Player Profile: Willie Banks

I have 37 cards of Willie Banks. This one is from 1992 Upper Deck.

Playing career: Willie Banks pitched for the Twins, Cubs, Dodgers, Marlins, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Red Sox between 1991 and 2002, going 33-39 with a 4.75 ERA.

Where he is now: Baseball Instructor at the Toms RiverSports Academy in New Jersey.

My memories: I remember his brief stint with the Yankees, well publicized because he was local. He was in a lot of the pictures from David Wells’s perfect game as he was one of the players who carried him off the field.

Interesting stories: Banks had a rough childhood in a Jersey City housing project. When he was a small child, he was sitting in his mother’s cousin’s lap when she was shot and killed by her husband.

Google Autocomplete results: He is eighth when you type Willie B, between Willie Bloomquist, infielder for the Diamondbacks, and Willie Banks Olympic Athlete, a track star.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Alan Bannister.