Billy Williams, American baseball player and coach
Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and two seasons for the Oakland Athletics. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1999, Williams was named a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Williams was the 1961 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was a six-time NL All-Star. In 1970, he had a .322 batting average with 42 home runs and 129 runs batted in (RBI), led the NL with 205 hits, and was the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) runner-up. In 1972, Williams won the NL batting title while hitting .333. He hit more than 400 career home runs, including 30 or more in five seasons. Williams also hit above .300 in five seasons and had over 100 RBI in three seasons.
Williams was a highly competitive player on Cubs teams that never reached the postseason. When he finally played in the postseason during the second-to-last year of his career with the Athletics, the A's did not get to the World Series. In 1999, he was selected as a member of the Cubs All-Century Team.