Matt Williams (third baseman)

Matthew Derrick Williams (born November 28, 1965), nicknamed "Matt the Bat" and "the Big Marine", is an American professional baseball manager and former third baseman who is the third base coach for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed batter, Williams played in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He managed the Washington Nationals from 2014 to 2015, and was the third base coach for the San Diego Padres from 2022 to 2023.

Williams played in a World Series for each of the teams he played for ( with the Giants, with the Indians, and  with the Diamondbacks in which he won over the New York Yankees). During these years, Williams became the only player to hit at least one World Series home run for three different Major League baseball teams. During his career, Williams had an overall batting average of .268, with 378 home runs and 1,218 runs batted in (RBI). He scored 997 Major League runs, and he accumulated 1,878 hits, 338 doubles, and 35 triples, while playing in 1,866 regular-season games.

Early life
Williams originally was selected by the New York Mets in the 27th round from Carson High School in Carson City, Nevada, but he did not sign with the Mets. Williams was the starting quarterback on the Carson Senators football team in high school. Two of his teammates who played baseball in high school, Bob Ayrault and Charlie Kerfeld, also played baseball in the major leagues.

College career
Williams accepted a scholarship to play college baseball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Williams played for the UNLV Rebels for three seasons between 1984 and 1986. In that time, he hit 58 home runs, tallied 217 RBI and had a batting average of .327. He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 1997.

Draft and minor leagues
Williams was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (as the third pick) of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft.

San Francisco Giants (1987–1996)
Williams began his major league career in 1987 primarily as a shortstop for the Giants while playing some games at third base also. He played both shortstop and third base until the 1990 season when he became the starting third baseman for the Giants and went on to lead the National League in RBI with 122 while making the National League All-Star team. Despite suffering from several leg injuries and some lower-back ailments, Williams was an excellent fielder at third base, and a dangerous and productive hitter. As a third baseman, Williams had good reflexes and excellent hands, with a quick release and strong, accurate arm. During his career, he earned four Gold Glove Awards, all between 1991 and 1997.

A hitter with exceptional power, six times he hit more than 30 home runs in a season as a Giant, with more than 90 RBI. His best season was 1994 when he hit a National League-best 43 home runs and had 96 RBI in only 112 games as the Major League Baseball season was shortened by nearly one-third because of a season-ending strike by Major League baseball players. He was on pace to challenge the single season home run record of 61, at the time held by Roger Maris, with his 43 home runs in 115 games, projecting to 60.6 home runs at season's end. Williams finished second in the voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award that year behind first baseman Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros.

Cleveland Indians (1997)
Williams was traded to Cleveland after the 1996 season in a six-player trade that worked out for both teams; the Giants received future National League MVP Jeff Kent in the deal.

In 1997, while Williams' streak of three straight All-Star selections ended, he exceeded 30 home runs and 100 RBI and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, all for the first time since 1994. He also helped lead Cleveland to its second American League pennant in three years, although the Indians lost the World Series in seven games to the Florida Marlins. After his divorce from his first wife Tracie, Williams requested and was granted a trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks to be closer to his children.

Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2003)
Williams was an original member of the Arizona Diamondbacks from the club's inaugural season in 1998. He shares the Diamondbacks record for the most RBI in one season with a total of 142 during 1999; the record was tied by Luis Gonzalez in 2001, but has never been exceeded.

Williams was a partial owner of the Diamondbacks, and carried the title of "Special Assistant to the General Partner". Williams occasionally also served as color commentator during Diamondbacks radio and television broadcasts, and also assisted in coaching and with player personnel matters.

Williams was hired in November 2009 by the Diamondbacks to be the first base coach for 2010. Williams moved from first base coach to third base coach for the 2011 season, while working under first-year manager Kirk Gibson.

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. Prior to the 2015 season, the Nationals exercised an option to extend Williams through the 2016 season. Williams managed the Nationals to a NL East division title and the playoffs, but lost the NLDS to the San Francisco Giants. Williams was named the 2014 National League Manager of the Year.

On October 5, 2015, the Nationals terminated Williams after a disappointing season where they were World Series favorites and failed to make the postseason. He finished with a record of 179 wins and 145 losses.

Kia Tigers (2020–2021)
Williams joined the Kia Tigers of the KBO League, becoming their first American-born manager before the 2020 season. On November 5, 2021, it was announced that Williams would not be returning to the team in 2022 after the club finished in ninth place with a 58–75 record in 2021.

Coaching career
Williams coached for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010 through 2014 before he managed the Washington Nationals in 2014 and 2015. He was hired as the Oakland Athletics' third base coach in November 2017, staying with them 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.

Following the hiring of Bob Melvin as the manager of the San Francisco Giants and his departure from the Padres, on November 10, 2023, it was announced that Williams would be replacing Mark Hallberg as third base coach for the Giants for the 2024 season.

Other work
Williams joined NBC Sports Bay Area in 2017 as a studio analyst, appearing before and after San Francisco Giants telecasts.

Steroid use
On November 6, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Williams purchased $11,600 worth of human growth hormone (HGH), steroids and other drugs from a Palm Beach clinic in 2002. Williams later told the Chronicle he used HGH on the advice of a doctor to treat an ankle injury he suffered during spring training in 2002.

On December 13, 2007, he was named among the dozens of players alleged to have used steroids in the Mitchell Report, commissioned by Major League Baseball and written by former Senator George J. Mitchell.

Hall of Fame candidacy
Williams became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. He received just 1.3% of the votes, and was dropped from the ballot.

Personal life
Williams has been married three times. He and his first wife, Tracie, had three children. He was selected for the 1989 Triple-A All-Star Game but withdrew from the contest in order to get married. He married his second wife, film actress Michelle Johnson, in 1999. They divorced in 2002, and did not have children together. In 2003, Williams married Phoenix news anchor Erika Monroe. In 2007 the couple co-hosted the weekend pre-game shows for the Arizona Diamondbacks called "DBacks on Deck".

In March 2023, Williams took a leave of absence from the Padres organization after he underwent surgery following a diagnosis of colon cancer.

In September 2023, Erika Monroe filed for divorce from Williams, citing irreconcilable differences. They share one child, an adult daughter.

Williams is the grandson of former major league outfielder Bert Griffith.