batters after his initial promotion, and again quickly advanced through the ranks as he moved through teams in North Carolina and Florida all the way up to the New Orleans Zephyrs, a Triple-A Pacific Coast League team, in just two short years.
“It’s definitely different,” Williams admitted. “It makes every day a little reminder that you’re not in the big leagues yet. It definitely gets you going though, it gets you moving in the right direction.”
Staying in Phoenix again for the first time in almost two years brought back memories of William’s teammates, many of whom he still keeps in contact with.
“A lot of guys I played with at ASU were groomsmen at my wedding,” Williams began, his face gleaming with his smile pulled to his cheeks. “We still talk all the time. They all call themselves ‘uncle’ to Isaac, my son.”
Just a few minutes before, these smiles and laughs were non-existent. Pacing back and forth with his phone glued to his ear, Williams was told unexpected news. “Okay, okay,” he said, and a few minutes later he hung up. He walked over and broke the news: The Marlins had traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“We were planning on living in Jacksonville for the rest of the year, which where I started the year off in Double-A,” Williams said. “After this, we don’t know. That’s kind of how baseball is: you just have to roll with it.”
Arizona State Sun Devils Baseball
45