Don't Overlook Ryan Williams

[Angels]

Cubs’ Ryan Williams Will Not Be Overlooked Again

Adam Greene
September 13, 2015
GetMoreSports.com

You can be forgiven if Chicago Cubs minor league prospect Ryan Williams wasn’t on your radar heading into this season. It’s been the usual story for the 23-year-old from Morgan Hill, Calif. has been falling through the cracks for years.

But after going 10-2 in Double-A for the Tennessee Smokies and 16-4 as a starter since being drafted in the 10th round of the 2014 MLB draft, that’s never going to happen again. Williams and his 2.57 ERA over the last year and a half have everyone’s attention.

“The philosophy I came in with was just to throw strikes,” Williams said. “I didn’t think I needed to overpower anybody. I don’t have that 95-plus (mph.) fastball. I’m just here to make contact, throw strikes and let my defense do the work. The pressure is off me at that point. I think that helped me make the jump.”

Ryan Williams didn’t have a lot of bargaining power as a senior coming out of East Carolina University in 2014. Unlike most players currently with the Tennessee Smokies, Williams wasn’t drafted first out of high school and was overlooked as a junior in college.

So instead of the six-figure signing bonuses some other draft picks go, Williams got $1,000 from the Chicago Cubs after being picked in the 10th round. Williams saw the road he took to professional baseball as a positive part of his career path.

“It’s nice to come out and set some goals and do that,” Williams said. “It was actually nice not to have to make that decision after high school or my junior year. I learned a lot by going to college for four years. I had a great pitching coach in Dan Rozelle. It was beneficial in helping me transfer from the college game to the pro game. Having that extra year was big for me.”

Williams was picked in the same draft as catcher Kyle Schwarber, the All-Star that began the season with the Smokies and is currently starring for the Cubs in the major leagues. With all the attention on prospects and position players, Williams was able to go unnoticed by the media before unleashing one of the best pitching seasons in minor league baseball.

“Those guys (the position player prospects) deserved it (the recognition),” Williams said. “You see what they’re doing with the big league club. It was pretty special to watch. The spotlight was on them and I was able to just come to the ballpark and work each day. I could better my game and have fun watching them do their thing. It was pretty special.”

Williams is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds and looks in every way like the big league starter he seems destined to be. Williams opened the season in Low-A South Bend, jumped High-A Myrtle Beach completely, and not only finished as one of the Smokies best pitchers, but could end up the Cubs minor league pitcher of the year.

“You can never expect something like that,” Williams said. “It would be a great honor to get, but it’s really about staying focused and coming to the field each day. I work on fine-tuning my game and trying to learn everything I can from the pitchers around me.”