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  • Willie Banks

    Birth Date: 02/27/1969

    Willie Banks Bio

    Twins Video

    Willie Anthony Banks was born in 1969 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was the first-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 1987 MLB Draft (third overall). He was considered a top prospect in 1990 and 1991, ranking 13 and 15, respectively, according to Baseball America.

    He was a member of the 1991 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.

    Notable Events & Trivia

    • Drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (3rd) of the 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. Anthony's HS (Jersey City, NJ)
    • Debut: July 31, 1991 (Age 22)

    Willie Banks Statistics

    Standard Pitching
    Year Age Tm Lg W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W Awards
    1991 22 MIN AL 1 1 .500 5.71 5 3 2 0 0 0 17.1 21 15 11 1 12 0 16 0 0 3 85 76 3.84 1.904 10.9 0.5 6.2 8.3 1.33  
    1992 23 MIN AL 4 4 .500 5.70 16 12 2 0 0 0 71.0 80 46 45 6 37 0 37 2 1 5 324 71 4.49 1.648 10.1 0.8 4.7 4.7 1.00  
    1993 24 MIN AL 11 12 .478 4.04 31 30 1 0 0 0 171.1 186 91 77 17 78 2 138 3 5 9 754 107 4.09 1.541 9.8 0.9 4.1 7.2 1.77  
    1994 25 CHC NL 8 12 .400 5.40 23 23 0 1 1 0 138.1 139 88 83 16 56 3 91 2 1 8 598 78 4.58 1.410 9.0 1.0 3.6 5.9 1.63  
    1995 26 TOT NL 2 6 .250 5.66 25 15 2 0 0 0 90.2 106 71 57 14 58 7 62 2 1 9 430 72 5.73 1.809 10.5 1.4 5.8 6.2 1.07  
    1995 26 CHC NL 0 1 .000 15.43 10 0 2 0 0 0 11.2 27 23 20 5 12 4 9 0 0 3 73 27 10.22 3.343 20.8 3.9 9.3 6.9 0.75  
    1995 26 LAD NL 0 2 .000 4.03 6 6 0 0 0 0 29.0 36 21 13 2 16 2 23 1 1 4 138 95 4.17 1.793 11.2 0.6 5.0 7.1 1.44  
    1995 26 FLA NL 2 3 .400 4.32 9 9 0 0 0 0 50.0 43 27 24 7 30 1 30 1 0 2 219 98 5.58 1.460 7.7 1.3 5.4 5.4 1.00  
    1996     Did not play in major or minor leagues (Did Not Play)
    1997 28 NYY AL 3 0 1.000 1.93 5 1 1 0 0 0 14.0 9 3 3 0 6 0 8 1 0 0 57 238 3.47 1.071 5.8 0.0 3.9 5.1 1.33  
    1998 29 TOT MLB 2 3 .400 4.81 42 0 13 0 0 1 58.0 54 37 31 6 37 4 40 2 1 5 265 89 5.12 1.569 8.4 0.9 5.7 6.2 1.08  
    1998 29 NYY AL 1 1 .500 10.05 9 0 5 0 0 0 14.1 20 16 16 4 12 2 8 1 0 1 77 45 8.37 2.233 12.6 2.5 7.5 5.0 0.67  
    1998 29 ARI NL 1 2 .333 3.09 33 0 8 0 0 1 43.2 34 21 15 2 25 2 32 1 1 4 188 137 4.06 1.351 7.0 0.4 5.2 6.6 1.28  
                                                                         
    2001 32 BOS AL 0 0   0.84 5 0 1 0 0 0 10.2 5 4 1 0 4 0 10 0 1 1 42 548 2.30 0.844 4.2 0.0 3.4 8.4 2.50  
    2002 33 BOS AL 2 1 .667 3.23 29 0 18 0 0 1 39.0 32 15 14 5 14 0 26 3 0 1 162 142 4.60 1.179 7.4 1.2 3.2 6.0 1.86  
    9 Yrs 33 39 .458 4.75 181 84 40 1 1 2 610.1 632 370 322 65 302 16 428 15 10 41 2717 90 4.57 1.530 9.3 1.0 4.5 6.3 1.42  
    162 Game Avg. 8 10 .458 4.75 46 22 10 0 0 1 157 162 95 83 17 77 4 110 4 3 11 697 90 4.57 1.530 9.3 1.0 4.5 6.3 1.42  
                                                                   
    MIN (3 yrs) 16 17 .485 4.61 52 45 5 0 0 0 259.2 287 152 133 24 127 2 191 5 6 17 1163 93 4.18 1.594 9.9 0.8 4.4 6.6 1.50  
    BOS (2 yrs) 2 1 .667 2.72 34 0 19 0 0 1 49.2 37 19 15 5 18 0 36 3 1 2 204 169 4.11 1.107 6.7 0.9 3.3 6.5 2.00  
    CHC (2 yrs) 8 13 .381 6.18 33 23 2 1 1 0 150.0 166 111 103 21 68 7 100 2 1 11 671 68 5.02 1.560 10.0 1.3 4.1 6.0 1.47  
    NYY (2 yrs) 4 1 .800 6.04 14 1 6 0 0 0 28.1 29 19 19 4 18 2 16 2 0 1 134 76 5.95 1.659 9.2 1.3 5.7 5.1 0.89  
    ARI (1 yr) 1 2 .333 3.09 33 0 8 0 0 1 43.2 34 21 15 2 25 2 32 1 1 4 188 137 4.06 1.351 7.0 0.4 5.2 6.6 1.28  
    LAD (1 yr) 0 2 .000 4.03 6 6 0 0 0 0 29.0 36 21 13 2 16 2 23 1 1 4 138 95 4.17 1.793 11.2 0.6 5.0 7.1 1.44  
    FLA (1 yr) 2 3 .400 4.32 9 9 0 0 0 0 50.0 43 27 24 7 30 1 30 1 0 2 219 98 5.58 1.460 7.7 1.3 5.4 5.4 1.00  
                                                                   
    AL (7 yrs) 22 19 .537 4.45 100 46 30 0 0 1 337.2 353 190 167 33 163 4 243 10 7 20 1501 97 4.32 1.528 9.4 0.9 4.3 6.5 1.49  
    NL (3 yrs) 11 20 .355 5.12 81 38 10 1 1 1 272.2 279 180 155 32 139 12 185 5 3 21 1216 81 4.88 1.533 9.2 1.1 4.6 6.1 1.33  
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 4/8/2024.

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    Willie Banks Images

    Page Creator:

    BigJoeGun

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    Brandon Glick Brock Beauchamp

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    Recommended Comments

    Dave Overlund

    Dave Overlund 651

  • Twins Daily Contributor

    • Posted (edited)

    One of my fondest Twins memories is going to Dome Souvenirs Plus with my grandpa after one of the World Series games when I was nine in 1991. He bought a 91 Upper Deck Willie Banks rookie for $5 and told me it would someday pay for my college. 

    Edited by Dave Overlund
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    https://twinsdaily.com/forums/topic/66749-willie-banks/#findComment-1395658
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    Doctor Wu

    Doctor Wu 4,337

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I have fond memories of watching Willie Banks pitch for the Orlando Twins AA team. Later that season, a friend of mine and I flew to Memphis for "Elvis Weekend" (the anniversary of Elvis's death in mid-August) and by luck the O-Twins were playing the Memphis Chicks at Tim McCarver stadium in Memphis. Another stroke of luck, the Twins were staying at our hotel! I ran into Willie Banks and Lennie Webster in the lobby and we struck up a conversation. Very nice guy! Later at the game that night, he noticed me in the stands and waved a hello, which was also nice. Needless to say, I stayed a fan, even when he later played for those hated Yankees. 

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    Original_JB

    Original_JB 595

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I remember that hard dropping curve he had, but could never seem to master the control of it for strikes.

    I came across the following story from 2016 (Willie has had quite the life, I hope it is still going OK for him):  https://www.nj.com/sports/2016/07/how_2_strangers_saved_nj_pitching_legend_ex-yankee.html

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    https://twinsdaily.com/forums/topic/66749-willie-banks/#findComment-1402161
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