Marvin Williams

Note: This page is for 1940s infielder Marvin Williams; for others with the same name, click here.

Marvin Williams
(Tex, Coqueta)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut 1943
• Final Game 1945
• Born February 12, 1920 in Haslam, TX USA
• Died December 23, 2000 in Conroe, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Marvin Williams spent 19 years in professional baseball, playing in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba. He won two minor league batting titles and two home run crowns. He hit 243 home runs in the minor leagues and Mexico.

Williams began his career in the Negro Leagues with the 1943 Philadelphia Stars. In 1944, the Houston native hit .338 as Philadelphia's starting second baseman. He played in the 1944 East-West Game, pinch-hitting for Pee Wee Butts and being retired by Gread McKinnis.

Williams came south to the Mexican League and hit .362/~.410/.633 for the Mexico City Red Devils. That year, he also got a try-out with the Boston Red Sox alongside Sam Jethroe and Jackie Robinson.

In the winters of 1946 and 1947, Williams played in the Venezuelan League, leading in doubles both seasons. On March 7, 1946, he drove in eight runs in a game, a record still standing at century's end. In the winter of 1947-1948, he played for the Leones of Cuba and hit .286 in a part-time role.

Williams returned to Mexico for 1948 and batted .328/~.412/.583 with a league-leading 11 triples for the Red Devils. In 1949, he was 7 for 12 with a double and a home run in his time in Mexico. He spent most of the year back with Philadelphia.

Williams split 1950 between the Cleveland Buckeyes and Sacramento Solons. He hit .250/~.313/.450 in 38 games for Sacramento, driving in 21; he fielded .961 at second base. Williams was back with the Red Devils for 1951 and hit .321/~.419/.537 with 64 RBI in 80 games.

Continuing to shuffle between the USA and Mexico, "Tex" was a standout in the 1952 Arizona-Texas League for a team based in Mexico, the Dorados de Chihuahua. He hit .401/~.538/.854 with 117 walks, 27 doubles, 9 triples, 45 home runs, 131 RBI, 136 runs and just 34 strikeouts in 117 games. The ATL was a high-scoring circuit, but Williams still was head and shoulders above the rest - he led in home runs by 16 and in average by 20 points. He was 4th in RBI and second in walks. He fielded .952. Williams became the team's manager on June 25, one of the first black managers in the minor leagues, following Sammy Bankhead (1951) and Chet Brewer (1952).

Williams split 1953 between Mexico City (.373/~.470/.529 in 40 games) and the Laredo Apaches (.279/~.367/.535 in 23 games). In 1954, Marvin went much further north and batted .360 with 20 home runs and 90 RBI for the Vancouver Capilanos; he led the Western International League in average and was one behind in homers.

Marvin split 1955 between the Columbia Gems (.328) and Seattle Rainiers (.231), combining for 21 home runs and 106 RBI between the two stops. That winter, he hit .347 with 11 HR and was named MVP of the Mexican Pacific League. In 1956, the veteran hit .322/~.386/.562 for the Tulsa Oilers in the AA Texas League. He had 36 doubles, 7 triples, 26 home runs and 111 RBI. His numbers were much better than future Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. He tied Ray Shearer for 8th in homers, was 4th in RBI (behind Ken Guettler, Don Demeter and Jim Gentile) and was in the top 10 in average.

Tex had one of his worst seasons in 1957; the 34-year-old produced at a .253/.334/.367 clip for Tulsa while manning all three bases regularly in the field. In 1958, Williams rebounded to hit .294 with 19 HR and 88 RBI for Tulsa.

Marvin returned one last time to Mexico, hitting .310/.424/.587 for the two teams based out of Mexico City, drove in 109 runs in 109 games and crushed 29 home runs. He led the Mexican League in RBI and tied Aldo Salvent for the most home runs.

Back to the US for yet another appearance in his native Texas, he hit .279 with 17 home runs for a couple teams in the 1960 Texas League. The next year, he continued to float around the TL and hit .277 with 10 home runs and 71 RBI to conclude his career.

Notable Achievements

• NNL All-Star (1944)
• NNL Hits Leader (1944)
• NNL Total Bases Leader (1944)
• NNL Doubles Leader (1944)
• NNL RBIs Leader (1944)

Sources

• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957 and 1958 Baseball Guides
• Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database
• 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

Related Sites

• Marvin Williams at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page