Bill Wrona

William Paul Wrona

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.
• School University of Miami
• High School Bishop Kelley High School

• Born January 11, 1961

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Bill Wrona is the brother of Rick Wrona and Ron Wrona. Bill spent all or part of four seasons in AAA yet never made the majors.

Bill was a high school teammate of Charlie O'Brien. In college, he played for a Miami team that made the College World Series almost every year. They won the 1982 College World Series. Wrona battled numerous health problems in that run to the title, with tonsillitis, canker sores, two impacted wisdom teeth and a weight loss of almost ten pounds. The Seattle Mariners chose him in the 10th round of the 1983 amateur draft, one pick before Roger Samuels. He began his professional career with the Bakersfield Mariners, hitting .245/.352/.288 and fielding .921 at short.

The Mariners dealt him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Ron Tingley. He split 1984 between the Beaumont Golden Gators (.169/.213/.193 in 26 G) and Reno Padres (.243/.313/.285 in 93 G), fielding .942 at short. In '85, Wrona manned second base for Reno and did very well. He batted .288/.366/.406 with 21 doubles, 6 triples, 10 home runs, 107 runs and 78 RBI. He led the California League in runs. He lost out All-Star honors at 2B to Phil Smith. Back with Beaumont in 1986, the little infielder slumped to .231/.285/.285 in a utility role.

Wrona split 1987 between the Wichita Pilots (.303/.371/.394 in 32 G) and Las Vegas Stars (.269/.350/.310 in 77 G), making it to AAA. In '88, he was again with Wichita (.243/.293/.326) and Las Vegas (9 for 24, 2 2B, 4 BB). During 1989, he spent his first full year in AAA, batting only .223/.306/.318 as a regular for the Stars. A highlight was a four-hit game in June. He split shortstop with Gary Green and backed up Joey Cora at second base.

Signing with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent, Wrona hit .216/.280/.253 as a teammate of his brother with the Iowa Cubs (he only hit 10 points less than Rick). He backed up Greg Smith at short and also saw action behind Jeff Small at second and Doug Strange at third.

Overall, Bill produced at a .249/.318/.321 clip in 845 minor league games, with 410 runs and 284 RBI. He stole only 37 bases in 76 tries and hit 20 home runs. He fielded .949 in 474 games at short, .977 in 262 at second and .930 in 106 at third.

Sources: 1986 Baseball America Statistics Report, 1990-1991 Baseball Almanacs, The Greatest 21 Days blog