| Billy McMillon | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1971-11-17)November 17, 1971 (age 53) Alamogordo, New Mexico, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 26, 1996, for the Florida Marlins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .248 |
| Home runs | 16 |
| Runs batted in | 93 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
William Edward McMillon (born November 17, 1971) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) during six seasons between 1996 and 2004, for four different teams. As a player, he threw and batted left-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall, and weighed 172 pounds (78 kg). He is an inductee of theInternational League Hall of Fame.
Since retiring as a player, McMillon has been acoach andmanager inMinor League Baseball. He most recently served as manager of theWorcester Red Sox, aTriple-A affiliate of theBoston Red Sox, in 2021. In 2022, he was named development coach for theRochester Red Wings, aTriple-A affiliate of theWashington Nationals. On December 18, 2024, it was announced that McMillon will be the manager of the reigning 2024 Carolina League Champions, the Fredericksburg Nationals (Low A affiliate of the Washington Nationals).
McMillon was born inAlamogordo, New Mexico, and graduated from high school inBishopville, South Carolina. He attendedClemson University where be he playedcollege baseball from 1991 to 1993 for theTigers, accruing a .382batting average.[1] He was selected by theFlorida Marlins in the eighth round of the1993 MLB draft.[1]
McMillon first played professionally in 1993 for theElmira Pioneers, afarm team of the Marlins.[2] In 1994, McMillon played for theKane County Cougars and was selected as a starter for theMidwest League all-star game.[3] In 1995, with thePortland Sea Dogs, then an affiliate of the Marlins, McMillon batted .313 with 14 home runs and 93 runs batted in.[2] He led theEastern League inhits andwalks, with 162 and 96, respectively.[4] He was named an outfielder on the Eastern League postseason all-star team and was named the league's most valuable player.[5] McMillon advanced toTriple-A in 1996; playing for theCharlotte Knights, he was namedInternational League rookie of the year.[6]
McMillon had his major league debut during 1996 with the Marlins, and went on to hit .188 in 41 MLB games during parts of that season and the next.[7] He was traded to thePhiladelphia Phillies forDarren Daulton on July 21, 1997.[8] With the Phillies in 1997, McMillon played in 24 games and batted .292 with twohome runs and 13RBIs.[7] He next played in MLB during 2000 and 2001 with theDetroit Tigers, appearing in 66 games while batting .255 with five home runs and 28 RBIs.[7] McMillon's final MLB team was theOakland Athletics, whom he played for during 2001, 2003, and 2004. With Oakland, he batted .248 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 138 games.[7]
Overall, McMillon appeared in a 269 MLB games, batting .248 with 16 home runs and 93 RBIs.[7] He played in three major league postseason games, with Oakland during their loss to theBoston Red Sox in the2003 American League Division Series, collecting one hit in sixat bats.[7] Positionally, he played 133 games as anoutfielder, 43 games as adesignated hitter, and six games as afirst baseman.[7] He had a .974fielding average as an outfielder.[7]
McMillon also played in a total of 992 minor league games during parts of 11 seasons, with a .304 batting average, 127 home runs, and 610 RBIs.[2] In 2019, McMillon was selected for induction to theInternational League Hall of Fame.[6]
McMillon joined the Red Sox organization as batting coach of theSingle-AGreenville Drive of theSouth Atlantic League in 2008 and 2009, then became to manager of the Drive in 2010. In two seasons, he led Greenville to a 155–124 record and one playoff appearance. On January 20, 2012, he was named manager of theSalem Red Sox of theClass A-AdvancedCarolina League.[9] After finishing one game under .500 in 2012, he was retained as Salem's manager for the 2013 season[10] and led his team to the Carolina League championship. Salem won the second half Southern Division title, and then bested theMyrtle Beach Pelicans and thePotomac Nationals in the playoffs. The Salem Red Sox won their final 11 games during the regular season and playoffs.[11]
On December 18, 2013, McMillon was named manager of the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox' affiliate in theDouble-A Eastern League and the team that he had played for (with the Marlins) in 1995.[12] His managerial debut with the 2014 Sea Dogs produced a first-place finish in the Eastern League's Northern Division with an 88–54 record. McMillon was named the league's manager of the year.[13] During the season, his club included top prospects such asMookie Betts,Blake Swihart,Henry Owens,Deven Marrero,Brian Johnson,Eduardo Rodríguez andTravis Shaw; all but Rodríguez were promoted to higher levels by the time of the Eastern League playoffs, when Portland fell to theBinghamton Mets in the first round. McMillon was subsequently retained by the Sea Dogs as their manager for the 2015 season;[14] the team finished with a 53–89 record.
McMillon spent 2016 to 2018 as the rovingminor league outfield and base running coordinator in the Red Sox'farm system.[15][16]
In December 2018, McMillon returned to managing, becoming the 18th manager of thePawtucket Red Sox in the team's Triple-A history, and 21st overall since the team was established as a Double-A franchise in 1970.[1] The 2019 PawSox finished with a record of 59–81. McMillon returned as manager for 2020,[17] but the minor league season was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. McMillon became the first manager of theWorcester Red Sox, which succeeded Pawtucket as Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 2021.[18]
| Year | Team (Class) | W | L | Pct. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Greenville Drive (A) | 77 | 62 | .554 | Lost in league finals |
| 2011 | Greenville Drive (A) | 78 | 62 | .557 | |
| 2012 | Salem Red Sox (A+) | 68 | 69 | .496 | |
| 2013 | Salem Red Sox (A+) | 76 | 64 | .543 | League champions |
| 2014 | Portland Sea Dogs (AA) | 88 | 54 | .620 | Lost in semifinals |
| 2015 | Portland Sea Dogs (AA) | 53 | 89 | .373 | |
| 2019 | Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) | 59 | 81 | .421 | |
| 2020 | Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) | — | — | — | Season cancelled |
| 2021 | Worcester Red Sox (AAA) | 74 | 54 | .578 | |
| Total | 573 | 535 | .517 | ||
McMillon holds abachelor's degree from Clemson and anMBA from theUniversity of Phoenix.[1] While at Clemson University, McMillon was initiated in the Pi Alpha chapter ofAlpha Phi Alpha fraternity. McMillon was elected into the Clemson University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. He and his wife and two children reside inColumbia, South Carolina.[1]
| Preceded by | Greenville Drivemanager 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Bruce Crabbe | Salem Red Soxmanager 2012–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Portland Sea Dogsmanager 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Pawtucket Red Soxmanager 2019–2020 | Succeeded by Franchise dissolved |
| Preceded by Franchise established | Worcester Red Soxmanager 2021 | Succeeded by |