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Biography
Christopher Jon Widger (born May 21, 1971) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played in MLB from 1995-2006 with the Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He is the currently the manager of the Minor League team Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Career
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Widger graduated from Pennsville Memorial High School in Pennsville Township, New Jersey, and George Mason University, where he played college baseball. In 1991, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
A third round pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Widger played for the Seattle Mariners (1995-1996, 2000), Montréal Expos (1997-2000), New York Yankees (2002), St. Louis Cardinals (2003), Chicago White Sox (2005-2006), and Baltimore Orioles (2006). On July 23, 2006, he was placed on waivers by the White Sox, who had acquired Sandy 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.
Widger played 10 years in MLB. He established himself as an everyday player during his tenure with the Expos, who acquired him,along with Matt Wagner and Trey Moore in a trade that saw Jeff Fassero and Alex Pacheco go to the Seattle Mariners. After playing the 2004 season with the independent Camden Riversharks, Widger made it back to the MLB with the Chicago White Sox as a backup where he won a World Series in 2005. He played catcher, but also played at first base, third base, and once in the outfield.
He served as the Camden Riversharks pitching coach from 2012–2014, before being named the team's manager on December 5, 2014. In 2016, he became the Bench Coach for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
