LANCASTER — Lancaster ace starter Jerome Williams has been signed to a minor league contract by the Los Angeles Angels.
Williams, who was 6-0 with the Barnstormers, is slated to pitch Sunday for Class AAA Salt Lake.
The right-hander, 29, threw one of the best games in franchise history in his last start, June 10 against the Road Warriors. He allowed only two hits while walking one and striking out 11 in the 7-0 victory. Only one Road Warrior, Amadeo Zazueta with a double, reached scoring position in the entire game.
Overall, Williams is tied for the Atlantic League lead with six wins, ranks fourth with a 2.91 ERA and third with 40 strikeouts. He is the only Barnstormer ever to record wins in his first six decisions.
The Hawaii native signed with the San Francisco Giants as a first-round pick in 1999 and reached the big leagues in 2003 at the age of 21. He went 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 21 starts his rookie season and went on to win 10 games for San Francisco in 2004. Williams was dealt to the Cubs during the 2005 season and last pitched in the big leagues for the Washington Nationals in 2007. His overall big league record stands at 23-29.
“Jerome is a quality pitcher and a quality gentleman,” said Barnstormers manager Butch Hobson in a statement. “We hate to see him leave, but at the same time, we’re really happy for him.”
He is the fifth Barnstormer to be signed by a Major League organization in a span of 20 days and the sixth since the beginning of Atlantic League spring training. The last three, signed over five days, have all gone to the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.
Information used in this story was provided by the Lancaster Barnstormers.
