Willie Hooker

William Robert Hooker Joyner

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 149 lb.

• Born March 8, 1935 in Bluefields, Atlantico Sur, Nicaragua
• Died October 9, 2007 in Guatemala City, Guatemala

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Willie Hooker, a pitcher from Nicaragua, turned professional in 1957. He was Rookie of the Year with San Fernando of the Nicaraguan league that winter.

Hooker signed with the Chicago White Sox organization in 1958. Records show that he did not play in 1959 or 1962, but otherwise his career in the U.S. minors continued through 1968. He posted some excellent ERAs:

• 1.21 with the Sarasota Sun Sox in 1963
• 1.26 with the Clinton C-Sox in 1964
• 1.87 with the Sarasota Sun Sox in 1965
• 2.82 with the Fox Cities Foxes in 1966
• 2.62 with the Appleton Foxes in 1967

It should be noted that this was the Decade of the Pitcher in Organized Baseball.

However, the highest level he reached was a brief three-inning shot at Triple-A in 1963; he never even pitched at AA.

Hooker's pro career concluded in Mexico in 1969. He became a member of the Hall of Fame of Nicaraguan Sports in 2002.

Related Sites

• Hooker's obituary in the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa