Willie Upshaw

Willie Clay Upshaw

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Blanco High School
• Debut April 9, 1978
• Final Game September 28, 1988
• Born April 27, 1957 in Blanco, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Willie Upshaw played ten seasons in the major leagues primarily as a first baseman, hitting 123 home runs. Unusual for a home run hitting first baseman, he was also in the top ten in triples a couple of times in his career, hitting 45 triples in his ten-year career. He also stole 88 bases, with a peak in 1986 when he stole 23 in 28 attempts.

A fifth round pick by the New York Yankees in the 1975 amateur draft, his minor league career was relatively unimpressive, as he only once hit over .275 and he never slugged as high as .450. He began to blossom at the age of 25 with the Toronto Blue Jays when he hit 21 home runs in 1982.

His best year in the majors was in 1983 when he hit .306 and had 27 home runs and 7 triples.

He played in Japan after his USA major league career.

He was a member of the Texas Rangers coaching staff in 1993 and 1994 and batting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1996 through 1997. He managed the Bridgeport Bluefish from 1998-2000. Upshaw was a coach for the Norwich Navigators in 2003. He coached for the German national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers.

As of 2001, Upshaw held the major league records for the most home runs and RBI by a player whose name started with the letter "U". He has since been passed in both categories by a number of players, including Chase Utley, Justin Upton, Melvin Upton and Juan Uribe.

Two of his cousins, Marvin Upshaw and Hall-of-Famer Gene Upshaw, played in the NFL.

Blue Jays Hitting Coaches
Previous	Current	Next
Larry Hisle	Willie Upshaw	Gary Matthews
	1996 to 1997

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1998	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	64-36	1st	Independent Leagues	Lost League Finals
1999	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	78-42	1st	Independent Leagues	League Champs
2000	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	78-61	3rd	Independent Leagues
2009	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	32-38	6th	Independent Leagues		replaced Tommy John (33-27) on July 8
2010	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	83-57	1st	Independent Leagues	Lost League Finals
2011	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	68-59	4th	Independent Leagues
2012	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	67-72	4th	Independent Leagues
2013	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	54-85	7th	Independent Leagues
2014	Bridgeport Bluefish	Atlantic League	46-93	8th	Independent Leagues		interim by Pete Rose on June 16