Reggie Williams had already seen short time in two major league campaigns, so he knew how fleeting it could be, he told The Los Angeles Times in August 1998.
So, during his third big league stint, second with the Angels, Williams worked to make the most of it, he told The Times.
"I have to play with everything I have, because the next time I leave (the major leagues) may be the last time," Williams told The Times. "I want to do anything I can to help this team win."
Williams ended up seeing 29 games with Anaheim that year - and he returned for another 30 in 1999. His 1999 campaign proved his final one. He saw 88 games total over his career.
Williams' career began in 1988, taken by the Giants in the 25th round of the draft out of the University of South Carolina Aiken.
Williams started with the Giants at short-season Everett. He hit .251 in 60 games. He then saw single-A Clinton and short-season Boise for 1989.
He moved to the Angels system in 1990 at single-A Quad City. He saw 58 games there and hit .243.
Williams made AA Midland in 1992, then AAA Edmonton in 1992. In September 1992, he made California. Williams saw 14 games with the Angels. He went 6 for 26, with two RBI.
He played 1993 and 1994 back at AAA, first with the Angels and then with the Dodgers after a trade. He then returned to the bigs with Los Angeles in April and May of 1995. He went 1 for 11.
Williams spent 1996 at AAA Albuquerque, then returned to the Angels but spent most of 1997 in Mexico. His third big league stint started in August 1998, with Anaheim.
Late that August in 1998, Williams hit his first big league home run, against the Yankees. The Times described the Yankees fielders, including Derek Jeter stopping and staring at Williams as he rounded the bases.
"I'm sure there are guys over there saying, 'Who the heck is Reggie Williams?'" teammate Gary DiSarcina told The Times afterward. "It's a credit to the organization that no one knows about him."
Williams went 13 for 36 in his 29 games that year with the Angels, with that one home run and five RBI. He then returned for 30 final games in 1999. He hit .222, with another home run.
Williams then rounded out his playing career with two seasons in independent ball.
Williams is later credited with a brief stint as a coach in the Brewers system.
Williams has also seen his son Cam Williams go on to play in the pros. Cam Williams even played 2022, his second season, at Quad City, 32 years after his father played there.
- Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 1998: Given Chance to Play, Williams Shows He Also Can Contribute
- Los Angeles Times, Aug. 27, 1998: Williams Has Waited for This Chance
Made the Majors:1,341-33.2%-X
Never Made Majors:2,695-66.8%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:547
10+ Seasons in the Minors:333
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