The Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League (GBL) has announced that it has agreed to terms with Jerome Williams for the upcoming 2008 season.
“This is a great signing that Long Beach Armada fans will be proud of,” said Long Beach Armada General Manager Steven Bash. “Jerome is in tremendous shape and comes to Long Beach to show baseball fans that he is capable of pitching well again in the majors. We are lucky to have Jerome’s experience and talent on the 2008 Armada squad.”
Williams previously pitched for the Washington Nationals last season. His career major league totals currently stand at 23 wins and 29 losses with a 4.24 career ERA (earned run average).
Williams, 26, was a first round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants in the 1999 amateur draft out of Waipahu High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. In his senior year, he went 8-1 with a microscopic 0.12 ERA, striking out 123 batters and walking only 9 in 64 innings. As a teenager, he rose quickly through the Giants organization. In 2001, he was ranked the number-one prospect in the Giants organization by Baseball America magazine. That year, Williams pitched for the U.S. in the Futures Games. The youngest pitcher in the 2002 Pacific Coast League, Williams finished eighth in the league with a 3.59 ERA. Williams made his major league debut in 2003 while filling in for injured Jason Schmidt.
“This is what the GBL and the Armada are all about,” said Long Beach Armada Manager Steve Yeager. “Bringing in a kid like Jerome to show that he deserves to be back in the majors and continuing his career. I have no doubt that he’ll be back up there soon.”
A 6’3″ right-hander, Williams is known for wearing a puka shell necklace on the playing field as a memory of his mother who died of breast cancer while he was in the minors. “I’m very happy to have this opportunity to play for the Armada,” said Williams. “I will work and play hard as I continue my quest to get back to the bigs.”
The Long Beach Armada sails into its fourth season of play as an independent professional minor league ball club in the Golden Baseball League. Advancing to the GBL Championship Series last season, the team has had 15 players purchased off their roster by major league organizations in the last three years. The Armada will help celebrate historic Blair Field’s 50th anniversary during their 2008 home season.
For information about the Armada’s 2008 schedule and tickets, visit www.longbeacharmada.com.
