Williams Ready to Return to Rotation
Published on May 28, 2016 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
Nine pitches.
That's how long Trevor Williams' Indianapolis Indians debut lasted before a sudden pain in his shoulder spelled the end of his day, sidelining him with a shoulder strain for over a month.
"I've never been on the DL for an extended period of time," said Williams. "It's weird watching the games and not contributing on the field. It was kind of my first time being a player-fan. I've been a fan of baseball my entire life, but never from the dugout."
Williams challenged himself to support his teammates however he could, whether that meant being the first man up on a successful sacrifice or a high five on the field after a teammate made a great play.
But most importantly, Williams worked to keep his mind focused on competition.
"Spring training is more of getting your mind right for baseball rather than your body. We're competing for spots right away and you're getting your brain into competition mode. You're all dialed up and ready to go, then you get hurt early like I did and it's difficult to keep up that mentality. I requested to do the pitching chart more to really stay dialed in."
From the dugout, Williams worked right alongside his teammates. What would his next pitch be? How would he handle this situation? With every pitch, Williams' mind toed the rubber.
It was a prime seat from which to take in the early dominance of the Indians' rotation, which has spent nearly the entire season at the top of the International League's ERA leaderboard.
"It's awesome seeing one guy go out and then the next guy goes out and tries to compete with him. That's how it was for us during spring training. Part of it is kind of a bummer knowing I was supposed to be there competing with them already, but it was fun to watch. Hopefully I can compete with them now.
On Saturday in Pawtucket, Williams will get his chance.
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