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Saturday, July 15, 2000
Jerome Williams
making progressThe Hawaii Professional Baseball Report
By Dave Reardon
Star-BulletinEveryone knew Jerome Williams could throw. Now he's learning to pitch.
"When I was in spring training I found out I can't just blow the ball by people," the San Jose Giants right-hander said. "I've got to be smart and not make stupid mistakes. Now every day is a learning process."
Thursday's lesson was about coming back from a shaky start. Williams gave up two first inning runs, but ended up striking out nine Visalia batters en route to a 7-2 victory.
Williams allowed five hits and two walks in improving his record to 4-4.
"I wasn't real comfortable in the first inning, but the pitching coach (Bert Bradley) got me to settle down," Williams said.
"My slider was working well, I was getting it over for strikes. So was my change-up," Williams said. "So the second time through the order, I kept them off-balance with first-pitch sliders and change-ups."
The 1999 Waipahu High School graduate is considered one of the top prospects in the Giants' organization. They aren't going to rush him up the ladder.
"I'm still only 18, so their plan right now is to keep me back next year and develop more," Williams said.
San Jose beat Visalia again last night, 10-4, for its fourth-consecutive victory.
Williams' next start is Tuesday against Lancaster.
The Montreal Expos yesterday announced that the team has agreed to terms with first-round draft pick Justin Wayne. Wayne a millionaire
Wayne, 21, a right-handed pitcher from Stanford University, was the fifth selection overall. The Punahou graduate reportedly received a $2.95 million bonus from the Expos.
Wayne was 14-3 with a 3.08 ERA for the Cardinal this season.
Players with Hawaii connections who, through Thursday's games, qualify for inclusion in the weekly statistics compiled by Howe Sportsdata International: The Hawaii Professional
Baseball Report
Batter
Team League Class AB R H HR RBI AVG J.Thornton-Murray Cubs Arizona R 37 5 14 1 11 .378 Scott Suraci Elizabethton Appalachian R 24 5 9 2 8 .375 Keoni DeRenne Jamestown NY-Penn A 49 10 16 1 7 .327 Chad Santos Spokane Northwest A 651 19 21 6 17 .323 Benny Agbayani N.Y. Mets National ML 140 22 41 7 28 .293 Key Voshell Richmond Frontier Ind 138 21 40 0 19 .290 Chris Truby Houston National ML 59 5 17 1 6 .288 Jason Ross Greenville Southern AA 94 14 26 5 8 .277 Miles Luuloa Oneonta NY-Penn A 39 8 10 0 5 .256 Kenn Wakakuwa Hudson Vlly NY-Penn A 20 5 5 0 1 .250 Keith Luuloa Edmonton Pacific Coast AAA 215 31 50 5 33 .233 Darren Blakely Erie Eastern AA 286 43 65 12 36 .227 Shane Victorino Yakima Northwest A 48 5 7 1 5 .146 Buster Small Queens NY-Penn A 15 2 2 0 1 .133 Brandon Chaves Williamsport NY-Penn A 37 0 3 0 3 .081
Pitcher
Team League Class IP H BB SO W-L ERA Rich Snider Vancouver Northwest A 4-1/3 2 1 5 1-0 0.00 Ian Perio Lowell NY-Penn A 8-1/3 4 2 6 2-1 0.00 Jay Spurgeon Bowie Eastern AA 9 2 3 5 1-0 0.00 Kahi Kaanoi Royals Gulf Coast R 5 4 0 4 0-1 1.80 Jeff Martin Lynchburg Carolina A 20-1/3 10 9 18 0-1 2.21 Mike Fetters Los Angeles National ML 21-1/3 11 12 20 3-1 2.53 Onan Masaoka Los Angeles National ML 16-2/3 14 10 15 0-0 2.70 Damon Yee Auburn NY-Penn A 16 15 7 9 2-1 2.81 Paul Ah Yat Nashville Pacific Coast AAA 39-1/3 35 9 24 2-2 2.97 Jerome Williams San Jose California A 59-1/3 39 23 48 3-3 3.03 Fletcher Lee Bakersfield California A 14-2/3 19 9 13 0-0 3.07 Mike McCutcheon El Paso Texas AA 10 12 4 14 1-0 3.60 Kaipo Spenser Valley Western Ind 17-1/3 21 7 16 1-1 3.63 Corey Miller Visalia California A 29-1/3 31 13 38 4-3 4.30 Dusty Bergman Cedar Rapids Midwest A 91-1/3 114 36 59 2-9 5.42 Thomas Ford Bluefield Appalachian R 5-2/3 5 4 6 0-0 6.35 Scott Karl Colorado National ML 59-1/3 82 27 27 2-3 6.67 Matt Wheeler Johnstown Frontier Ind 2-1/3 4 3 1 0-0 7.71 Mark Johnson Toledo International AAA 32-2/3 48 11 12 0-6 7.71 Tyler Yates Midland Texas AA 1-2/3 3 2 0 0-0 10.00 Hawkeye Wayne Everett Northwest A 14-2/3 20 11 14 0-2 11.66
