ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A former Braves coach who helped the team win a world championship died.
Jimy Williams died at 80 on Monday, according to CBS News.
Williams was the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves from 1991-1996.
He won a championship ring with the Braves in 1995 during the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. Williams was with the Braves for seven seasons.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jimy’s family and friends,” the Atlanta Braves said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
After his stint with the Braves, Williams went on to become the field manager for the Boston Red Sox and then eventually manager of the Houston Astros and then bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Atlanta Braves got surprising production out of their DH in one very unusual situation.
The sheer offensive dominance by the Atlanta Braves on offense in the 2023 season extended across every position on the diamond – rightfielder Ronald Acuña Jr won the NL MVP, while first baseman Matt Olson led all of baseball in homers and several other Braves hitters were amongst the best at their position offensively.
And, it turns out, even the designated hitter spot was dominant in certain situations.
Atlanta’s designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna, was the best hitter in baseball in 3-1 counts, with a 274 OPS+.
Ozuna, who finished the season with 40 homers and 100 RBIs, collected six of those homers in his 31 plate appearances that featured a 3-1 count, batting .667/.807/1.667 with seven RBIs and thirteen walks to zero strikeouts.
The 33 year-old Ozuna has one year remaining on his contract with Atlanta, for $18M, with a 2025 club option for $16M and a $1M buyout.
And Ozuna wasn’t the only Braves hitter to dominate a specific count in 2023 – Olson was the best 3-0 hitter league (319 OPS+), while Acuña was the best 0-2 hitter in baseball last year with a 402 OPS+.
With a 3-0 count, Olson batted .667/.960/.2.667, although he hit only two of his MLB-leading 54 homers in that situation. As you’d expect, given the count, he drew 22 walks in his 25 plate appearances that featured a 3-0 count.
Acuña, however, excelled in a much more difficult 0-2 count, where any missed swing results in a strikeout. In 41 plate appearances that featured an 0-2 count, Acuña went an absurd .385/.390/.641 with two homers and four doubles.
Leave a Reply