Jerome Williams, Retired
Date of Birth: 12/4/1981
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Jerome Williams, retired starting pitcher, was first drafted in 1999 by the San Francisco Giants. Since that time, he has signed with nine other teams. He started his professional career in the Giants' minor league system, pitching there from 1999 through 2002.
Williams first joined the Giants for 21 games in 2003. He finished the season with a career low ERA of 3.30 and a 7-5 record in 131 innings. The next year, he had a career high 10 wins (to 7 losses) and a 4.24 ERA in 22 games.
After four games with the Giants in 2005, Williams was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He pitched in 18 games with the Cubs in 2005 but spent most of the 2006 season in the minors, pitching in just five games with the Cubs. At the end of the season, he was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics but he never played with them and he was released in December, 2006.
In January, 2007, Williams signed with his fourth team, the Washington Nationals. After spending most of the 2007 season back in the minors, pitching in only six games with the Nationals, he was released in the beginning of August. A few days later, he was signed by the Minnesota Twins but he never played with them.
Williams signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 25, 2008 and he spent the rest of the season in the minors. He rejoined the Athletics for the 2009 season, which he spent in the minors. He didn't play at all in the US in 2010.
In June, 2011, Williams signed with the Los Angeles Angels, his seventh team since 2005. After spending most of the 2011 season in the minors, he was finally back in the majors for two full seasons. In 2012, he pitched 137.2 innings in 32 games and he finished with a 6-8 record and a 4.58 ERA. The following year, he had career highs in innings pitched (169.1) and strikeouts (207 to 55 walks). He finished the 2013 season with a 9-10 record and a 4.57 ERA.
Williams spent the 2014 season with three teams. He started by signing with the Houston Astros in February, 2014. After pitching in 26 games with them, the Astros released him on July 8, 2014. Three days later, he signed with the Texas Rangers but he only lasted a month and two games with them. On August 10, 2014, he was claimed off waivers by his tenth team, the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 2015, Williams had a 5.80 ERA in 33 games with the Phillies. He finished the season with a 4-12 record, 1 save, and 74 strikeouts to 34 walks in 121.0 innings.
Williams signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on June 2, 2016. He split his time in 2016 between the Cardinals and the minors, pitching just 17.1 innings in 11 games with the Cardinals.
Williams became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He didn't play professional baseball in 2017. He played in the Mexican League in 2018.
Williams retired in December, 2018.
Career pitching statistics for Williams through 2016 include:
- 236 games played
- 1,029.2 innings pitched
- 52-66 win-loss record
- 655 strikeouts to 352 walks
- 4.59 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jerome Williams
ESPN - Jerome Williams