Scott Williamson

Scott Ryan Williamson (born February 17, 1976 in Fort Polk, Louisiana), was acquired by the Red Sox the day before the trading deadline in 2003. Williamson had no wins and no saves and a 6.20 ERA for the Sox the rest of the 2003 season. However, he found success as the team's closer in the postseason and was re-signed for 2004 at $3.175 million. Since leaving Boston, Williamson has pitched for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and most recently the Baltimore Orioles. He is currently a member of the New York Yankees organization.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Williamson's Moment in the Sun 3 Awards 4 Trivia 5 Scouting Report 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

A 9th round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 1997, Williamson made his major league debut in 1999, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He finished the season 12-7 with a 2.41 ERA and 19 saves in 93.1 innings. He struck out 107 batters and walked 43. After pitching a career-high 112 innings in 2000, Williamson missed almost all of 2001 rehabbing from his first Tommy John surgery. He returned to form in 2002 as a setup man for Danny Graves, posting a 3-4 record with a 2.92 ERA in 74 innings.

Following a season and a half with Boston, Williamson signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs in January 2005 though spent most of the season on the disabled list recovering from a second Tommy John surgery. Despite pitching only 14.1 innings in 17 appearances with the Cubs in 2005, Chicago picked up Williamson's $2 million option for the 2006 season.

Scott spent much of 2006 battling right elbow tendinitis and pitched only 28.3 innings for the Cubs before he was traded to the San Diego Padres on July 22, 2006 for Minor League pitchers Fabian Jimenez and Joel Santo. He finished the season with a combined record of 2-4 with a 5.72 ERA in 39.3 innings. The Padres released Williamson on October 12.

The Baltimore Orioles signed Williamson to a one-year, $900,000 contract in November 2006. Continued injuries led to his release on July 12, 2007. He finished with a 1-0 record and a 4.40 ERA in 14.3 innings. On July 22, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In a seven-year career, Williamson has a 28-28 record with 510 strikeouts, a 3.36 ERA, and 55 saves in 439.1 innings pitched.

Williamson's Moment in the Sun

• Allowed just one earned run over his final 14 outings, spanning 12.2 innings.

Awards

• 1999 National League Rookie of the Year
• 1999 National League All-Star

Trivia

• Is an honorary chief in the Cincinnati Police Department.

Scouting Report

• Williamson is an overhand pitcher with a good command of his breaking ball. He also has a 98 MPH fastball, a slider, and a hard split-finger, which many experts believe led him to undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2001 season. Williamson holds runners close through repeated moves to first and that more than compensates for a slow move. He is a solid fielder who does not get rattled.

Transactions

• June 3, 1997: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round of the 1997 amateur draft.
• July 30, 2003: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Boston Red Sox for Phil Dumatrait.
• November 1, 2004: Granted Free Agency.
• January 18, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent with the Chicago Cubs.
• July 22, 2006: Traded by the Chicago Cubs to the San Diego Padres for Fabian Jimenez and Joel Santo.
• October 12, 2006: Released by the San Diego Padres.
• November 28, 2006: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
• July 12, 2007: Released by the Baltimore Orioles.
• July 22, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees to a minor league contract.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis