Clarence Williams (Negro Leagues)

Clarence Williams (Waxey)

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born January 27, 1868 in Harrisburg, PA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Clarence Williams was a catcher in the early days of black baseball.

Williams played for the Cuban Giants from 1885 to 1889, then signed with the Harrisburg Ponies of the Eastern Interstate League. He hit .245 and slugged .360 for a team that was composed of white players with the exceptions of Williams and Frank Grant. The two black players sometimes had to eat their meals separately from the rest of the club, but got along well with their teammates.

Clarence returned to the Cuban Giants from 1891-1896. He was with the Philadelphia Giants in 1902 and then moved to the Cuban X-Giants the next year. In a postseason series against Philadelphia in 1903, the 35-year-old went 8 for 28. He remained with the X-Giants in 1904-1905 but struggled in another postseason match with Philly (0 for 12 in 1904). He also toured Cuba frequently in the 1900s.

Williams was known for his penchant to playing to the fans, a forerunner to the clowning element that became a bigger part of the Negro Leagues as the decades passed.

He made the preliminary ballot in the 2006 Special Committee on the Negro Leagues Election.

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo