Phillies’ Nick Williams looking to regain his stroke and confidence at triple-A Lehigh Valley

ALLENTOWN — It has been a season like no other for Lehigh Valley IronPigs outfielder Nick Williams, one in which he has been bounced back and forth from the Phillies to the triple-A team three times.

After spending 83 games with the Phillies in 2017 and all of last year in the major leagues, putting up solid numbers both years, Williams was relegated to bench duty after the offseason signings of outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper.

Williams was batting just .180 when he was sent down the first time to the IronPigs on May 19. He took the mandatory 72 hours to report to the team and was defiant about the demotion.

“The first time being sent down was really tough,” Williams said after getting four hits in a game last week to boost his triple-A average to .419.

After playing two games with the IronPigs, Williams was recalled by the Phillies on May 28. He was optioned to Lehigh Valley a second time on June 3.

“The second time, I was really struggling and so I felt like I needed to get at-bats [in the minors],” Williams said.

The day he was optioned, McCutchen suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Williams was recalled by the Phillies on June 8. In seven games with them, he hit .250 (3-for-12) before being optioned on June 17 to Lehigh Valley.

“The third time was tough, because I started having good at-bats, consistently six- to seven-pitch at-bats, and felt I was coming into my own and felt I was almost there,” Williams said. “Now I am just trying to feel like myself again.”

Overall with the IronPigs, he is batting .407 in 63 plate appearances with two home runs and seven RBIs.

Williams, who will turn 26 in September, says he doesn’t check his phone every day to see whether he will be recalled by the Phillies. “No, not at all,” he said.

Lehigh Valley’s second-year manager, Gary Jones, who was the Chicago Cubs’ third base coach and infielder instructor in four seasons before coming to the IronPigs, has a realistic take on Williams’ situation.

“It’s tough, but he isn’t the first person it happened to and won’t be the last person,” Jones said. “I remember two, three years ago, the Cubs sent Kyle Schwarber down for some time.”

Schwarber was sent down from June 22 to July 8, 2017. That came after he returned from injury and went 7-for-17 (.412) in the World Series for the champion Cubs.

“It is not the end of the world,” Jones said about Williams’ situation. “He is still young and has a chance to have a long and productive MLB career."

Jones says Williams’ attitude has been exemplary.

“He is working hard every day, and I admire that,” Jones said. “A lot of times, guys come down and go through the motions, and he is doing everything he needs to do to get back to the next level. He is playing hard, playing all three outfield positions, running the bases well, and he is on the right track.”

There has been plenty of speculation that Williams could use a change of scenery, where he could receive more regular playing time.

Williams, whose average this year with the Phillies is .173 in 81 at-bats, said he doesn’t necessarily look at it as if he is auditioning for the 29 other MLB teams.

“If you are a player, whether you are here or in the big leagues, you are technically auditioning all the time,” he said. “I don’t worry about those things.”

Right now, he is worried about finding his groove, and he says the daily at-bats, albeit in triple A, have helped him immensely. He even said he has been able to find joy in what has been a difficult season.

“When I came down [to triple A], I was wondering how I was going to fit it,” Williams said. “But it helps to have a lot of great dudes on this team. We are having fun.”

He expected the fun to be in Philadelphia, but right now, Williams is enjoying playing regularly, finding his stroke and not taking for granted what it means to play every day, regardless of the level.