Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and played 16 seasons in the big leagues with the New York Yankees.  As a child Williams had two passions, baseball and classical guitar.  Although he’d continue to play guitar throughout his life, baseball ultimately turned into his career.  In 1985 a Yankees scout noticed him after winning four gold medals at the 1984 San Juan CAC Junior Championships in the 200-meter, 400-meter, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay.  At age 17 he signed a professional contract with the Yankees and spent six years in the minors before making his MLB debut in 1991.  Over the next 16 years he helped the Yankees to four World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 while also earning five All-Star selections, four Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger Award in 2002 and an American League Batting Title in 1998.  Williams retired in 2006 with a solid .297 average, 2,336 hits, 287 homeruns and 1,257 runs batted in.