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ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays didn’t necessarily plan to call up top prospect Carson Williams late last August. But as their chances of contending slipped away, and their shortstop depth evaporated, they decided to try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. They believed that Williams, the ultra-athletic 22-year-old shortstop, would benefit from the experience regardless of the outcome. Now that it’s all over, and Williams is preparing for Spring Training with a sense of where he needs to improve to succeed in the big leagues, he agrees. “I couldn’t be more thankful for them to give me that opportunity,” Williams said in a recent interview with MLB.com, “and I think it did wonders for me this offseason.” Williams spoke with MLB.com’s Jesse Borek earlier this week during the league’s annual Rookie Program. Here is part of that interview, which has been edited for clarity and length. |
MLB.com: Now that you’ve had some time to kind of take a step back from [your debut] a little bit, how do you assess how that all went with the call-up back in August and September, getting to spend a little time at the big league level? Williams: That debut was the best day of my life. I don’t know anything that’s going to top it anytime soon. It was unbelievable to get the call-up. It felt like I had accomplished something that I had been working for for a really long time, and the whole call-up experience and getting to play for that last month was really cool because I got a month of learning. Baseball kicked my butt a little bit in the big leagues -- as it should; it’s the pinnacle of baseball -- and I learned a lot, and I got to take it into this offseason and I think I’ve made some really good adjustments. MLB.com: How important is that, for fans that maybe don’t recognize that, to kind of establish that winning culture in the Minor Leagues before you get up to the big league level? Williams: It’s the farm system for the big leagues, so I think the Rays, they’re really doing a good job of getting us as ready as possible for that beast when you finally get called up. They do a wonderful job of explaining how the big leagues works, especially in Spring Training -- what they like to do, how they like to try to win -- and we try to incorporate that as much as possible in the Minors. |
MLB.com: Take me through how this offseason was different for you. Was it different? Williams: The way that I trained was definitely different, especially on the hitting front. I made a few adjustments that I really think [are] going to help us next year. On the body and training front, it has been similar, because my body has done me good so far through the seasons. Just having the knowledge of that month, month and a half … was huge, because I knew exactly what I wanted to get done and what I wanted to adjust, especially in the swing. Even on defense, being quicker and making sure we get those double plays, there were definitely a few points that I really look forward to showing off this year. MLB.com: Looking ahead to 2026, what’s big on your radar? Is it just kind of sticking at the Major League level, or are you kind of setting any goals in particular for the year ahead? Williams: I’d love to stick at the big league level, and I’d say the adjustments I need to make are very glaring and obvious. That’s it. I want to help this team win, and I want to become the best baseball player I can. That’s all. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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• The Rays took the first step toward a deal for a long-term ballpark on the site of Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. Read more>> • What are the Rays doing this offseason? The same thing as always, balancing their present and future. Read more>> • Gavin Lux is the “leading candidate” to handle second base this season. Read more>> • Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were elected as the newest Hall of Famers. Read more>> |
The Rays on Wednesday announced a number of changes to their on-field Minor League coaching staff, including the return of former Tampa Bay infielder Reid Brignac. Brignac will serve as a coach for Triple-A Durham after working as a manager in the Mets' system, most recently for Double-A Binghamton. Brignac, 40, spent parts of five seasons playing for the Rays from 2008-12. Also new to the Durham staff is hitting coach Keoni DeRenne, who spent last season as an assistant hitting coach with the Royals. Assistant GM Kevin Ibach and director of Minor League operations George Pappas will continue to oversee the player development department after the departure of Blake Butera, now the Nationals’ manager. |
Among the other highlights: • The Rays kept their top three Minor League managers in place but shuffled two jobs at the lower levels. Danny Mendick was promoted to manager of Single-A Charleston after spending last season as a coach with the Rookie-level FCL Rays. The FCL Rays will now be managed by Sean Smedley, who was previously Charleston’s manager, and former Durham bullpen coach Zac Law is now the FCL bench coach. • There will be two new pitching coaches: Ryan Pennell, who remains the organization’s assistant director of pitching, at High-A Bowling Green, and Tyler Higgins in Charleston. • The Rays made three Minor League coordinator/roving instructor changes and two hires: catching coordinator Jeff Smith added “manager development” to his title; Gil Kim, formerly the manager for Single-A Dunedin, was hired as infield coordinator; former FCL catcher Luis Ariza is now a Minor League bullpen catcher; Jose Pablo is now a process and development coach, the post he last held in the Dominican Summer League; and Julio Ibarra was hired as Latin America medical coordinator. • There were a few changes to the player development leadership and administration, some of which were previously reported. Director of international operations Patrick Walters added “complex development” to his title. Dani Dockx is now the director of position player programming, and Sam Bennett is now coordinator of position player programming. Alejandro Freire is now the assistant director of complex and academy development. And Joe Hudson, a catcher for Triple-A Sugar Land last season, is now the coordinator of player development. |
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