Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
Age: 23
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 195
Prior to 1999:
Born in
Louisiana, Williamson grew up in Friendswood, Texas, where he was a star
pitcher on the high school team. As a senior he produced a 0.68 ERA and went on
to college at Tulane University. He transferred to Oklahoma State and received
first-team All-Big 12 recognition after posting a 7-3 record in 1997. Chosen by
the Reds in the ninth round of the ’97 amateur draft he was first assigned to
Billings of the Rookie-level Pioneer League and posted an 8-2 tally with a 1.78
ERA and 101 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. He was named a league All-Star.
Advancing to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League in 1998,
Williamson started 18 games and went 4-5 with a 3.78 ERA and 105 strikeouts
over 100 innings before being promoted to Indianapolis of the Class AAA
International League where he produced no decisions in five starts before a
hand injury ended his season. The hard-throwing Williamson made the jump to the
Reds in 1999 despite his lack of experience beyond Class AA and shared the
bullpen closer role with RHP Danny Graves. He excelled with a fastball and
slider as his primary pitches.
1999 Season Summary
Appeared in 62
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 62
Games Started –
0
Complete Games
– 0
Wins – 12
Losses – 7
PCT - .632 [Non-qualifying]
Saves – 19 [15,
tied with Wayne Gomes & John Franco]
Shutouts – 0
Innings Pitched
– 93.1
Hits – 54
Runs – 29
Earned Runs – 25
Home Runs – 8
Bases on Balls
– 43
Strikeouts – 107
ERA – 2.41 [Non-qualifying]
Hit Batters – 1
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 13
[3, tied with Russ Ortiz & Darryl Kile]
Midseason
Snapshot: 7-4, ERA - 1.66, G – 37, SV – 11, SO - 70 in 59.2 IP
---
Most
strikeouts, game – 6 (in 3 IP) at San Diego 5/23, (in 2 IP) vs. LA Dodgers 5/27
10+ strikeout
games – 0
Batting
PA – 11, AB – 7,
R – 0, H – 0, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, SO – 6, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG
- .000, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 3, SF – 0
Fielding
Chances – 10
Put Outs – 2
Assists – 7
Errors – 1
DP – 1
Pct. - .900
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
All-Star
NL ROY Voting:
Scott
Williamson, Cin.: 118 pts. – 17 of 32 first place votes, 74% share
Preston Wilson,
Fla.: 88 pts. – 9 first place votes, 55% share
Warren Morris,
Pitt.: 69 pts. – 6 first place votes, 43%
share
Kris Benson,
Pitt.: 5 pts. – 3% share
Joe McEwing,
StL.: 3 pts. – 2% share
Kevin McGlinchy,
Atl.: 1 pt. – 1% share
---
Reds went 96-67
to finish second in the NL Central Division, 1.5 games behind the
division-winning Houston Astros, following a season-extending single-game
playoff with the New York Mets for a wild card playoff berth, which they lost
5-0. The pitching staff led the league in shutouts (11), saves (55), and fewest
hits allowed (1309). The Reds were a game ahead of the Astros on Sept. 28 but
lost three of their last four games to force the playoff.
Aftermath of ‘99:
Williamson
started out in the bullpen in 2000 before being moved into the starting
rotation. He struggled to control the split-fingered fastball and set a club
record by throwing 21 wild pitches. Beset by injuries, he produced a 5-8 record
with a 3.29 ERA and 136 strikeouts over 112 innings. Returned to the bullpen in
2001, he made only two appearances before being shelved for “Tommy John”
surgery. Returning in 2002, Williamson appeared in 63 games as a reliever and
compiled a 3-4 tally with 8 saves and a 2.92 ERA while striking out 84 batters
over 74 innings. Utilized as the closer for a poor Cincinnati club in 2003,
Williamson had a 5-3 record with 21 saves and a 3.19 ERA when he was traded to
the Boston Red Sox at the end of July. Part of a late-innings tandem with RHP
Mike Timlin, Williamson struggled down the stretch and went 0-1 with a 6.20 ERA
and 21 strikeouts over 20.1 innings for the postseason-bound Red Sox. Effective
in the playoffs, he appeared in 8 games and was 2-0 with three saves and a 1.13
ERA. Still with Boston in 2004, he appeared in 28 games before injury ended his
season and he finished at 0-1 with a save and a 1.26 ERA. Not on the roster for
the postseason run that ended with a World Series victory, Williamson, who
needed a second “Tommy John” surgery, moved on to the Cubs in 2005. He appeared
in just 17 games and was unimpressive. Back with the Cubs in 2006, he was used
as a middle reliever until he was dealt to San Diego in July. For the year he
posted a 2-4 tally with a 5.72 ERA in 42 appearances. Williamson saw his last
major league action with Baltimore in 2007, where he appeared in 16 games, had
no decisions or saves, and posted a 4.40 ERA. He bounced around with several
minor league teams between 2007 and 2011, when he finished up with the Somerset
Patriots of the independent Atlantic League, before retiring. For his major
league career, he appeared in 344 games and posted a 28-28 record with 55 saves
and a 3.36 ERA. He further compiled 510 strikeouts while pitching 439.1
innings. With the Reds he went 25-22 in 217 games, 10 of them starts, with 54
saves, a 2.93 ERA, and 380 strikeouts over 322.1 innings. His postseason record
with the Red Sox in 2003 marked the extent of his postseason action. He had the
one All-Star selection as a rookie.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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