| Chris Widger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sussex County Miners – No. 26 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born: (1971-05-21)May 21, 1971 (age 54) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 23, 1995, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 15, 2006, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .238 |
| Home runs | 55 |
| Runs batted in | 222 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Christopher Jon Widger (born May 21, 1971) is an American professionalbaseballcoach and formercatcher who is currently themanager for theSussex County Miners of theFrontier League. He played for theSeattle Mariners (1995-1996,2000),Montreal Expos (1997-2000),New York Yankees (2002),St. Louis Cardinals (2003),Chicago White Sox (2005-2006), andBaltimore Orioles (2006).
In January 2020, after a few seasons as a minor league bench coach, he was named the manager of theWilmington Blue Rocks, then promoted to similar positions with theQuad Cities River Bandits in 2021 and theNorthwest Arkansas Naturals in 2022.
A native ofWilmington, Delaware, Widger graduated fromPennsville Memorial High School inPennsville Township,New Jersey, andGeorge Mason University, where he playedcollege baseball.[1] In 1991, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theCotuit Kettleers of theCape Cod Baseball League.[2]
A third round pick of the Seattle Mariners in the1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Widger made his major league debut in June 1995. In his first start for Seattle, he was the catcher for a combinedshutout byTim Belcher andBobby Ayala.
Widger established himself as an everyday player during his tenure with the Expos, who acquired him from Seattle, along withMatt Wagner andTrey Moore in a trade forJeff Fassero andAlex Pacheco. He had his best major league seasons with the Expos in 1998 and 1999, playing in 125 and 124 games, respectively, and hitting double-digit home runs in both seasons.[3]
In August 2000, he was traded back to Seattle for players to be named later.[3] Widger missed the 2001 season due to shoulder surgery. His sister died that year from an interaction of her prescription medications. Widger and his wife built a new house so that Widger's brother-in-law and five nieces could move into Widger's old home.[4] Widger signed with the Yankees in 2002, then with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003.[3]
After playing the 2004 season with the independentCamden Riversharks, Widger made it back to MLB with the Chicago White Sox as a backup where he won a World Series in 2005. He played catcher, but also played atfirst base,third base, and once in theoutfield. On July 23, 2006, he was placed on waivers by the White Sox, who had acquiredSandy Alomar Jr. to replace him as their backup catcher. On August 4, 2006, Widger was signed by the Orioles to a contract for the rest of the 2006 season.
He served as theCamden Riversharks pitching coach from 2012 to 2014, before being named the team's manager on December 5, 2014.[5] In 2016, he became the Bench Coach for theWilmington Blue Rocks, the Advanced-A affiliate of theKansas City Royals.[6] He was named Wilmington's manager in January 2020.[7] In 2021, he was named the manager of the Quad Cities River Bandits (the new High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals). The River Bandits won theHigh-A Central League championship, and Widger was named theHigh-A Central Manager of the Year. In 2022, he managed theNorthwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A affiliate of the Royals). He parted ways with the Royals organization following the 2022 season.
In November 2022, Widger was announced as new manager for theSussex County Miners of the independentFrontier League for the 2023 season.[8]