Jerome Williams

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #3 prospect in 2003
  After being rated the organization's top prospect the previous two years, Williams still is considered a potential star, though his stock dipped slightly in 2002. He sped through the system to reach Triple-A at 20, which made him the youngest regular starter in the Pacific Coast League, then dominated in the Arizona Fall League. Williams' athleticism is often compared to that of a young Dwight Gooden. He throws a 90-92 mph fastball and an outstanding changeup. He has a mound presence that helps him get out of jams. One of his catchers said he was great at improvising pitches during a game. His makeup came into question during a rough patch in the middle of 2002. Some Giants officials and PCL observers wondered why Williams couldn't translate his athleticism into better stuff, questioning his work ethic. He seemed to address those concerns by the end of the year, when he posted a 1.83 ERA in his final eight starts. Williams also needs to improve his slider and curveball. He may have more upside than Jesse Foppert or Kurt Ainsworth, but he's younger, less polished and less mature. He might pitch a second full season in Triple-A, like Ainsworth did last year.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #1 prospect in 2002
  Williams has worn the label of No. 1 prospect in the organization for a year, and he has worn it well through what he and the Giants hope were the worst of times. He pitched the entire season at age 19 at Double-A Shreveport as the youngest player in the Texas League, all while overcoming the death of his mother Deborah. Williams left for spring training in early March, only to return two weeks later to Hawaii for her funeral. His father Glenn, who hasn't been able to work for six years due to neck injuries, urged Williams to stay in Arizona for spring training, but he returned and took time out during the trip to help give pitching lessons to players at Waipahu High, his alma mater. The missed time in the spring meant Williams was working his way into shape during the early part of the season, and it showed. In his first 65 innings, he had a 5.26 ERA, .256 opponent batting average, 10 home runs allowed and a 42-22 strikeout-walk ratio. In his final 65, he had a 2.63 ERA, a .213 opponent average, four homers and a 42-12 strikeout-walk ratio. The Giants love Williams' maturity, physically and emotionally. Athletic and coordinated, he pitches at 90-92 mph with a fastball that features good life. When he wants to, he can run his fastball up to 95 mph. Late in the season, he showed the kind of command the Giants were used to. He has tightened the rotation on his slider and improved his curve and changeup. Overcoming his mother's death and finishing the year strong were two more indications of Williams' mental toughness, which combined with his stuff makes him a potential No. 1 starter. He has yet to become a workhorse in pro ball, averaging 128 innings in his two full seasons, and missing spring training forced the Giants to keep him on strict pitch counts early in the 2001 season. But he threw a pair of complete games and pitched fewer than six innings just twice in the last three months of the year. Williams remains one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. The Giants' major league staff is deep enough that Williams need not be rushed. When ready, he figures to be the ace the Giants now lack. He'll begin 2002 at Triple-A Fresno.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #1 prospect in 2001
  Before Justin Wayne went fifth overall in 2000, Williams was the highest-drafted player ever out of Hawaii. While Wayne eclipsed his draft status, he doesn't eclipse Williams as a prospect. He went 39th overall the year before, as a compensation pick for the loss of free agent Jose Mesa, and remained the earliest-drafted prep player from the islands. He dominated Hawaii's high school ranks, posting a 0.30 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 65 innings as a senior. In one game, he pitched a no-hitter while hitting three home runs in a 13-0 win, and he concluded his career with 20 strikeouts in a playoff victory. California-based scout Darren Wittcke made the trip to Hawaii to scout Williams, saw him throwing 95 mph with a good slider, and convinced the Giants to pull the trigger. Williams' athletic ability and stuff draw comparisons to a young Dwight Gooden from Giants officials. Class A California League hitters batted just .200 against Williams in his first full pro season, and he was just 18 when he pitched in the Double-A Texas League playoffs for Shreveport. He lost a 1-0 decision to Wichita but gave up just two hits, two walks and one run in seven innings. The Giants still don't know how hard he'll throw eventually. Just throwing on the side or trying to throw strikes, he throws 91 mph. When he needs it, he dials up to 94 mph and probably has another 3-4 mph to add. Combine its velocity, potential, life and his ability to throw it for strikes, and Williams' fastball is the best in the system. He was 180 pounds when drafted, and he might be 215-220 when he gets done growing. Williams also throws a solid changeup, slider and curveball. He has a smooth, sound delivery that he repeats well, and he's an excellent fielder. Despite the poker face he shows on the mound, Williams gets up for big games, which he proved in the playoffs. The Giants don't do a good job hiding their glee over Williams' development. Sometimes his curveball gets slow and a bit too big, but it's nothing that won't improve with experience. The organization has been careful with his pitch counts, and Williams averaged less than six innings a start in 2000. As he moves up the ladder, the Giants will stretch him out and test his durability. Williams ranks among the best prospects in baseball, not just in the system. He passed Kurt Ainsworth, who would be a No. 1 prospect in several other organizations, by showing a higher ceiling in 2000. Don't look for him to pass Ainsworth on the way to the big leagues, however. The Giants would love Williams to get a full year of Double-A in 2001.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #4 prospect in 2003
  Williams trailed Fresno rotation-mates Foppert and Kurt Ainsworth on this list a year ago, yet he was the only one of the three in San Francisco's rotation late in the season. Foppert went down with Tommy John surgery, while Ainsworth went to the Orioles in the Sidney Ponson trade. With his arm action and athletic 6-foot-3 frame, Williams looks like he should throw in the mid-90s. Instead, he usually tops out in the low 90s and sometimes sits in the high 80s. But he continues to show he can succeed by trading velocity for command. Williams' best attribute is his feel for pitching, as he mixes speeds and locations masterfully. His most reliable pitch is his changeup, though he sometimes overuses it in relation to his fastball. He throws both a curveball and slider.
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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #16 prospect in 2002
  Williams is both precocious and enigmatic. He pitched well in the PCL at age 20, easily the youngest regular starting pitcher in the league. But observers continue to wonder how someone with the athleticism of a young Dwight Gooden doesn't consistently show better stuff and focus. Williams usually pitches at 90-92 mph. There's more velocity in him, but he just doesn't bust it loose. His best pitch is his changeup, but his slider and curveball are ordinary. His command is good, not great. While Williams did improve in terms of pitching inside, he should blow hitters away more often than he does. Some managers and scouts liked him better than Ainsworth, and he did post a 1.83 ERA in his final eight starts.
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  Ranked Texas League #12 prospect in 2001
  Williams seemed poised for a breakthrough season, but that didn't happen after he missed most of spring training to deal with the death of his mother. Though he was kept on a strict pitch count until the end of May and didn't get his ERA under 5.00 for good until mid-July, he made steady progress. He looked poised and professional as a 19-year-old taking on older TL hitters, and he had stretches of absolute domination. Williams, who has a plus curveball, a slider and changeup to go with his mid-90s fastball, went 3-0, 1.74 in the final month. The fact he was pitching for the league's worst team in one of the minors' worst situations--Shreveport averaged just 913 fans a game--made his performance look even better. "He's the real deal," Shreveport manager Bill Russell said. "He's obviously a first-class pitcher but he's also a great athlete who can field his position and handle the bat when he needs to."
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  Ranked California League #3 prospect in 2000
  The two Giants-affiliated managers in the Cal League, San Jose’s Keith Comstock and Bakersfield’s Lenn Sakata, both compared Williams to the most precocious teenage pitcher in recent years: Dwight Gooden. Hitters batted just .201 against him, as he showed command of four pitches, including a low-90s fastball. What’s most promising about Williams? "His physique, the way his mechanics are so fluid, that he doesn't put any pressure on his arm," Comstock said. "He already has a good presence, his arm action is good and he has late life on his fastball. And he's getting better." "Great control," Sakata said. "He throws four pitches for strikes. His velocity is above average. For someone that young to be that complete is something else." There are no negatives with Williams, save for his inexperience. He’s very mature, mentally and physically, for his age.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #50 prospect in 2003
• Ranked Baseball America's #19 prospect in 2002
• Ranked Baseball America's #19 prospect in 2001

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  The two Giants-affiliated managers in the Cal League, San Jose’s Keith Comstock and Bakersfield’s Lenn Sakata, both compared Williams to the most precocious teenage pitcher in recent years: Dwight Gooden. Hitters batted just .201 against him, as he showed command of four pitches, including a low-90s fastball. What’s most promising about Williams? "His physique, the way his mechanics are so fluid, that he doesn't put any pressure on his arm," Comstock said. "He already has a good presence, his arm action is good and he has late life on his fastball. And he's getting better." "Great control," Sakata said. "He throws four pitches for strikes. His velocity is above average. For someone that young to be that complete is something else." There are no negatives with Williams, save for his inexperience. He’s very mature, mentally and physically, for his age.