 games. The 1994 Major League Baseball season was shortened by nearly a third due to a players' strike, but Williams was on pace to challenge Roger Maris's single-season home run record of 61, projecting to 60.6 home runs over a full season. He finished second in the voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award that year, behind first baseman Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros.
2.3. Cleveland Indians (1997)
On November 13, 1996, Williams was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with a player to be named later (Trenidad Hubbard) in exchange for future NL MVP Jeff Kent, Julián Tavárez, José Vizcaíno, and another player to be named later (Joe Roa).
In 1997, although his streak of three consecutive All-Star selections ended, Williams still had a strong season, batting .263 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI in 151 games. He also won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award, his first since 1994. In the 1997 postseason, Williams batted .288 with three doubles, two home runs, 8 RBI, and 13 walks, helping lead Cleveland to its second American League pennant in three years. The Indians ultimately lost the 1997 World Series in seven games to the Florida Marlins.
2.4. Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2003)
Following his divorce from his first wife, Tracie, Williams requested a trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks to be closer to his children. The trade, completed on December 2, 1997, sent Williams to Arizona in exchange for Travis Fryman, Tom Martin, and cash considerations. After the acquisition, he signed a five-year, 45.00 M USD extension with the Diamondbacks. Williams was a founding member of the Diamondbacks, playing on the club's inaugural team in 1998. In 1999, he recorded 142 RBI, a Diamondbacks record for most RBI in a single season, which was later tied by Luis Gonzalez in 2001 but never surpassed.
Williams also held a partial ownership stake in the Diamondbacks, serving as "Special Assistant to the General Partner." In this capacity, he occasionally worked as a color commentator for Diamondbacks radio and television broadcasts and assisted with coaching and player personnel matters. He won his first and only World Series championship in 2001 with the Diamondbacks, defeating the New York Yankees.
3. Managerial Career
Matthew Williams transitioned into a managerial role after his playing career, leading teams in both Major League Baseball and the Korean Baseball Organization.
3.1. Washington Nationals (2014-2015)
On October 31, 2013, the Washington Nationals announced that they had hired Williams to replace Davey Johnson as their manager for the 2014 season. Before the 2015 season, the Nationals exercised an option to extend Williams' contract through the 2016 season.
In his first season as manager, Williams led the Nationals to a 96-66 record and an NL East division title. However, the team was eliminated in the NLDS by the San Francisco Giants. Despite the postseason exit, Williams was recognized for his impressive debut, being named the 2014 National League Manager of the Year.
On October 5, 2015, the Nationals fired Williams after a disappointing season in which the team, considered World Series favorites, failed to make the postseason. His managerial record with the Nationals concluded with 179 wins and 145 losses.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| WAS | 2014 | 162 | 96 | 66 | .593 | 1st in NL East | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost NLDS (SF) |
| WAS | 2015 | 162 | 83 | 79 | .512 | 2nd in NL East | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 324 | 179 | 145 | .552 | 1 | 3 | .250 | |||
3.2. Kia Tigers (2020-2021)
Williams made history by joining the Kia Tigers of the KBO League (Korean Baseball Organization), becoming their first American-born manager before the 2020 season. His appointment also marked him as the fourth foreign manager in the KBO League's history, following Jerry Royster, Kazuhide Ishiyama, and Trey Hillman. He officially began his tenure on October 16, 2019, succeeding interim manager Park Heung-sik.
During his two seasons with the Kia Tigers, the team finished sixth in the 2020 season and ninth in the 2021 season with a 58-75 record. On November 5, 2021, it was announced that Williams and the Kia Tigers mutually agreed to terminate his contract, leading to his departure from the team. He was succeeded by Kim Jong-kook.
4. Coaching Career
After his managerial stint with the Washington Nationals, Matthew Williams continued his involvement in baseball through various coaching positions.
On November 11, 2009, Williams was initially hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks as their first base coach for the 2010 season. In 2011, he transitioned to the role of third base coach under first-year manager Kirk Gibson. He remained a coach for the Diamondbacks from 2010 through 2013. Following his firing from the Nationals, he rejoined the Diamondbacks as their third base coach in 2016.
In November 2017, Williams was hired as the Oakland Athletics' third base coach, a position he held through the 2019 season.
On December 17, 2021, Williams was hired by the San Diego Padres to serve as the team's third base coach for the 2022 season. He continued in this role through 2023.
Following the departure of Bob Melvin from the Padres to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants, Williams was announced on November 10, 2023, as the new third base coach for the Giants for the 2024 season, replacing Mark Hallberg.
5. Other Activities
Outside of his direct roles in playing, managing, and coaching, Matthew Williams has also contributed to baseball as a media analyst. In 2017, he joined NBC Sports Bay Area as a studio analyst, appearing on broadcasts before and after San Francisco Giants telecasts.
6. Personal Life
Matthew Williams has been married three times. He and his first wife, Tracie, had three children together. He withdrew from the 1989 Triple-A All-Star Game to get married. His divorce from Tracie occurred shortly after his trade to the Cleveland Indians, an event that Williams found challenging.
In 1999, he married film actress Michelle Johnson. They divorced in 2002 and did not have children together.
In 2003, Williams married Erika Monroe, a news anchor based in Phoenix. The couple co-hosted the weekend pre-game show "DBacks on Deck" for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. They share one adult daughter. In September 2023, Erika Monroe filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences.
Williams is the grandson of former major league outfielder Bert Griffith. In March 2023, Williams took a leave of absence from the Padres organization after undergoing surgery following a diagnosis of colon cancer. He returned to the team in April 2023 after his surgery.
7. Controversy
Matthew Williams' career has been touched by controversy regarding allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. On November 6, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Williams had purchased 11.60 K USD worth of human growth hormone (HGH), steroids, and other drugs from a clinic in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2002. Williams later confirmed to the Chronicle that he used HGH, stating it was on the advice of a doctor to treat an ankle injury he sustained during spring training in 2002.
On December 13, 2007, Williams was among the dozens of players named in the Mitchell Report, a comprehensive investigation into steroid use in Major League Baseball commissioned by the league and authored by former Senator George J. Mitchell. The report alleged his use of performance-enhancing drugs, contributing to a broader discussion about integrity in professional sports.
8. Awards and Honors
Matthew Williams received numerous awards and honors throughout his distinguished playing and managerial career, recognizing his excellence on the field and in the dugout.
| Title | Times | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| National League Champion | 2 | 1989, 2001 |
| World Series Champion | 1 | 2001 |
| Name of award | Times | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame | N/A | 2017 |
| MLB All-Star | 5 | 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| MLB Player of the Month | 2 | May 1995, April 1999 |
| MLB Player of the Week | 4 | June 16, 1990; July 30, 1994; April 24, 1999; June 26, 1999 |
| National League Manager of the Year | 1 | 2014 |
| Rawlings Gold Glove Award at third base | 4 | 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997 |
| San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame | N/A | 2008 |
| Silver Slugger Award at third base | 4 | 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997 |
| Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame | N/A | 2005 |
| UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame | N/A | 1997 |
| Category | Times | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| National League home run leader | 1 | 1994 |
| National League RBI leader | 1 | 1990 |
8.1. Hall of Fame Candidacy
Williams became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. However, he received only 1.3% of the votes, which resulted in his removal from future ballots, as a player must receive at least 5% of the votes to remain eligible.
9. Legacy and Reception
Matthew Williams' legacy in baseball is marked by his powerful offensive production, exceptional defensive skills, and his contributions as a manager and coach. As a player, his four Gold Glove Awards and four Silver Slugger Awards underscore his rare combination of defensive excellence and hitting prowess at third base. His 1994 season, in which he led the National League in home runs despite a shortened season, stands as a testament to his slugging ability and put him on a trajectory to potentially challenge significant single-season records. His unique achievement of hitting a World Series home run for three different MLB teams highlights his consistent performance on the biggest stages.
While his managerial career included leading the Washington Nationals to a division title and earning Manager of the Year honors, his tenure also faced scrutiny, particularly after the team's underperformance in 2015. His historic role as the first American-born manager in the KBO League's Kia Tigers demonstrates his willingness to take on new challenges and contribute to baseball globally. However, the allegations of human growth hormone and steroid use, as detailed in the Mitchell Report, remain a significant point of discussion in his legacy, raising questions about ethical conduct in sports. Despite this, Williams has maintained a consistent presence in professional baseball, continually contributing as a coach and analyst. His induction into various halls of fame reflects his notable impact on the sport.