A Quick Look Back at Bernie Williams

After hearing the news that Bernie Williams will be throwing out the first pitch for the Yankee home opener, I thought it would be interesting to take a brief look back at his career. The uncomfortable way that his time with the Yankees ended partially obscured the fact that Bernie put together a fantastic career that will likely keep him on the Hall of Fame ballot for a while, although I doubt he gets in. His prime was simply spectacular, as he had an 8 year period in middle of his career during which he was a superstar. Here are his numbers from 1995-2002, and keep in mind that these are from a CF:

Over that span, he hit .321/.406/.531, with an OPS+ of 141, and was one of the best players in baseball each year. Now, Bernie likely does not have the counting stats to make the HOF, as his career hitting a wall at 34 likely cost him any chance that he might have had. He finished with 47.1 total WAR, in the same ballpark as players such as Fred Lynn and Mike Cameron. Furthermore, his defense was fairly shaky at times, and Total Zone had him at -8 or worse 7 times in his career (of course, he won Gold Gloves in 3 of those years). He often made mistakes on the basepaths, and was simply not a very instinctive player. However, it is important to remember that for an 8 year period, Bernie was the best player on a great Yankee team, and was among the best players in baseball. Considering the Yankee centerfielders since he left, he has been missed.