News / Sports / Clark County Sports

Camas grad Williams turns corner in Brewers bullpen

Pitcher becoming a key piece to Milwaukee's playoff push

By JIM HOEHN, for The Columbian

Published: July 19, 2018, 10:15pm

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Taylor Williams throws against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game, Sunday, July 15, 2018, in Pittsburgh. The Pirates won 6-5 in ten innings, sweeping the five game series.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

MILWAUKEE — After almost two years of working his way back from surgery, Taylor Williams can finally focus on just doing his job for the Milwaukee Brewers.

And, what a job he’s doing.

Williams, the former Camas High School standout, has become a key member of the bullpen that has helped the Brewers to 55 victories at the All-Star break, tied with the Central Division rival Chicago Cubs for most in the National League.

“I think this is probably the first year where he knew his role,” said Brewers pitching coach Derek Johnson, known for developing young pitchers over 11 seasons in the same role at Vanderbilt University. “Not that we don’t watch him closely, but we don’t monitor him quite as much. So now he can sort of settle into the day-to-day and it’s probably been big relief and big help for him.”

Williams, who missed all of 2015 and 2016 with a sore elbow that required Tommy John surgery and the subsequent recovery, opened the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs. He was called up April 8 and has worked his way into a prominent role in what has been one of baseball’s best bullpens through the first half of the season.

“The past couple years, especially last year, everything was about how do you feel coming back from surgery. That was kind of the basis of last season,” Williams said. “Now, that’s in the past. Honestly, I’m just trying to get better every day, compete at a big league level and help our team win.”

At the All-Star break, the almost 27-year-old right-hander (his birthday is Saturday) had appeared in 36 games, compiling a 2.65 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 37⅓ innings, holding opponents to a .180 batting average.

Williams, who transitioned from starter to reliever last season, made his major league debut last September, posting a 1.93 ERA in five relief appearances with the Brewers.

This season, Williams was used cautiously when first called up, but eventually found himself being used in more high-pressure situations and later in games.

“He started off the season, we kind of protected him with where we used him,” Johnson said. “Now it seems that we can use him in any spot that we need to.”

Williams began his college career at Washington State before heading to Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., where he was named NWAC South Region most valuable player in 2012. He then transferred to Kent State, where he was a first-team all-Mid-American Conference selection as a junior.

The Brewers selected Williams in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. After a 12-game Rookie League stint in 2013, Williams went 9-3 with 2.72 ERA in 27 games, including 17 starts, in 2014 split between Class-A and Advanced-A.

He did not pitch at all in 2015, eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery that August, and then missed all of 2016.

Last season, Williams went 0-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 22 games at Double-A Biloxi, with his last seven outings in relief, before being called up by the Brewers.

Williams pitched well in spring training this year and was one of the final cuts. He was called up when Brewers closer Cory Knebel went on the disabled list and maximized the opportunity.

The Brewers bullpen includes 2018 All-Star set-up men Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress, and Knebel, a 2017 All-Star.

“Obviously, we have a good team, we have a good bullpen,” Williams said. “Exceptional guys in late innings down there. I think having those guys in front of me, and as leaders of our bullpen, it’s pushed me to get better every single day.”

Williams, who now lives in Phoenix during the off-season, but still roots for the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, has embraced his move from starter to reliever.

“For the last 15 to 20 years, when you look at teams that have been successful and made a deep playoff push or won the World Series, they all have depth on their pitching staff, not just starting-wise,” Williams said.

“The way baseball has evolved, relievers are extremely important to the way the game is played right now.”

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