William Albert Earley (born January 30, 1956) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1986 season. Listed at 6' 4", 200 lb., he batted right handed and threw left handed.

Career

Earley was selected originally by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

in the 11th round of the

1977 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The White Sox surprised some when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill ...

, but did not sign. He later played from 1978 through 1985 in the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

and Texas Rangers

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

systems before joining the Louisville Redbirds of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, the Cardinals highest affiliate team. In 1986, Earley led the Redbirds with 15 saves (second in the league) in 52 pitching appearances (third in the league), while topping the league with 42 games finished. Overall, his 15 saves were the most by a Cardinal AAA pitcher since

Mike Proly Michael James Proly (born December 15, 1950) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1976 to 1983 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. Mike attended Chaminade High ...

, who saved 17 games in 1975. Besides, Earley played winter ball with the Leones del Caracas and

Águilas del Zulia The Águilas del Zulia ( en, Zulia Eagles) is a Venezuelan professional baseball team based in Maracaibo which plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. History The team was founded in 1969 and debuted in the 1969–70 season. The fra ...

clubs of the Venezuelan League between the 1982 and 1984 seasons, as well as for the Indios de Mayagüez of the Puerto Rico League in the

1986 Caribbean Series The twenty-eighth edition of the Caribbean Series (''Serie del Caribe'') was played in . It was held from February 4 through February 9 with the baseball champion teams of the Dominican Republic, Águilas Cibaeñas; Mexico, Águilas de Mexicali; Pu ...

.Antero Núñez, José (1987). ''Series del Caribe''. Jefferson, Caracas, Venezuela. Impresos Urbina, C.A.

References

External links

Baseball Gauge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earley, Bill 1956 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Ohio Geneva Cubs players Indios de Mayagüez players Iowa Cubs players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Miami RedHawks baseball players Midland Cubs players Oklahoma City 89ers players Plataneros de Tabasco players St. Louis Cardinals players Wichita Aeros players Elder High School alumni