Scott Fennessy sent me this 1995 Matt Williams card which would fit in well in the heart of anyone’s lineup.
Now I get it. While 1995 was a strike shortened year, Williams’ playing time was limited by more than labor disputes. The Giants as a team were able to play 144 games in 1995 and Williams’ injuries kept him to just 76 games and 283 at-bats.
But Williams did a lot in that playing time.
In that time, Williams hit 23 homers and drove in 65 runs while batting an atypically high .336. This season Williams had his highest OPS of his whole career at 1.046.
Since he played most of his games early on, he was chosen to play as a reserve in the 1995 All-Star Game (though he did not play).
In 1995, Williams had four 4-hit games and drove home five runs twice.
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 Totals | 76 | 318 | 283 | 53 | 95 | 17 | 1 | 23 | 65 | 2 | 30 | 58 | .336 | .399 | .647 |
First, I love fielding one thirdbasmen! Matt Williams held on to his 3B-5 for a few years (see 1994 Matt Williams) and the fact he didn’t lose it in an injury-laden year says a lot about him.
Five power numbers may be the norm now but in the 90s, it took some doing to get a 44-0. Williams has EBH numbers 1-1-0-0-0 with a few singles in the second column.
He also has a 55-7 to help attain his .336 batting average. I’m counting four 8s too so he has an extra advantage against Cs and Ds.
Note: APBA placed the 12 at the unusual spot of 52 in 1995. They moved the 27 to the 23 spot.
thanks to Scott!!
