William Earl Essick (December 18, 1880–October 12, 1951), nicknamed "Vinegar Bill", was a professional baseball pitcher in the Major Leagues. A native of Illinois, he attended Knox College and Lombard College. Essick pitched for the Cincinnati Reds during the seasons of 1906 and 1907. He then became a longtime minor-league manager and team executive before joining the New York Yankees in 1935 as a scout. Sandoval wrote that Essick's nickname originated because the German word for vinegar is "Essig."