Williams Has New Point Of View
ARLINGTON—Being the center of attention on the baseball field didn’t come easily to righthander Scott Williams.
He once was a catcher, and from his place behind the plate had a view of the entire field. On the mound, all eyes are on him, and he could put his eyes only on home plate.
“Just getting used to being in the middle of the field was a bit of a challenge,” Williams said. “It’s a little bit different perspective.”
Any funny feelings have dissipated for the rising reliever. Even though he hasn’t pitched above low Class A, the 22-year-old was given an invitation to big league spring training, and he arrived in Surprise, Ariz., in mid-February.
Williams’ success—a 2.28 ERA in 43 innings last season—played an obvious role in the Rangers’ decision-making, but so did the way the organization admires his work ethic. It’s as good as it gets.
“Everybody who sees him and is around him, his work ethic really separates him,” farm director Mike Daly said. “He’s probably the hardest working guy we have.”
The 6-foot-2, 195 pound Williams was a catcher at Virginia but started flirting with pitching after a transfer to State JC of Florida. The Rangers grabbed him in the 11th round of the 2014 draft as a pitcher despite him batting .318 in his final collegiate season.
His arm doesn’t have the wear and tear on it that other pitchers his age do, and he hasn’t shed a catcher’s arm action. But that serves to his advantage.
“It’s not a funky delivery, but I have some deception,” said Williams, who was 10-for-10 in save opportunities for Hickory. “The shorter arm action hides the ball a little bit.”
Williams might be the ultimate long shot this spring to make the Rangers’ roster, but that’s not going to keep him from soaking up as much as he can.
“It’ll be a great experience to learn from a lot of guys who get to do what I want to do someday,” Williams said.
RANGER ROUNDUP
• The Rangers added righthander Steve Johnson on a minor-league deal with an invite to camp as they stock up on relievers who can work multiple innings.
• Righthander Nick Tepesch is back in camp as a minor league free agent after the Rangers non-tendered him. He opened 2013 in the big league rotation but missed last season because of an elbow injury and thoracic outlet syndrome.
Comments are closed.