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"I always tell people I had two careers. Had my first part of my career from 03 to 07. I don't really talk about 7 to 10 because that was 'The Grind Years,'" Jerome Williams says, " The second part of my career was from 11 to 16. You rarely get a second chance. I got that second chance."

To begin the first phase, Williams was the 39th pick of the San Francisco Giants of the 1999 MLB Draft. He garnered a lot of praise and attention during his ascent to the big leagues. He was named the Giants' number 1 prospect prior to the 2000 and 2001 seasons. He was also named to the USA team for the 2001 Futures Game. Jerome made his Major League Debut on April 26 2003 at the young age of 21 years old. On June 27th of his rookie season he became the youngest Giant to throw a shutout since 1975. During those initial years, he showcased promise as a right-handed starter.

2007 begins what Jerome Williams refers to as "The Grind Years." He usually choses to leave this era out when recalling his career. During this phase of his career, Jerome spent time bouncing between AA, AAA, two different independent leagues and Taiwan. "The Grind Years" ended when he was signed of the Atlantic League by the Los Angeles Angels in June of 2011.

From 2011 to 2013, Jerome was, again, able to find success and comfort at the big league level. He appeared in 79 games with the Angels, 46 of which were starts. He would finish his Major League career with St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. Williams turned to coaching in 2019. As he reflects on his journey, Williams embodies important lessons about resilience and determination in the face of adversity. He continues to inspire aspiring players, reaffirming that with hard work and perseverance, they can achieve their goals.

In this conversation, Jerome Williams shares his journey from growing up in Hawaii and being drafted at a young age, to navigating the ups and downs of his professional career. He discusses the challenges he faced, including injuries and the grind of independent leagues, before transitioning into coaching. Jerome reflects on the importance of family, the lessons learned from his mother, and his current role as a pitching coach in the Pioneer League, emphasizing the significance of teaching baseball IQ to young players.